Rich tasks
- These are problem solving open-ended questions that require students to investigate symmetry. The tasks can be given at the start of a topic and done as the students gain enough knowledge to complete them, inserted into a topic at an appropriate place, or given as homework or extension.
- Mirror squares
- Symmetry in nature
- On Planet Zed
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1. Mirror squares
- Encourage students to develop a systematic way of shading, and also recording all the different ways of shading, the 3 by 3 square.
- A mirror will help them check the ways.
2. Symmetry in nature
- Looking for symmetry in nature makes students closely observe how animals and plants provide numerous examples of both line and rotational symmetry.
- You could ask students to create a photo board of what they found.
3. On Planet Zed
- Students should be reminded that they are looking for designs that have both line and rotational symmetry.
- When comparing and voting for the most eye catching design, students should be encouraged to give a reason for their choices.
Line symmetry
- Recognise shapes that are symmetrical.
- Draw all the lines of symmetry on a symmetrical shape.
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Teacher notes
- Encourage students to use a mirror to check lines of symmetry.
- Students will sometimes only find obvious lines of symmetry. Encourage them to turn shapes to check further.
- You could link the practical on page 292 to palindromic words such as HANNAH AND KAYAK.
Rotational symmetry
- Recognise shapes that have rotational symmetry.
- Know how many times a shape looks the same as it is turned a full turn.
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Teacher notes
- Many shapes have the same number of lines of symmetry as the number of places the shape looks the same as it is turned through one full turn. It is important to show examples of shapes where this is not the case, e.g. Activity 1 b, f, i, l.
- Encourage students to think of rotating as the same as turning, so rotational symmetry is to do with turning.
- Point out that if, when rotating a shape, the only positions where the shape looks the same are at the start and end of the turn, then the shape does not have rotational symmetry.
- Printable masters of the shapes have been given because if students keep tracing the shapes from the book with a sharp pencil, eventually the pages will be ruined. You could laminate the Printable Masters, then cut out the shapes and share them around.
- For the practical on page 295, if students colour their design with oil based crayons and brush with vegetable oil they produce a great stained glass window effect.
- If possible use acetate instead of tracing paper as this is easy to see through and easy to rotate.
