Year 2 Teaching Sequence Spring S5 – Symmetry (two days)
Prerequisites:
 Recognise basic line symmetry (see Year 1 Teaching Sequence S5 and oral and mental starter bank S5)
Overview of progression:
Children fold shapes to see if they are symmetrical, and then draw lines of symmetry on 2D shapes. They make symmetrical
patterns.
Note that at this introductory stage, all the lines of symmetry in this sequence are vertical. Children will be introduced to
horizontal, vertical and other lines of symmetry in Year 3 Teaching Sequence S1.
Watch out for children who look in the mirror and think that because what they see matches what is in front of the
mirror, then the two halves are symmetrical! They have to look in the mirror and then over the mirror at what is behind it.
Does what is in the mirror match what is behind the mirror!
Watch out for children who draw the same pattern on both sides of the line of symmetry but the pattern is translated (i.e.
the same way round) but not reflected (i.e. reversed).
© Original teaching sequence copyright Hamilton Trust, who give permission for it to be adapted as wished by individual users.
Y2 Maths TS_S5 – Spr – 2days
Objectives:
 Identify reflective symmetry in patterns and draw lines of symmetry
 Identify reflective symmetry in 2D shapes and draw lines of symmetry in shapes
Whole class
Show chn a large square made out of paper, with a
vertical line of symmetry. If we folded this shape along
this line, what would happen? Draw out that the two
halves would fit onto each other exactly. Show this to
be the case. This is a line of symmetry. We could put a
mirror along this line, and it would show the other half
of the shape. We say that this shape is symmetrical
because it is the same on both sides.
Show chn a paper isosceles triangle and a nonsymmetrical triangle, e.g.
Which of these two triangles do you think we could
fold in half so that both halves are the same: like we
did with the square? Invite chn up to the front to try
folding them in half. So which shape is symmetrical?
Draw a line of symmetry on the fold on the triangle. If
we put a mirror along this line, what would we see in
the mirror? If you have a big enough mirror, show this.
Draw a rectangle on your boards and draw on a line of
symmetry, the line where we could fold it to show that
the two halves are the same shape. Share different
Group activities
Group of 4-5 children
In advance draw a symmetrical shape
and fold it half, e.g.
Paired/indiv practice
Resources
Chn draw lines of symmetry on 2D
shapes (see Activity sheet), using
a mirror to check.
Harder: Chn might be able to
draw more than one line of
symmetry on some shapes.
 Paper shapes
as opposite
 Mirrors
 Activity sheet
of symmetrical
shapes (see
resources)
Show chn just one half. I’ve drawn a
symmetrical shape and then folded it in
half. Imagine opening up the piece of
paper. How many sides does the opened
shape have? Draw what you think the
whole shape looks like. Open up the
folded paper to check.
Repeat with a few more examples.
Then ask each child to draw a
symmetrical shape and to fold it in half.
They take it in turns to show their
folded shapes to the group. The other
chn guess what shape they have drawn,
sketching what they think the whole
shape looks like.
Easier: Give chn a range of shapes to
choose from rather than making up
their own. Chn have to guess which they
have chosen.
© Original teaching sequence copyright Hamilton Trust, who give permission for it to be adapted as wished by individual users.
Y2 Maths TS_S5 – Spr – 2days
chn’s boards. Fold a paper rectangle to show that this
can be done in two ways.
Sketch several symmetrical shapes on the board, and
ask chn to come up and draw lines of symmetry on
them. If you have a large mirror, use it to check.
Look around the classroom. What symmetrical shapes
can you see?
Launch the ITP Symmetry. Tap on some squares on side
of the mirror line to create a pattern, and then a few
on the other side to match, e.g.
The blue line is a mirror line, a line of symmetry. If we
put a mirror there to reflect what’s on the left, would
what we see in the mirror match what’s on the right?
Why not? Draw out that the pattern is not
symmetrical. Invite chn up to the board to click on
squares on the right to make the pattern symmetrical.
Reset and click on one square near the mirror line. Ask
a child up to the board to click on a square on the
other side to match. Keep repeating until you have
created a symmetrical pattern.
Group of 4-5 children
Use a drawing piece of software such
as Paint to make symmetrical pictures.
Draw a line down the middle of the
page. This is our mirror line, the line of
symmetry. Whatever we draw on this
side must be reflected onto the other
side.
Draw a simple drawing on one side of
the line, and use copy, paste and flip so
that it appears on the other side as if
in a mirror.
Ask one child to draw a simple shape on
one side of the line and another to draw
the shape as if in a mirror on the other
side. Repeat for different pairs of chn.
Easier:/Harder: Chn's designs are likely
to be less or more complex.
Chn work in pairs and fold a piece
of squared paper in half. One
child colours in one square on side
and the partner colours a square
on the opposite side to match.
Then the second child colours in a
square and the first child colours
in a square to match. They repeat,
using different colours creating
symmetrical patterns.
Easier:/Harder: Chn's designs are
likely to be less or more complex.
© Original teaching sequence copyright Hamilton Trust, who give permission for it to be adapted as wished by individual users.
 ITP Symmetry
 A drawing
piece of
software such
as Paint
 Squared paper
 Mirrors
Y2 Maths TS_S5 – Spr – 2days