NRICH Transformations
This list supports teaching of transformations in secondary mathematics. It provides investigations, problems and games from NRICH as well as classroom activities on the STEM Learning website that compliment them.
Here are a selection of activities selected by the NRICH team.
- Shady Symmetry This problem looks at how many symmetrical patterns can be created by shading in either four squares on a 3 by 3 square grid or two triangles on a 3 by 3 isometric grid. Students are then invited to alter the shading and investigate further the symmetrical patterns formed.
- Attractive Tablecloths This problem considers table cloths made using different colours on a 5 by 5 grid. Students consider different rules concerning line symmetry and rotational symmetry. The investigation is extended to symmetry in an n by n tablecloth.
- Growing Rectangles The problem investigates possible lengths and widths for rectangles of a given area. Students consider what happens as various shapes are enlarged. As extension is made to cuboid.
These are just a few of the activities on transformations that you can find on the NRICH curriculum pages.
The activities below, taken from the STEM Learning website, complement the NRICH activities above.
Working with Photos
This activity from Cre8ate maths the enlargements element of the NRICH activity 'Growing Rectangles'.
The activity consists of four sets of photographs and the task is to identify which have been enlarged from an original. Students must justify their decisions. The final two sets provide lots of room for discussion.
Transforming Shapes SS7
This DfE Standards Unit covers the majority of topics covered by the NRICH activities on transformations. The activities are an ideal introduction to the NRICH activities.
Topics covered include translation, rotation, reflection and combinations of these transformations. The unit does presume some prior familiarity with transformations and equations of lines of reflection such as y = 3, x = 4, y = x and y = -x
Reflection
This SMILE resource supports the teaching of the NRICH problems 'Shady Symmetry' and 'Attractive Tablecloths'.
There are two packs of games, investigations and worksheets that cover reflection in one and two lines of symmetry, Rangoli patterns, combined reflections and symmetry of 3-D solids.
Reflection and Translation
This 'Virtual Textbook' resource supports the NRICH activities 'Shady Symmetry' and 'Attractive Tablecloths'.
The activities include identifying lines of symmetry in 2D shapes and creating kaleidoscope patterns.
