Symmetry is everywhere, but it's often hard to notice. This lesson explores a few ways to identify it. By folding and making mirror images for different shapes, students will discover a new world of symmetrical figures.
Students will be able to identify symmetrical figures, draw lines of symmetry, and explain why or why not a figure has symmetry.
Introduction
(5 minutes)
Display the image of the butterfly.
Ask the class to share some things they notice about the image. Some guiding questions you could ask are: What are the colors of the butterfly's wings? How are the wings shaped?
Once students touch on the idea that the wings match in some way, introduce the word "symmetry." Explain that something has symmetry if it can be split into two mirror-image halves. For example, a butterfly is symmetrical because you can fold a picture of it in half and see that both sides match.