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What is it?
I am a huge fan of activities that give students valuable practice of key concepts but in a novel way. Take transformations. They are something students first encounter in Year 7, and yet they find themselves transforming all the way up to their GCSEs. You can help make that practice more interesting and purposeful with this lovely activity. Students must use rotation, reflection and translation to try to fit all 7 shapes into the square. It is a challenging puzzle, but one which ensures students get plenty of valuable practice along the way to the solution.

How can it be used?
Activities like this are ideal either to use at the end of a teaching unit on transformations, or as revision with a class who have studied it before. It provides practice but in a way that is different to the worksheets and exam questions that they might be used to. It also begs important and interesting questions:

• Is there only one way to do it?
• How do I know if I have found all the ways?
• Can I make any other shapes with the 6 pieces?
• Can I create my own transformations puzzle?

This really is the transformations resource that keeps on giving

Thank you for sharing!
Craig Barton

Download: Transformations Challenge
View the author’s other resources