Shape Surveyor

Become a Shape Surveyor and Complete the Blueprint!

Welcome, Shape Surveyor! We need your expert eye to help complete the blueprints for a new building. Each plan has a shape on the coordinate grid, but one of the corners is missing!

Your mission is to look at the coordinates of the existing corners, use your knowledge of squares and rectangles, and work out the coordinates for the final, missing point.

Why is This Game Great for Learning?

This game is a fantastic way to build a deeper understanding of both coordinates and the properties of shapes. It helps children to:

• Master the Four Quadrants: By working on a full grid, children become confident with plotting and reading coordinates that include negative numbers.
• Understand Properties of Shapes: To find the missing corner, players must use their knowledge that squares and rectangles have parallel and equal-length opposite sides.
• Develop Logical Reasoning: This is more than just plotting points; it’s a logic puzzle that requires players to visualize the finished shape and deduce the missing information.

For Teachers and Parents: Meeting Key Stage 2 Objectives

This “Shape Surveyor” game is an excellent resource for supporting the National Curriculum for maths, particularly for children in upper Key Stage 2 (Years 4, 5, and 6).

• Year 4: The curriculum requires pupils to “describe positions on a 2-D grid as coordinates in the first quadrant.” This game provides a great extension to that, introducing them to all four quadrants.
• Year 5: This game directly supports the objective to “identify, describe and represent the position of a shape following a reflection or translation… and know that the shape has not changed.” It also reinforces their understanding of shape properties.
• Year 6: As children prepare for SATs, they are expected to “describe positions on the full coordinate grid (all four quadrants).” This game provides direct, engaging practice of this essential skill. It also touches on reasoning about missing coordinates, a common type of test question.

It’s an ideal activity for a lesson starter, a fun homework challenge, or for any child who enjoys a good puzzle.