Recognise and draw shapes having specified attributes (e.g. a given number of angles or equal faces); identify triangles, quadrilaterals, pentagons, hexagons, and cubes
You already know a triangle has 3 straight sides and 3 corners. Those corners have another name: angles. Every straight-sided shape works the same way. The number of angles always matches the number of sides. A shape with 4 sides is a quadrilateral. A shape with 5 sides is a pentagon. A shape with 6 sides is a hexagon.
To draw a shape with a given number of sides, start by marking dots for the corners. Mark 5 dots and join them with straight lines to get a pentagon. Mark 6 dots for a hexagon. Close the shape so there are no gaps, then count: the number of angles always matches the number of sides.
Zara sorts a pile of shapes. She picks up a square, a rectangle, and a kite. All three have 4 straight sides, so all three are quadrilaterals, even though they look different.
The matching rule is for flat shapes with straight sides. A cube is not flat. It is a solid you can hold, with 6 flat faces that are all the same size.
Sides and angles match: 4 sides make a quadrilateral, 5 make a pentagon, 6 make a hexagon.
A hexagon is a shape with 6 straight sides. A special hexagon has 6 sides that are all the same length.
First, draw a circle with a pencil. Next, mark 6 dots around the edge of the circle. Try to space the dots evenly. Then connect the dots with straight lines, one after another, all the way around. Erase the circle when you are done, and you have a hexagon.
Want to check your work? Count the sides. You should find 6. Count the corners too. A hexagon always has 6 corners, also called angles. If your counts match, you drew it right.
A soccer ball is covered in two flat shapes that fit together like a puzzle. One shape is the pentagon. A pentagon has 5 straight sides. The other shape is the hexagon. A hexagon has 6 straight sides.
To draw a simple soccer ball, start with a big circle. Draw a small hexagon in the middle. Then attach pentagons and more hexagons around it, letting the edges touch. Color the pentagons one color and the hexagons another color to see the pattern.
Next time you see a soccer ball, count the shapes on it. You will spot pentagons and hexagons everywhere.
A cube is a 3D shape, which means it is solid, not flat. Think of a dice or a building block.
A cube has some special attributes. All of its edges are the same length. It has 6 flat faces, and every face is a square. It also has 8 corners. You can count them on a real block.
A cube is not the same as a square. A square is flat and has 4 sides. A cube is solid and has 6 square faces. When a shape question talks about equal faces, a cube is a great example, because all 6 of its faces match perfectly.
An isosceles triangle is a triangle with a special attribute. Two of its sides are the same length. Those two equal sides meet at the top corner, and the third side is called the base.
First, draw a straight line near the bottom of your paper. This is the base. Next, place your ruler so it starts at the left end of the base. Draw a line going up. Do the same from the right end, and make this line the same length as the first. Where the two lines meet, you have the top corner.
Check your drawing. Two sides should match in length, and the shape should have 3 sides in all. Then you know you drew an isosceles triangle.
Mia showed you that her tiny triangle and her huge triangle are both triangles, because each one has 3 straight sides and 3 corners. Now Zara is sorting the pile of shape tiles for the new playground corner.
Zara picks up a tile with 3 straight sides. Before she looks at the corners, how many angles does it have?
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