New
New
Year 2

Discuss and compare polygons

I can discuss and compare the shape and size of polygons, and the vertices of polygons.

New
New
Year 2

Discuss and compare polygons

I can discuss and compare the shape and size of polygons, and the vertices of polygons.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Polygons can be compared by looking at their properties such as number of sides or vertices.
  2. The space inside polygons can be described using informal language such as long, thin, short, wide, larger and smaller.
  3. The vertices of a polygon can be described and compared using informal language such as sharp, pointy, wide and large.

Keywords

  • Larger - A larger shape is one that takes up more space than another.

  • Smaller - A smaller shape is one that takes up less space than another.

  • Compare - You compare to find out what is the same and what is different.

Common misconception

Children may think that a shape must be larger because it is wider or longer than another shape, or that the smallest shape should always be the shortest or narrowest.

Encourage children to focus on the amount of space that a shape takes up. Explore cutting up shapes and manipulating them so that they have the same width or length to help children see which is the largest or smallest shape overall.

Plan opportunities for children to handle card cut-outs of different 2D shapes to compare. Include examples which are the same shape in different proportions, as well as shapes that look similar but have different properties (number of sides and number of vertices).
Teacher tip

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match the image of the polygon to its name.
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer:a,pentagon

pentagon

Correct Answer:b,octagon

octagon

Correct Answer:c,quadrilateral

quadrilateral

Correct Answer:d,triangle

triangle

Q2.
Match each polygon with its properties.
Correct Answer:triangle,3 sides and 3 vertices

3 sides and 3 vertices

Correct Answer:rectangle,4 sides and 4 vertices

4 sides and 4 vertices

Correct Answer:pentagon,5 sides and 5 vertices

5 sides and 5 vertices

Correct Answer:hexagon,6 sides and 6 vertices

6 sides and 6 vertices

Correct Answer:octagon,8 sides and 8 vertices

8 sides and 8 vertices

Q3.
True or false. This image shows a line of symmetry.
An image in a quiz
True
Correct answer: False
Q4.
If a shape is symmetrical, one half of the shape is a of the other side.
symmetrical
Correct answer: reflection
line of symmetry
Q5.
Which of these shapes is symmetrical?
An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
Q6.
Which image shows the correct reflection?
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz

6 Questions

Q1.
Compare the shapes. Which statements are true?
An image in a quiz
Correct answer: a) and b) are both rectangles
a) is shorter than b)
b) is larger than a)
Correct answer: a) is larger than b)
Q2.
Compare these shapes. Which statements are true?
An image in a quiz
Correct answer: a) and b) are both triangles.
Both shapes are the same size.
Correct answer: Shape a) is wider than shape b).
Correct answer: Shape b) is 'taller' than shape a).
Q3.
Order the shapes from smallest to largest.
An image in a quiz
1 - b
2 - c
3 - a
Q4.
True or false. The vertices of this polygon are all the same.
An image in a quiz
Correct answer: True
False
Q5.
What is the same about both of these shapes?
An image in a quiz
Correct answer: They are both polygons.
They are both quadrilaterals.
They both have vertices that look like square corners.
Correct answer: They both have a pointy vertex.
Q6.
Match the number with the description of the vertex.
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer:1,a square-corner vertex

a square-corner vertex

Correct Answer:2,a sharp, pointy vertex

a sharp, pointy vertex

Correct Answer:3,wide vertex

wide vertex