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Mathematics Year 5: Fitting shapes together. Introduction: This lesson is about encouraging children to look at shapes that tessellate. They will then move on to create their own shape(s) and to tessellate it. In doing this they will have an opportunity to think creatively rather than purely geometrically. Resources A computer with an art or drawing program available. An interactive whiteboard for whole class/large group teaching. Digital camera (optional) Tessellations Resource file (included) Previous learning Children need to be familiar with the concept of tiling. They may have used stamps or templates before to cover a page in a regular pattern. Children need to be able to describe polygons, and to understand about angle and symmetry. They will need to be familiar with an art or drawing program to create their basic template. Learning Objectives Children will learn to look at shapes and to see which ones tessellate on their own, which ones need a ‘partner’ shape (semi-regular tessellations) and which don’t tessellate at all. Children will create their own tessellation patterns. They will use the computer to create an accurate template (which can be easily resized) and then produce the pattern by hand. What to do Take a group of children on a town trail or a walk around the school grounds and photograph as many tessellation patterns that they can find (brick work – how many different designs do they see?), tiling patterns on the floor of shopping malls, pavers on front drives, mock leaded windows, etc.) The photographs can then be projected on to an interactive whiteboard and the basic shapes traced over. Alternatively, you could use a very good PowerPoint presentation on tessellations. This can be freely downloaded from: http://www.numeracysoftware.com/tessellation.pps If the children have used the digital camera as suggested above, it will be interesting for them to compare their images with those referenced in the PowerPoint presentation. Next, take the children through the website at: http://www.tessellations.org/linemethod-ex1-1.htm This now opens up three possibilities. Some pupils may be happy trying to tessellate one or more of the pentominoes. Others may decide to tessellate one of the 7-pin polygons. A third group may decide to create their own more imaginative design based on the methodology described in the website. Ask the children to use the computer to produce an accurate template, to decide upon the sizing of it, print it out and glue it on to card. They should then cut around it to give them their template. Differentiation This has been discussed above. Depending upon ability, the children might work with the pentominoes, the 7-pin polygons or the creative shapes based upon the triangle.
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Maths Y5: Fitting shapes together 2008