Properties of Shape - Lines of Symmetry - Planning

During a Year 4 summer term lesson on the Properties of Shape, students delve into the concept of lines of symmetry. Utilising resources such as mirrors and a variety of shapes, alongside worksheets and a presentation, the class begins by reviewing what they already know about symmetry. The key vocabulary for the session includes terms like 'Lines of Symmetry', '2D Shapes', and 'Orientation'. Students are encouraged to think about what symmetry means and are introduced to the idea through a practical exercise that involves folding a squared piece of paper to find a vertical line of symmetry. They are asked to consider where other lines of symmetry might exist and what qualifies them as such. The lesson progresses with hands-on activities where students fold paper shapes to discover lines of symmetry, using mirrors to verify their findings.

As the children's understanding deepens, they are challenged to identify shapes with varying numbers of lines of symmetry and to draw these lines on different shapes. Through group and partner work, they compare shapes based on their lines of symmetry and explore how orientation affects—or doesn't affect—these lines. The lesson includes a reasoning task where students must prove or disprove a statement about the symmetry of triangles, reinforcing the concept that orientation does not alter the lines of symmetry. The lesson concludes with independent activities tailored to different levels of comprehension, from sorting simple shapes to identifying all lines of symmetry and categorising shapes and letters by their symmetry lines. Throughout the lesson, students reflect on their learning, the skills they've used and found challenging, and the support that helped them, ensuring they understand and remember the key concepts of symmetry in real-life contexts and geometric shapes.