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Common Core Math2nd GradeGeometry

2.G.2: Partition a Rectangle into Equal Squares

Also written as 2.G.A.2 and CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.G.A.2 · Cluster: Reason with shapes and their attributes.

Make Graph PaperAll 26 2nd Grade Math Standards

The Official Wording

Partition a rectangle into rows and columns of same-size squares and count to find the total number of them.

Common Core State Standards, Grade 2, Geometry · Read it at the source · Checked October 14, 2026

What 2.G.2 Means in Plain English

Second graders cut a rectangle into a grid of same-size squares, 3 rows and 5 columns, and count them by rows: 5 + 5 + 5 = 15. The hard part is drawing it: straight lines and equal squares, so every row holds the same number.

This is the picture behind area. The array work of 2.OA.4 counts objects in rows. Here the rows are squares that tile a shape with no gaps. In 3rd grade those squares become square units, area is counted (3.MD.6) and then found by multiplying rows by columns (3.MD.7).

2.G.2 I Can Statements

  • I can split a rectangle into rows and columns of equal squares.
  • I can count the squares in a rectangle by rows or by columns.
  • I can write the total as a sum of equal rows.

2.G.2 Worked Example

A rectangle cut into three rows of five, where each dot stands for one square, counted by rows and then by columns.

3 groups of 5
A rectangle cut into 3 rows and 5 columns of same-size squares. Each dot stands for one square. Count by rows: 5, 10, 15.
5 + 5 + 5 = 15

A chocolate bar scored into 3 rows of 5 squares: 5 + 5 + 5 = 15 squares. Counting by columns instead gives 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 = 15, the same total, because the rows and the columns cover the same rectangle.

Common Mistakes with 2.G.2

Squares that are not the same size

A rectangle split into 3 rows where the bottom row is twice as tall as the others

Try this: Start from a grid or dot paper, where the lines are already even, and move to freehand only after the counting is solid.

Counting rows plus columns

3 rows and 5 columns, so 3 + 5 = 8 squares

Try this: Have the student touch each square in the first row while counting to 5, then count the rows and add 5 three times.

Losing track while counting one by one

15 squares counted as 14 or 16 after a skipped or doubled square

Try this: Number the squares row by row in pencil, so each row ends at 5, 10, 15, and the last number written is the total.

Where 2.G.2 Fits

Comes Before1.G.2Compose shapes from smaller shapes, like squares that fill a rectangle.2.OA.4Find the total in an array of up to 5 rows and 5 columns by adding equal rows.
Alongside2.G.1Recognize and draw shapes by their attributes.2.G.3Partition circles and rectangles into equal shares.
Comes Next3.MD.5Understand area as covering a shape with unit squares.3.MD.6Measure area by counting unit squares.3.MD.7Find area by multiplying side lengths, rows times columns.

Practice 2.G.2

Graph Paper GeneratorFree ToolOutline a rectangle on the grid and the partition is already drawn. Students count the squares inside by rows, then by columns, and write both sums.Large squaresOne pagePrint
Make Graph Paper

Quick Check

  1. A rectangle is cut into 4 rows and 3 columns of equal squares. How many squares are there?
  2. A rectangle has 2 rows of 6 squares. Write an addition sentence for the total.
  3. Sam counts a rectangle’s squares by rows and gets 15. Ria counts the same rectangle by columns. What does she get?

2.G.2: Other Names

2.G.22.G.A.2CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.G.A.2

Common Core State Standards © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved. Official wording from the Common Core State Standards PDFs at corestandards.org, last checked October 14, 2026. The explanation, I can statements, example, mistakes and practice on this page are EMStudio’s own, written beside the official wording. They are not part of the standard.