Shapes and Where They Sit

Circles, Triangles, Squares and Rectangles #

Each flat shape has a name.

Each flat shape has a name that comes from its sides and corners

This is a circle. One curved edge all the way round, and no corners at all.

This is a triangle. Three straight sides, meeting at three corners.

This is a square. Four straight sides, and all four are the same length.

This is a rectangle. Four straight sides too, but two of them are longer.

Half Circles and Quarter Circles #

Cut a circle in half, then in half again.

Cutting a circle through the middle makes half circles, and again makes quarters

Cut a circle through the middle: each piece is a half circle, one side straight.

Cut the half in half again: a quarter circle, two straight sides and a corner.

Shapes Turned and Resized #

A square on its corner is still a square.

Turning a shape or shrinking it does not change what the shape is

A square: four straight sides, all the same length.

Stand it on a corner. No side was added or taken away, so it is still a square.

Shrink it as well. Still four straight sides the same length, so still a square.

Upside down, a triangle is a triangle. Turning never changes the name.

Above, Below and Beside #

The words for where one shape sits.

Position words say where one shape sits in relation to another

The circle is above the square.

Move it under instead, and now the circle is below the square.

Set it alongside and the circle is beside the square.

Slide it over the top: the circle hides part of the square, so it is in front.

Cubes, Spheres, Cones and Cylinders #

Solid shapes, and how they differ from flat ones.

A solid shape takes up space, and each one has its own name

A square is flat. A cube is solid: 6 flat square faces you could hold.

A sphere is a solid ball. Turn it any way you like and no face is flat.

A cylinder has a flat circle at each end and one curved side, like a tin.

A cone has one flat circle at the bottom and rises to a single point.

The Cuboid #

A stretched cube — six flat faces, like a brick.

A cuboid is a stretched cube: six flat faces, not all of them square

Stretch a cube one way and it is a cuboid — six flat faces, like a brick.