Position and direction - Making patterns with shapes - Presentation

In this interactive lesson on position and direction, students enhance their understanding of geometry by learning how to create and analyse patterns with shapes. The lesson is structured to guide students through the process of recognising and continuing patterns, as well as describing the movements and turns involved in their formation. Initially, students are prompted to discuss what constitutes a pattern, setting the stage for the activities that follow. With a focus on fluency and reasoning, the lesson includes a series of engaging activities where students are tasked with extending given patterns by adding the next three shapes, filling in missing shapes to complete patterns, and describing the turns that each pattern takes.

As the lesson progresses, students delve deeper into the intricacies of pattern creation. They are challenged to determine how many different patterns can be created with a single shape by applying rules for quarter and three-quarter turns. This leads to a reasoning exercise where students evaluate the correctness of patterns based on the turns made, taking into account the direction of the turn, whether it be clockwise or anticlockwise. The lesson also includes an independent work segment where students continue patterns, fill in missing shapes, and describe the turns, reinforcing their understanding of the concepts. To conclude, students are encouraged to discuss the patterns they've worked with, describing the next shape in the sequence and its position, thus solidifying their grasp of geometry within the realm of position and direction.