3
Shapes made from sticks
Learner’s Book 1: Unit 10, pp. 150–151
GoalMake triangles, squares, pentagons and hexagons from sticks and join shapes to make new ones.
New words
side · a straight edge of a 2D shapepentagon · a shape with 5 straight sideshexagon · a shape with 6 straight sides
Explanation
2D shapes have sides. We can make shapes with sticks, and each stick is one side. A triangle needs 3 sticks. A square needs 4 sticks of the same length. A pentagon needs 5 sticks. A hexagon needs 6 sticks. We can also put shapes together to make new shapes. Two squares side by side make a rectangle. Two triangles can make a square.
number of sticks (sides)
| triangle | square | pentagon | hexagon |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
Worked examples
A pentagon has 5 sides, so you need 5 sticks.
A hexagon has 6 sides, so you need 6 sticks.
Two triangles joined along their long side make a square.
Class activity
Straw shapes: use straws or lolly sticks. Make a shape with 3 sticks, then with 4, 5 and 6 sticks, and name each one. Now try a harder one: can you make a big triangle using 6 sticks?
Practice
1
How many sticks do you need to make a hexagon?
6
2
Sara makes a square from sticks. How many sticks does she use?
4
3
Two squares are put side by side so they touch along a whole side. What shape do they make?
A rectangle.
4
How many small squares make this big square?
4