Year 1 Handbook
Common 2-D shapes
Name and describe familiar flat shapes by their features.
What you are learning
Name and describe familiar flat shapes by their features.
Key idea
A shape keeps its name when it turns. Look at its properties, such as sides and corners, rather than its position.
Worked example
Describe a square
square → 4 equal sides and 4 corners
- Count the straight sides: there are 4.
- Compare their lengths: all 4 sides are equal.
- Count the corners: there are 4.
The shape is a square because it has four equal sides and four corners.
Another way
Sort by a rule
Put shapes into groups by one property first, such as having a curved edge, then describe the group.
Why this works
Shape names describe properties that stay the same when a shape is moved or turned.
Common mistake
Remember
Describe what you can count or compare: sides, corners and curved edges.
Vocabulary
- 2-D
- Flat; it has length and width.
- side
- A straight edge of a shape.
- corner
- A point where sides meet.
- curved
- Bending smoothly rather than being straight.
Try one
Have a go before revealing the answer. These are optional learning checks: they are not scored and do not change your practice record.
How many corners does a triangle have?
Does turning a square change its name?