Investigate lines of symmetry in 2D shapes by folding | Maths

Starter quiz

Complete the sentence. This quadrilateral has ______ pair(s) of parallel sides.
- '1' ✓
Which statements are true for all polygons?
- They have three or more straight sides. ✓
- They are 2D shapes. ✓
- They are 3D shapes.
- They have sides that join at vertices. ✓
Match the polygon with the number of vertices that it has.
- triangle
  
  ⇔
  
  3 ✓
- quadrilateral
  
  ⇔
  
  4 ✓
- pentagon
  
  ⇔
  
  5 ✓
- hexagon
  
  ⇔
  
  6 ✓
- octagon
  
  ⇔
  
  8 ✓
How many lines of symmetry does this shape have?
- 2 ✓
- 1
- 0
Which of these statements are true for all rectangles?
- They have four right angles. ✓
- They have only one line of symmetry.
- They have four sides. ✓
- They have four sides the same length.
How many vertices do all quadrilaterals have? ______ vertices
- '4' ✓

Exit quiz

A __________ is a quadrilateral with two pairs of adjacent, equal sides.
- trapezium
- kite ✓
- parallelogram
A kite has two pairs of sides that are equal in length. These pairs are adjacent sides. What does adjacent mean?
- opposite
- next to ✓
- join at right angles
Which of these quadrilaterals are also kites?
- a ✓
- b
- c ✓
- d ✓
True or false. A kite can also be a rhombus or a square.
- True ✓
- False
Which of these shapes has four lines of symmetry?
- square ✓
- rectangle
Which shape has been incorrectly sorted? ______
- a
- b ✓
- c
- d

Worksheet

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Presentation

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Lesson Details

Key learning points

When you fold a shape on a line of symmetry, the two halves will match exactly.
A line of symmetry is not always horizontal or vertical.
Some quadrilaterals, such as a parallelogram, have no lines of symmetry.
Others, such as a kite, have one line of symmetry. Others, such as a rectangle, can have more than one line of symmetry.

Common misconception

Children may not recognise a line of symmetry when it is neither horizontal nor vertical.

Allow opportunities for exploring lines of symmetry practically by folding cut outs of lots of different shapes. Encourage children to view and describe these in different orientations to help them see that a line of symmetry can be in any direction.

Keywords

Kite - A quadrilateral with two pairs of adjacent, equal sides.
Line of symmetry - If you were to fold a shape on its line of symmetry, both halves would match exactly.