Teaching pack: Classifying Shapes (Year 2) -- a week of maths lessons

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Teaching pack · Year 2 Spaceseegongsik /au

Classifying shapes: a week of ready-to-teach maths

Five days of lessons for Year 2 Space. Print this pack and the week is prepared: each day has a one-page plan and a student worksheet, plus cut-out shape cards, a mini-check and every answer.

AC9M2SP01

recognise, compare and classify shapes, referencing the number of sides and using spatial terms such as “opposite”, “parallel”, “curved” and “straight”

Start here: five minutes to Monday

Skim the week at a glance on the next page.
Print the five days. Each day is two A4 sheets: a plan and a worksheet.
Cut out the two card sheets once; they are reused all week.
Open the free interactive unit on your board. Every plan tells you which picture to show and when.
Teach straight from the plan. Timings, talk prompts, misconceptions and answers are all on the one page.

No maths background needed

This pack is written for the busy generalist teacher. Each plan explains the idea in plain words, lists the misconceptions children bring, and gives model answers, so you can walk in and teach it.

One day, one lesson

The five lessons fill a week of maths, one lesson of about 50 minutes a day. Run them in order: each day stands on the one before. Every lesson can also split into a short warm-up and a main session if your timetable runs small blocks.

On the board

This pack is the printable half of a free interactive unit. The on-screen half has six interactive pictures — “Count, don't squint”, “Straight, curved, or both”, “Face to face”, “The railway test”, “The sorting table” and “Turn it, grow it, stretch it” — plus a self-check quiz you can run as a class game on Day 5.

seegongsik.com/au/y2/space/AC9M2SP01

Aligned to the Australian Curriculum V9 (AC9M2SP01). This pack is original material from seegongsik, independently produced and not endorsed by ACARA. Curriculum content descriptors are (c) ACARA, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Free to print and use in class.

The week at a glance5 lessons

The week at a glance

One lesson a day for a week. Each day stands on the day before, so run them in order.

Day	Lesson	Children learn and do	On screen
1	Count the sides, name the shape	Trace and count the sides; name triangle, square, rectangle, pentagon, hexagon	Count, don't squint
2	Straight sides and curved sides	Tell straight edges from curved ones; find shapes that have both	Straight, curved, or both
3	Sort shapes by their sides	Sort a pile of shapes by number of sides, and by straight or curved	The sorting table
4	Opposite sides and parallel sides	Find sides that face each other, and sides that run parallel and never meet	Face to face, the railway test
5	Describe and compare shapes	Describe a shape with all the words; see what a turn or a stretch changes	Turn it, grow it, stretch it

How the week builds

Day 1 counts and names shapes by their sides; Day 2 tells straight edges from curved; Day 3 sorts a pile of shapes by evidence; Day 4 adds the position words opposite and parallel; and Day 5 pulls every word together to describe and compare. It builds on Shapes Around Us from Year 1, and it opens the way to locating and moving shapes on a map.

Materials for the week (one trip)

From the classroom: scissors, pencils, a few coloured pencils, this pack printed.
From home or the craft box: a couple of straws or matchsticks to lay out straight and bent edges, and everyday shapes to point at (a book, a tile, a coin, a slice of orange).
Cut out once, use all week: the shape cards, the sorting-mat headers and the parallel-sides cards in this pack. No maths equipment to buy.

A note homeHome practice

Dear families

This week in maths, Year 2 looks closely at shapes. We count sides, tell straight edges from curved, find sides that sit opposite each other or run parallel, and use those words to describe and compare shapes.

Try this at home

Go on a shape hunt around the house. Name each shape by counting its sides, not by how it looks.
Find something with a curved edge and something with only straight edges.
Point to two sides of a window or a door that face each other: those are opposite sides.
Find two lines that run parallel, like railway tracks or the two long edges of a ruler, and check the gap never changes.

My shapes this week

Fill one row a day. Count the sides before you name the shape.

Day	A shape I found	Sides	Straight or curved	I named it
Monday				□
Tuesday				□
Wednesday				□
Thursday				□
Friday				□

Printed from the free seegongsik Classifying Shapes teaching pack · seegongsik.com/au/y2/space/AC9M2SP01/pack

Day 1 · Teacher planDay 1 of 5

Count the sides, name the shape

A shape earns its name from its sides. Today children stop guessing by looks and start counting: trace each side, say the number, and the name follows. Hands and fingers convince faster than a glance.

We are learning to

trace and count the sides of a shape,
name a triangle, square, rectangle, pentagon and hexagon by counting,
say why a turned shape keeps its name.

Success criteria

I can count the sides of a shape.
I can name a shape by how many sides it has.

You need

The shape cards (cut-out sheet 1), one set per pair. A few coloured pencils for tracing sides. The worksheet, one per child.

Lesson flow (about 50 minutes)

10 min	Trace and count Hand out the shape cards. Children run a finger along each side and count aloud, one side at a time. Ask: “Put your finger on one side. Now count each side out loud as you go. How many did you find?”
30 min	Name by counting Pairs pick a card, count the sides and say the name: 3 is a triangle, 4 is a square or a rectangle, 5 is a pentagon, 6 is a hexagon. Then the trap: turn a square card to stand on its corner and ask its name. Ask: “It looks like a diamond now. Count the sides. Is it still a square?”
10 min	Prove it Show a shape; children write its number of sides and its name on the worksheet. Ask: “You did not squint, you counted. How many sides, and what is it called?”

Two half-sessions instead? End Session A after tracing and counting. Start Session B by naming the cards, then spring the turned-square trap.

On the board

Open the interactive unit and show “Count, don't squint”. Press “Count a side” to light up the sides one at a time as the class counts, then “New shape” for a fresh one. The number on the shape is the count so far, so children watch the name arrive from the sides.

seegongsik.com/au/y2/space/AC9M2SP01

Watch for these ideas

Naming by looks: a square turned on its corner gets called a diamond, but four equal straight sides means square, however it stands.
Counting a corner twice or missing one: trace slowly and mark a starting side.
Thinking a bigger shape is a different shape: size does not change the name.

Answers

A triangle has 3 sides; a square and a rectangle have 4; a pentagon has 5; a hexagon has 6.
The turned shape has 4 sides, so it is a square, just standing on its corner.
Drawing varies: a six-sided shape is a hexagon; check it has six straight sides.

Day 1 · Worksheet

Count and name

NameClassDate

Count the sides of each shape. Write how many sides, then write its name. Trace each side with a finger so you do not miss one.

Shape	Number of sides	Its name

The turned shape

This shape is turned to stand on its corner. Count its sides.

It has ____ sides. It is really a ____.

Draw your own

Draw a shape with 6 straight sides. Its name is ____.

Draw a shape with six straight sides

Day 2 · Teacher planDay 2 of 5

Straight sides and curved sides

Every edge is one of two kinds: straight like a ruler, or curved like the path of a thrown ball. Most shapes keep to one kind, but some carry both. Today children learn to say which is which and to spot a shape that does both.

We are learning to

tell a straight edge from a curved edge,
name shapes with only straight sides, only curved sides, or both,
find a shape that has both a straight side and a curved side.

Success criteria

I can say if an edge is straight or curved.
I can find a shape that has both kinds of edge.

You need

The shape cards (cut-out sheet 1). Two coloured pencils: one for straight edges, one for curved. The worksheet, one per child.

Lesson flow (about 50 minutes)

10 min	Straight or bent Hold up a straw (straight) and a bent pipe-cleaner or a jar lid (curved). Children sort classroom edges by eye and by finger. Ask: “Run your finger along this edge. Does it stay straight, or does it bend?”
30 min	Colour the edges Children take shape cards and colour straight edges one colour and curved edges another. Then they hunt for the skate-ramp shape that has both. Ask: “Show me a shape with only curved edges. Now find one that has both a straight side and a curved side.”
10 min	Which kind? Show shapes; children write straight, curved or both on the worksheet. Ask: “A circle: how many straight sides does it have?”

Two half-sessions instead? End Session A after the classroom sort. Start Session B by colouring the shape cards.

On the board

Open the interactive unit and show “Straight, curved, or both”. For each shape press “All straight”, “All curved” or “Both”, then “New shape”. The straight edges and curved edges light up in different colours, so the class can check the answer.

seegongsik.com/au/y2/space/AC9M2SP01

Watch for these ideas

Calling a circle a set of tiny straight sides: a circle has no straight sides at all, just one smooth curve.
Missing the straight side on the skate-ramp shape: it has both a curved top and a straight base.
Thinking curved shapes have no edges to talk about: they have edges too, just curved ones.

Answers

Straight only: the square and the triangle. Curved only: the circle and the oval.
Both: the half-circle (skate-ramp) has a curved top and one straight side.
A circle has 0 straight sides. Drawing varies: a half-circle or a letter-D shape has both.

Day 2 · Worksheet

Straight or curved

NameClassDate

For each shape, tick straight only, curved only, or both. Then colour the straight edges one colour and the curved edges another.

Straight only	Curved only	Both
□	□	□
□	□	□
□	□	□
□	□	□
□	□	□

Count the straight sides

A circle has ____ straight sides.

Draw the both-shape

Draw a shape that has both a straight side and a curved side.

One straight side and one curved side

Day 3 · Teacher planDay 3 of 5

Sort shapes by their sides

Sorting is where recognising becomes classifying. One shape arrives at a time and must be sent to the right group by evidence: count the sides, look for a curve, commit. Reading the sorting rule with care is the quiet skill under every table and graph to come.

We are learning to

sort shapes by their number of sides,
sort shapes into straight only and has a curve,
read a sorting rule and follow it carefully.

Success criteria

I can sort shapes by how many sides they have.
I can put a shape in the right group and say why.

You need

The shape cards (cut-out sheet 1) and the sorting-mat headers (cut-out sheet 2). The worksheet, one per child.

Lesson flow (about 50 minutes)

10 min	One rule at a time Lay out two mats: straight sides only, and has a curve. Children place the shape cards. Slip in the half-circle to test the rule. Ask: “This shape has a straight side and a curved side. The mat asks: does it have a curve? So where does it go?”
30 min	Sort by number of sides Swap to the number-of-sides mats (3, 4, 5, 6). Children sort the straight-sided cards, then count how many landed in each group. Ask: “Count the sides before you place it. How many shapes are in the four-sides group?”
10 min	Fill the table Children record both sorts on the worksheet by writing the letters. Ask: “Which group has the most shapes? Which has the fewest?”

Two half-sessions instead? End Session A after the straight-or-curved sort. Start Session B with the number-of-sides sort.

On the board

Open the interactive unit and show “The sorting table”. Send each shape to a bin with “3 sides”, “4 sides” or “Has a curve”, then “Start again” to reset. Watch the bin counts grow as the class sorts by evidence, not by squint.

seegongsik.com/au/y2/space/AC9M2SP01

Watch for these ideas

Sending the half-circle to a straight group because it has a straight side: the rule asks whether it has a curve, and it does.
Sorting by size or colour instead of by the rule.
Miscounting sides on a turned shape: count the sides, do not judge the pose.

Answers

By number of sides: 3 is A; 4 is B and E; 5 is C; 6 is D.
By edge: straight only is A, B, C, D, E; has a curve is F, G, H.
On the floor, sorting varies with the pile chosen: check every shape sits under a rule that is true for it.

Day 3 · Worksheet

Sort them out

NameClassDate

Here are eight shapes. Sort them two ways by writing the letters in the right boxes.

Sort 1: by number of sides (letters A to E)

3 sides	4 sides	5 sides	6 sides

Sort 2: by edge (all eight shapes)

Straight sides only	Has a curve

Day 4 · Teacher planDay 4 of 5

Opposite sides and parallel sides

Two new position words. Opposite sides face each other across the shape; parallel sides run the same way and never meet. Opposite tells you where a side sits, not how long it is, and keeping those two ideas apart is exactly the precision this strand is after.

We are learning to

find the pairs of opposite sides in a four-sided shape,
test whether two sides are parallel by checking the gap,
say that opposite sides are not always equal.

Success criteria

I can show a pair of opposite sides.
I can say whether two sides are parallel.

You need

The parallel-sides cards (cut-out sheet 2). A few coloured pencils. Two straws or rulers to model parallel. The worksheet, one per child.

Lesson flow (about 50 minutes)

10 min	Face to face Hold up a rectangle card. Point to the top and the bottom: they face each other, so they are opposite. Find the other opposite pair. Ask: “Which side is opposite this one? Point to the side that faces it across the shape.”
30 min	Colour the pairs, check the gap Children colour each pair of opposite sides in a matching colour, then lay a straw along one side and slide it across without turning it to test for parallel. Ask: “Slide the straw across without turning it. Does it lie right along the opposite side? Then they are parallel.”
10 min	Opposite is not equal Show the trapezium. Its top and bottom are opposite but different lengths. Ask: “These two sides are opposite. Are they the same length? So does opposite mean equal?”

Two half-sessions instead? End Session A after finding opposite pairs. Start Session B with the straw test for parallel.

On the board

Open the interactive unit and show “Face to face”. Press “Show one pair” and “Show the other pair” to light each pair of opposite sides, then “New shape” for a rectangle, a square and a trapezium. Then show “The railway test”: choose “Parallel” or “They will meet”, press “New pair”, and stretch the lines on to check the gap.

seegongsik.com/au/y2/space/AC9M2SP01

Watch for these ideas

Thinking opposite means equal: in a trapezium the opposite top and bottom are different lengths.
Thinking parallel means equal length: parallel is about the gap staying the same, not about length.
Calling sides that lean toward each other parallel: stretched on, they meet.

Answers

A rectangle and a square each have 2 pairs of parallel sides; the trapezium has 1 pair (top and bottom).
A triangle has no parallel sides.
Sides that face each other are opposite; sides that never meet are parallel; opposite sides are not always equal, so the last statement is false.

Day 4 · Worksheet

Opposite and parallel

NameClassDate

Colour each pair of opposite sides the same colour. Then count the pairs of parallel sides and write how many.

Rectangle

Parallel pairs: ____

Square

Parallel pairs: ____

Trapezium

Parallel pairs: ____

A shape with no parallel sides

Does a triangle have any parallel sides?

Yes □ No □

Finish the sentences

Sides that face each other across a shape are ____ sides.

Sides that run the same way and never meet are ____.

Opposite sides are always the same length. True or false? ____

Day 5 · Teacher planDay 5 of 5

Describe and compare shapes

The last day pulls every word together. Children describe a shape by its sides — how many, straight or curved, which sit opposite, which run parallel — and then ask the deepest question of the week: what survives a turn, a grow or a stretch? Properties carry the name, not the pose.

We are learning to

describe a shape using number of sides and the words straight, curved, opposite and parallel,
say what stays the same when a shape is turned or made bigger,
say what changes when a square is stretched.

Success criteria

I can describe a shape with the right words.
I can say whether two shapes are the same shape.

You need

The shape cards (cut-out sheet 1). The worksheet, one per child.

Lesson flow (about 50 minutes)

10 min	Describe it Hold up a shape; the class describes it in full: four straight sides, opposite sides parallel and equal, so a square. Ask: “Describe this shape without saying its name. Can a partner guess it from your words?”
30 min	What survives the change? Turn a square card (still a square), imagine growing it (still a square), then stretch it into a rectangle. Children sort same shape from new shape. Ask: “I turned the square. Did its sides change? So is it still a square? Now I stretch it. What changed?”
10 min	Guess my shape Children write clues; a partner names the shape from the clues alone. Ask: “Read your clues. What is the fewest clues your partner needs to be sure?”

Two half-sessions instead? End Session A after describing shapes. Start Session B with the turn, grow and stretch.

On the board

Open the interactive unit and show “Turn it, grow it, stretch it”. Press “Turn it” and “Grow it” — the square keeps its name because its sides do not change — then “Stretch it” to watch it become a rectangle, and “Back to the start” to reset.

seegongsik.com/au/y2/space/AC9M2SP01

Watch for these ideas

Thinking a turned square is a new shape (a diamond): the sides did not change, so the name did not change.
Thinking a bigger shape is a different shape: size is not a property that names it.
Not noticing the stretch really does change the shape: two sides get longer, so a square becomes a rectangle.

Answers

Square: 4 straight sides, 2 pairs of parallel sides, all sides equal. Rectangle: 4 straight sides, 2 pairs of parallel sides, opposite sides equal.
Turned square: still a square. Bigger square: still a square. Stretched square: a rectangle.
Guess-my-shape clues vary: check the clues are true and point to just one shape.

Day 5 · Worksheet

Describe and compare

NameClassDate

Describe each shape with the words from this week. Then decide what a turn or a stretch changes.

Shape	Number of sides	Straight or curved	Parallel pairs	Its name
				Square
				Rectangle

Turn it and stretch it

A square is turned to stand on its corner. Is it still a square?

Yes □ No □

Why? ____________________________________

Now the square is stretched so two sides get longer. What is it now? ____

Guess my shape

Write three clues about a shape. Do not write its name. A partner will guess it.

My shape is a ____.

Cut-out cards 1 of 2Shape cards

Shape cards

Cut out the shape cards. Use them all week: name them by counting the sides (Day 1), colour the straight and curved edges (Day 2), sort them on the mats (Day 3), and describe them (Day 5). One set per pair is plenty.

The cards have no names printed on them on purpose: children name each shape by counting the sides, not by reading. The same shapes appear on screen in “Count, don't squint” and “The sorting table”.

Cut-out cards 2 of 2Sorting mats and parallel-sides cards

Sorting mats and parallel-sides cards

Cut out the mat headers and lay them on the table or floor to make sorting mats. Use the parallel-sides shapes on Day 4 to colour the opposite sides and find the pairs that run parallel.

Sorting-mat headers: number of sides

3 sides

4 sides

5 sides

6 sides

Sorting-mat headers: straight or curved

Straight sides only

Has a curve

Parallel-sides shapes

The number-of-sides headers match the bins in “The sorting table” on screen; the straight and curved headers match “Straight, curved, or both”.

Mini-check · End of the weekClassifying shapes

What we know: classifying shapes

NameClassDate

Work on your own. You can draw a shape instead of writing a name if that helps.

A shape has 6 straight sides. Its name is ____.
A pentagon has ____ sides. A triangle has ____ sides.
A circle has ____ straight sides.
Which shape has only curved sides: a triangle, a square, or an oval? ____
Sort by number of sides: triangle, rectangle, pentagon, hexagon, square. (3 sides: ____ · 4 sides: ____ · 5 sides: ____ · 6 sides: ____)
Two sides that face each other across a shape are ____ sides. Opposite sides are always the same length: true or false? ____
Parallel lines never ____. A square has ____ pairs of parallel sides.
A square is made bigger but its sides stay equal. Is it still a square? ____ Now it is stretched so two sides get longer. What is it now? ____

Mini-check · Answers and markingFor the teacher

Answers and marking guide

Answers

hexagon.
A pentagon has 5 sides; a triangle has 3 sides.
0 (a circle has no straight sides, just one smooth curve).
an oval.
3 sides: triangle. 4 sides: rectangle, square. 5 sides: pentagon. 6 sides: hexagon.
opposite; false (opposite means facing across the shape, not equal in length).
meet; 2 pairs.
Yes, it is still a square (the sides stayed equal); stretched, it becomes a rectangle.

A quick three-level guide

Idea	Working towards	At standard	Beyond
Count and name (Q1, Q2, Q5)	names a shape from a picture with help	counts the sides and names triangle, square, rectangle, pentagon and hexagon; sorts by number of sides	explains that the name comes from the number of sides, whatever the size or pose
Straight and curved (Q3, Q4)	points to a curved edge when shown	says a circle has no straight sides and an oval is curved	finds a shape that has both a straight side and a curved side
Opposite and parallel (Q6, Q7)	shows one pair of sides that face each other	names opposite sides and says parallel lines never meet; finds the two parallel pairs in a square	explains that opposite sides are not always equal in length
Describe and compare (Q8)	says whether two shapes look the same	knows a square stays a square when grown and becomes a rectangle when stretched	describes a shape using its sides and the words straight, curved, opposite and parallel

Eight questions, four ideas. A child at standard answers most questions and can name a shape by counting its sides.

Weekly recordClass checklist

Weekly class record

Jot a tick as you move around the room; the mini-check fills any gaps. A tick a day is plenty.

Name	Counts and names	Straight and curved	Sorts by sides	Opposite and parallel	Describes shapes

The five columns are the five days: count and name, straight and curved, sort by sides, opposite and parallel, and describe.