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National Curriculum Resource Tool

Materials to support teachers and schools in embedding the National Curriculum

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Year 5 - Geometry - position and direction

New Curriculum

  • identify, describe and represent the position of a shape following a reflection or translation, using the appropriate language, and know that the shape has not changed.

Non-Statutory Guidance

Pupils recognise and use reflection and translation in a variety of diagrams, includingcontinuing to use a 2-D grid and coordinates in the first quadrant. Reflection should be in lines that are parallel to the axes.

Links and Resources

Pupils should make rich connections across mathematical ideas to develop fluency, mathematical reasoning and competence in solving increasingly sophisticated problems. They should also apply their mathematical knowledge to science and other subjects.
Teachers should use every relevant subject to develop pupils’ mathematical fluency. Confidence in numeracy and other mathematical skills is a precondition of success across the national curriculum.
Teachers should develop pupils’ numeracy and mathematical reasoning in all subjects so that they understand and appreciate the importance of mathematics.

– National Curriculum in England Framework Document, September 2013, p10

Connections within Mathematics

Making connections to this topic in adjacent year groups

Year 4

  • describe positions on a 2-D grid as coordinates in the first quadrant
  • describe movements between positions as translations of a given unit to the left/right and up/down
  • plot specified points and draw sides to complete a given polygon.

Non statutory guidance

Pupils draw a pair of axes in one quadrant, with equal scales and integer labels. They read, write and use pairs of coordinates (2, 5) including using coordinate-plotting ICT tools.

Year 6

  • describe positions on the full coordinate grid (all four quadrants)
  • draw and translate simple shapes on the coordinate plane, and reflect them in the axes.

Non statutory guidance

Pupils draw and label a pair of axes in all four quadrants with equal scaling. This extends their knowledge of one quadrant to all four quadrants, including the use of negative numbers.

Pupils draw and label rectangles (including squares), parallelograms and rhombuses, specified by coordinates in the four quadrants, predicting missing coordinates using the properties of shapes. These might be expressed algebraically e.g. translating vertex (a, b) to (a-2, b+3); (a, b) and (a+d, b+d) being opposite vertices of a square.

Cross-curricular and real life connections

Learners will encounter coordinates in Geography when learning about map referencing.

Learners will encounter a range of translations in Design Technology when designing rooms, planning buildings and object designs of their own.

When focusing on patterns and architecture in Art & Design, translations will be recognised and used.

This short article looks at the importance of representing position, space and movement mathematically.

Programme of study statement Activity A
identify, describe and represent the position of a shape following a reflection or translation, using the appropriate language, and know that the shape has not changed  

Activity A - Translation or Destination 2

Resources – large grids or chess boards numbered on two axes, pre-cut or plastic shapes, two dice, Counter with T (translation) on one side and D (destination) on the other.

Children work in pairs using a large grid or chess board and pre-cut shapes or plastic shapes.

They roll the dice to get starting coordinates and place one vertex of one shape on the board at the starting coordinates. Roll the dice again. Toss the coin.

If T, then use dice to give the translation up/down and left/ right. Children establish which directions are possible given the size of the board. Place a copy of the first shape with the same vertex at the new coordinates. Extension: Record / relate remaining coordinates of shape.

If D, then use the second roll of the dice as the new coordinates and children describe the translation taking place.

Grid with coordinates

Useful Resources

Battleships - this can be played using squared paper and pencils or using ICT.

Examples of what children should be able to do, in relation to each (boxed) Programme of Study statement

identify, describe and represent the position of a shape following a reflection or translation, using the appropriate language, and know that the shape has not changed

Triangles with coordinated on a grid

Write the co-ordinates of the next triangle in the sequence.

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