Year 3 - Geometry

Take geometry outdoors with engaging lessons where children hunt for right angles, design stick art, and follow treasure trails to apply their knowledge in active ways. From exploring 2D and 3D shapes to creating garden designs with different line types, these creative activities make maths memorable, hands-on, and fun.

Lesson Plans

Recognising right angles in a turn

Take this fun and exciting right angle lesson outdoors by going on a treasure trail! Your children will need to work together to follow instructions by moving in turns based on right angles to find the treasure!

Learning objective:

To recognise right angles in a turn.

Identifying right angles in shapes

In this outdoor lesson, your children will be tasked to use the outdoor area to hunt for right angles in nature! They’ll then combine art and maths to get creative and design stick pictures based on angles, while being challenged to match certain criteria.

Learning objective:

To identify right angles in a shape.

Comparing a variety of angles

The main activity of this outdoor lesson gives your children the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of angles to create some of their own. They’ll then be challenged to compare and order these while linking them to 2D shapes.

Learning objective:

To recognise angles as a property of shape or a description of a turn.
To identify whether angles are greater than or less than a right angle.

Identifying and using a variety of line types

Have your children secure their understanding of line types and apply this knowledge during this outdoor lesson. They’ll be tasked with working together to create garden designs that incorporate the variety of line types taught, while also having the opportunity to get physically active to demonstrate them.

Learning objective:

To identify horizontal and vertical lines and pairs of perpendicular and parallel lines.

Drawing 2D shapes accurately using their properties

Deliver an outdoor lesson that is both physically active and encourages children to think creatively to secure their knowledge of 2D shapes and their properties. This lesson works well as an active way to assess your children’s understanding of 2D shapes before moving on.

Learning objective:

To draw 2D shapes.

Making and recognising 3D shapes

During this outdoor lesson, your children will be challenged to identify 3D shapes that exist in real life in a variety of orientations. They will work practically to make 3D shapes using various resources and reason about their properties.

Learning objective:

To make 3-D shapes using modelling materials; recognise 3-D shapes in different orientations and describe them.

Before you get started

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