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  • Early Years Foundation Stage

Shapely Tiling

Age 7 to 11
Challenge Level Yellow starYellow star
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Shapely Tiling

Below is a pattern which can be created using a pair of compasses and a ruler, and a photograph of an Islamic Star.

Have a good look at this shape below. 
What shapes can you see?
Find shapes that are the same.
Can you name the different shapes you find?
 

Can you produce the following tessellations:

regular octagons with two different types of triangle?
irregular hexagons with triangles and squares?


Why do this problem?

This problem will give learners the opportunity to become acquainted with less familiar two dimensional shapes. This is an accessible activity at which all children could have a go.

Key questions

What shapes can you see?
Can you see another one which is a different size?
If you make these touching shapes the same colour, what shape have you made?

Possible extension

Learners could create their own tessellations using this template.

Possible support

The interactivity will be useful for children who don't like making mistakes and those who find colouring difficult.
 

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Penta Place

Penta people, the Pentominoes, always build their houses from five square rooms. I wonder how many different Penta homes you can create?

Tessellating Triangles

Can you make these equilateral triangles fit together to cover the paper without any gaps between them? Can you tessellate isosceles triangles?

Two by One

An activity making various patterns with 2 x 1 rectangular tiles.

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The NRICH Project aims to enrich the mathematical experiences of all learners. To support this aim, members of the NRICH team work in a wide range of capacities, including providing professional development for teachers wishing to embed rich mathematical tasks into everyday classroom practice.

NRICH is part of the family of activities in the Millennium Mathematics Project.

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