U1L15 Symmetry

In this lesson and the next, students determine the cases where applying a certain rigid motion to a shape doesn’t change it. This is the idea of symmetry. A shape is said to have symmetry if there is a rigid transformation that takes the shape to itself. Students first study reflection symmetry using lines of symmetry, and then they study rotation symmetry in a subsequent lesson. Translation symmetry isn’t mentioned explicitly, but students were exposed to the idea that a line has translation symmetry in a previous lesson. Students apply their understanding of rigid transformations to identify shapes where there is a line of symmetry which reflects the shape onto itself, satisfying the definition of reflection symmetry. The fact that reflecting a segment across its perpendicular bisector exchanges its endpoints will be useful in the next unit when students study triangle congruence. This activity includes lesson summary videos and practice problems

By JOEL NELSON