Line and Rotational Symmetry

Before creating holiday cards, students learned how they relate to math.  Instantly, they said cards have line symmetry.  A figure has line symmetry if it can be folded along a line so that the two halves match exactly.  A figure has rotational symmetry if it can be rotated less than 360 degrees about a point and fit exactly on itself. Students used pattern block pieces to place them in a venn diagram according to its symmetry. The shapes outside the circles had neither line nor rotational symmetry.



Why do students need to know or be able to do this?

• Students explore symmetry of shapes around them.
• Students classify figures seen around them.