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You met four shape names in the lesson. Mia, Zara and Omar are on a shape hunt at Oakfield playground.
Omar points at the tyre swing. What shape is it?
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2-D shapes
Recognise and name common 2-D shapes (circles, triangles, rectangles including squares)
What a learner can do afterwards
- Name a triangle, circle, rectangle, and square when shown them
- Identify a shape correctly regardless of its size or orientation
- Pick out all the triangles from a mixed set of shapes
1 · Read
Flat shapes are all over the Oakfield playground. Each shape has its own name. Today you will learn four names: circle, triangle, rectangle, and square.
Try it together
The playground gate is a rectangle. Two of its sides are long and two are short. The sandpit is a square. A square is a special rectangle. All four of its sides are the same length.
A shape keeps its name in any size. A giant square and a tiny square are both squares.
A shape keeps its name when you turn it. Turn a triangle upside down and it is still a triangle.
Circles are round, and squares, rectangles, and triangles have straight sides.
More to read
4.3: Topic C- Shapes
Flat shapes live on paper. A triangle has 3 straight sides. A square has 4 equal sides. A circle is round all over.
Trace each shape with a finger. Feel the corners where sides meet. Counting sides and corners tells you the shape name.
4.1: Polygons
Shapes with straight sides have a special name: polygons. Triangles, squares, and rectangles are all polygons.
A circle is not a polygon because its edge curves. The straight or curvy test splits shapes into two big families.
Polygons review
A polygon keeps its name when it turns. A triangle spun upside down is still a triangle, because it still has 3 straight sides.
Size does not matter either. A tiny square and a giant square are both squares. Sides and corners decide, not size.
Geometry: FAQ
Rectangles have 4 sides with opposite sides equal. Squares are special rectangles with all 4 sides equal.
Hunt for shapes at home. Windows look like rectangles, plates look like circles, and sandwich halves look like triangles.
Explore more
2 · Watch
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Take it off screen
Print a worksheetA4 with an answer key page for grown-ups. No screen, no internet.
Where it sits
Learn first
Nothing; this is a starting point.
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
Then practise
17 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.