Properties of Shape - Right Angles in Shapes - Planning

In a Year 4 mathematics lesson focusing on the Properties of Shape, students are introduced to the concept of right angles and how they relate to turns and orientation. The lesson begins with a recap of previous learning, where students review making quarter, half, three-quarter, and full turns from various starting points, both clockwise and anti-clockwise. The children are then encouraged to engage with the key vocabulary for the lesson, which includes terms such as 'turn', 'angle', 'right angle', 'clockwise', 'anti-clockwise', and different types of turns. Through interactive class activities, students are taught that a right angle represents a quarter turn and are shown the symbol used to mark a right angle. They are also prompted to identify angles in the classroom and demonstrate angles using their fingers.

Activities within the lesson are designed to help children recognize right angles in various orientations, ensuring they understand that a right angle does not necessarily consist of horizontal and vertical lines. They engage in a practical right angle hunt, using tools such as right angle detectors to find examples in both 2D shapes and everyday objects like clocks. This hands-on experience is complemented by reasoning questions that encourage the children to articulate their understanding using structured sentences. The lesson addresses common misconceptions, such as the belief that all four-sided shapes have four right angles or that triangles cannot have right angles. To consolidate the day's learning, students reflect on the skills they used and what they found challenging, and they make a 'pinkie promise' to remember key aspects of the lesson. Differentiated activities provide tailored challenges for students working at various levels, from those working towards the expected level to those capable of greater depth analysis of right angles in different shapes and orientations.