Position and Direction - The First Quadrant - Planning

The Year 6 Autumn term lesson on 'The First Quadrant' delves into the fundamentals of Geometry, specifically Position and Direction, as outlined in the National Curriculum. The objective is to enable students to describe positions on the full coordinate grid, encompassing all four quadrants, and to draw, translate, and reflect simple shapes on the coordinate plane. Key vocabulary such as 'first quadrant', 'coordinate', 'axis', 'origin', and 'translation' are introduced to provide a solid linguistic foundation for the unit. Students are provided with squared paper and a blank quadrant with labelled x and y axes, alongside worksheets and a presentation to facilitate learning. The lesson revisits previous concepts from Years 4 and 5, focusing on reading and plotting coordinates where both x and y values are positive. Through partner discussions, practical plotting activities, and group reasoning tasks, students practice the skills of identifying coordinates and constructing polygons by connecting points.

During the lesson, students are encouraged to remember the order of plotting coordinates, starting at the origin and moving horizontally before vertically, using the mnemonic "along the corridor and up the stairs." The lesson aims to correct common misconceptions, such as confusing the order of x and y coordinates and plotting points inside squares rather than on points. A 'Give me five' reflective activity prompts students to consider what they've learned, the skills they've used, and what they found challenging. It also helps them identify the resources that assisted them and to make a commitment to remember key elements from the lesson. Differentiated outcomes are set for varying levels of understanding, from working towards basic coordinate plotting to achieving greater depth by identifying shapes on a less labelled grid and understanding rotation and orientation.