Properties of shape - Turns and angles - Planning

In the first week of the Summer term, Year 3 students delve into the properties of shape, focusing on turns and angles. The National Curriculum objectives for this period include recognising angles as a property of shape or a description of a turn, identifying right angles and their combinations to create half, three-quarter, and full turns, and distinguishing angles greater or less than a right angle. The curriculum also covers the identification of horizontal and vertical lines, as well as pairs of perpendicular and parallel lines. Moreover, students will learn to draw 2-D shapes and construct 3-D shapes using modelling materials, with an emphasis on recognising 3-D shapes in various orientations and describing them. A comprehensive list of key vocabulary is provided, encompassing terms such as position, direction, measure, angles, symmetry, and geometric shapes like cubes and cylinders.

For practical application, the lesson plan includes outdoor activities where children use PE equipment and chalk to physically explore and understand turns and angles. They learn to follow and give directions involving north, south, east, and west, and to execute quarter, half, and three-quarter turns both clockwise and anti-clockwise. To consolidate their understanding, children engage in an angle hunt around the classroom, applying their knowledge in a real-life context. The lesson structure progresses from fluency in recognising turns to exploring angles and their relationship to turns. The plenary session allows students to reflect on what they've learned, the skills they've used, and what they found challenging. Differentiated activities cater to various levels of understanding, from working towards basic proficiency to achieving greater depth in spatial reasoning. Key questions and common misconceptions are addressed, ensuring a well-rounded grasp of the concepts taught.