Geometry Sometimes Always Never

The "Sometimes, Always, Never" activity is a thought-provoking series of statements designed for Year 3 Geometry students to explore and deepen their understanding of geometric concepts. The objective of the activity is for children to categorise each statement as either 'sometimes true', 'always true', or 'never true'. This exercise encourages critical thinking as students must provide examples or counterexamples to support their reasoning. To extend the challenge, for statements that are 'sometimes' true, students are asked to explain the conditions under which the statements hold true, and even to rephrase them so that they become unequivocally 'always true' or 'never true'. This activity serves as an excellent starter to engage children in using mathematical vocabulary and to stimulate discussions about key concepts in geometry.

Examples of statements include assertions such as "A hexagon has 6 sides of equal length" and "If you cut a corner off a square you will make a pentagon", among others. For instance, students would evaluate whether the base of a pyramid is always a square, or if rectangles and squares always have the same number of lines of symmetry. They will also ponder if an obtuse angle is always exactly twice the size of an acute angle, or if triangles always have a line of symmetry. The activity culminates with students considering whether a triangle can have two right angles, and whether a square has four right angles. This comprehensive set of statements covers a range of geometric properties and shapes, offering a rich opportunity for students to engage with the material in an interactive and investigative manner.