Five pages about symmetry in things children see every day. Page 1 starts with a worked example, a butterfly with a dashed line down the middle, then students circle Yes or No for eleven more pictures. Some lines are lines of symmetry; others go through a cup with a handle, a snail or a shoe, or sit off center or slanted on a house and a tree. On page 2 students draw a line of symmetry on each picture, some up and down, some across, like a pencil and a carrot; the answer key shows every line, such as the five on a star. Page 3 gives half of a house, a heart, a tree, a rocket, a fish and a butterfly on a square grid, and students count squares to draw the other half so both halves are the same shape and size. Page 4 asks students to fold flat shapes in their heads, draw every line of symmetry and write how many, from a rectangle with 2 to a plus sign with 4 and the letter F with none. Page 5 shows half of an object cut along its line of symmetry, and students circle the whole object among three choices, then draw an object of their own with a line of symmetry.
Before page 1, fold a paper heart and a paper butterfly in half so students see the two halves fit exactly. Hold a small mirror on the dashed lines: when the picture in the mirror finishes the drawing, the line is a line of symmetry. Cut the flat shapes from page 4 out of paper and let students fold them to check their answers.
Go on a symmetry hunt at home: a window, a door, a plate, a shirt, a leaf. Fold a piece of paper, paint on one side, and press the halves together to make a symmetric butterfly. Cut a heart from folded paper and open it to find the line of symmetry along the fold.
This pack supports the following Common Core State Standards for Mathematics:
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Lines of symmetry in pictures of everyday things, from a butterfly to a snail. Students find and draw lines of symmetry, finish half pictures on a grid, and fold shapes to count their lines.
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