Planning tool

Students:

• draw missing portions of a symmetrical figure
• describe the line and rotational symmetry by manually cutting, folding and turning shapes and by using digital technologies
• explain why some figures have no line of symmetry.

Some students may:

• have trouble visualising the line of symmetry and mistakenly draw a line of reflection along an incorrect axis. Use practical examples where students fold simple shapes to check their predictions.
• identify one line of symmetry and not understand a shape may have more than one line of symmetry. Use a task which challenges students to find as many lines of symmetry as possible or provide shapes that have multiple lines of symmetry and make explicit the lines of symmetry.
• believe that, like a square, a rectangle has 4 lines of symmetry when it only has two. Use practical examples where students fold a rectangle to check their predictions.

The Learning from home activities are designed to be used flexibly by teachers, parents and carers, as well as the students themselves. They can be used in a number of ways including to consolidate and extend learning done at school or for home schooling.

Learning intention

• We are learning about symmetrical shapes.

Why are we learning about this?

• Symmetry is all around us. You can find examples in nature, art, building and design.

What to do

1. Have a look at this image. What is it?
   1. Can you draw the half that is missing?
   2. How do you know what to draw?
   3. Explain your answer.

   

2. Complete these pictures.
   1. If you have a mirror, reflect the image and draw what you see.
3. Would this activity work for all objects? Why or why not?

Success criteria

I can:

• complete the remaining half of an object that is symmetrical
• describe what symmetry is and what it isn’t with some examples.

Learning intention

• We are learning how to define symmetry.
• We are learning how to draw shapes or objects with their lines of symmetry.

Why are we learning about this?

• We are using symmetry to recognise and form patterns.

What I want you to do

1. Here are two letters of the alphabet.
   • Which one is symmetrical?
   • Which one has no line of symmetry?
   • How did you work it out?

     A

     G

2. Look at the 26 letters of the English alphabet.
   • Write each one in capital letters.
   • Estimate how many of the letters are symmetrical.
   • Check to see if each letter has a vertical line of symmetry or a horizontal line of symmetry or both.
3. Draw your results to show how you worked out which letters are symmetrical. How did your estimate compare?

Success criteria

I can:

• recognise when a letter has no lines of symmetry
• identify the lines of symmetry.