Mathematics
Advanced
50 mins
Teacher/Student led
+60 XP
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IWB/Projector/Large Screen

Symmetry: Lines and Rotational

Explore two types of symmetry in 2D shapes: lines you can fold along and the number of times a shape matches itself when turned. Discover that a shape can have one type of symmetry without the other.

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    1 - Getting Started ~4 mins

    Illustration for Getting StartedWatch the paper heart being folded down the middle. The two halves land exactly on top of each other.

    Now watch the square card being turned slowly, all the way round once. Count in your head: how many times does it look exactly the same as it did at the start?

    2 - Two Ways to Test a Shape ~4 mins

    Illustration for Two Ways to Test a ShapeToday we test shapes in two different ways.

    Folding. A fold-line (also called a line of symmetry) is a line you could fold along so one half lands exactly on the other. A shape can have none, one, or many fold-lines.

    Turning. A turn-match is when a shape looks exactly the same again as you turn it round, without lifting it off the page. This is called rotational symmetry.

    3 - Watch and Notice ~9 mins

    First, folding. Each shape below has its fold-lines drawn on it. A fold-line only counts if folding along it would land one half exactly on the other. Before each one is revealed, guess how many fold-lines it has, then count the lines you can see.

    Now, turning. Each of these shapes is turned all the way round once. The order of rotational symmetry is the number of times a shape matches its starting picture in one full turn, and the starting picture counts as your first match. Count how many matches each shape makes. Watch the last one carefully.

    4 - Try It Together ~9 mins

    Now we hunt for fold-lines together. On the board we build a symmetric pattern that stays the same across two fold-lines at once. One fold-line runs straight down. The other runs straight across.

    Each time a cell is tapped, its mirror partners shade themselves across both fold-lines, so the pattern always stays symmetric. Predict where the partner cells will appear before they do.

    Build a symmetric pattern

    5 - Draw the Pentagon Twice in Your Copy ~3 mins

    COPYBOOK MOMENT

    In your maths copy, sketch a regular pentagon (five equal sides). Draw every line of symmetry through it and write the count underneath.

    Then sketch the same pentagon again beside it. This time write its order of rotational symmetry underneath, and mark the centre of rotation with a small dot in the middle.

    Pupil practice
    Module 6 · 2D and 3D Shape, Angles, Symmetry Shape & Space
    Lesson 81 · Symmetry: Lines and Rotational
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