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Shape, Space & Measure

Word/Term Meaning
Analogue clock  A clock which tells the time using an hour hand to indicate the hour and a minute hand to indicate minutes to and past the hour. 
Capacity  The term used when measuring how much fluid fits inside a container. Measured in millilitres and litres. 
Circle  A 2D shape with one curved face and no vertices
Clockwise and anti-clockwise  A way of indicating the direction of a turn. Clockwise involves a turn to the right as if following the hands of a clock, anti-clockwise involves a turn to the left, against the direction of a clock’s hands. 


A 3D shape with two faces, one circular, one edge and one vertex. 

Converting into the same units 

Understanding the connection between units of measurement and how they can be converted one to another. For example, length can be measured in centimetres or metres; there are 100cm in a metre. 


The unit of measurement for angles and also for temperature. Represented by the symbol ° for angles (e.g. 90°) or °C (degrees Centigrade) and °F (degrees Fahrenheit) for temperature. 

Digital clock  A clock which tells the time using numbers only. 
Cone  A 3D shape with two faces, one circular, one edge and one vertex
Cube  A 3D shape with six square faces, 12 edges and eight vertices
Cuboid  A 3D shape with six faces, some or all of which are rectangular, 12 edges and eight  vertices
Corner  Also known as a vertex. The place on a 3D shape where three faces meet. Also used to describe the angles of a 2D shape. 
Cylinder  A 3D shape with two circular faces, one rectangular face, two edges and no vertices
Diagonal  A straight line that joins two vertices of a shape that are not next to each other. 
Edge  The place on a 3D shape where two faces meet. 
Face  Any flat surface of a 3D shape. Faces can be flat or curved and of many different shapes. 
Geometry  The study of shape, position and movement. Includes such aspects as 2D and 3D shapes, angles, symmetry, pattern, tessellation, turns and position. 
Hexagon  2D shape with six sides and six vertices
Horizontal  A horizontal line runs from left to right joining equivalent points on two opposite sides of a shape. 
Irregular shapes  2D shapes whose sides and angles are not all the same
Mass  This refers to the weight of an object. It is measured in grams (g) and kilograms (kg). 
Measurement  In Maths, children learn about different forms of measurement, including length, weight (mass), capacity, time and temperature. 

Mirror line 


reflective symmetry. 


What a 3D shape would look like if it was opened out flat. 

Octagon  2D shape with eight sides and eight vertices
Pentagon 2D shape with 5 sides and 5 vertices
Prism  3D shape with flat sides and identically shaped end faces. The cross section of a prism is the same all the way through. Examples are a triangular prism and a hexagonal prism. 
Pyramid (square- based)  3D shape with 4 triangular faces, one square face and 5 vertices
Pyramid (triangular-based) 3D shape with 4 triangular faces and four vertices
Quadrilateral  Any shape with four sides
Rectangle  2D shape with four straight sides and four right angles. Opposite sides are the same length. 
Reflection of shapes  Drawing the reflection of a shape in a mirror line means drawing the shape on the other side of the line as if it has been flipped over the line. 
Reflective symmetry  When a shape or pattern is reflected in a mirror line or line of symmetry. The reflected shape will be an exact mirror image of the original, the same size and the same distance from the mirror line. 
Regular shapes 2D shapes with closed sides, where all sides are the same length and all angles are the same. 
Right angle  An angle of exactly 90°. The two lines which make a right angle are perpendicular.
Side  One of the lines, straight or curved, which encloses a 2D shape.
Sphere  3D shape with one curved face, no edges and no vertices
Square  2D shape with four equal sides, four vertices and four right angles. 
Triangle  2D shape with three straight sides and three vertices. Can be equilateral, isosceles, right-angled or scalene. 
Turns  A movement in a space, either clockwise or anticlockwise. A quarter turn is 90°, a half turn is 180°, a three-quarter turn is 270° and a full turn is 360°. 
Vertex/vertices Also known as corner/s. The place on a 3D shape where three faces meet. Also commonly used to describe the corners of a 2D shape

A line which runs up and down a page or shape, from top to bottom. It will intersect a 

horizontal line at right angles. 

Volume  The amount of space taken up by an object. 
2D shapes  Shapes which are flat, having only two dimensions – height/length and width.
3D shapes  Shapes which have a solid form, having 3 dimensions – height/length, width and depth.
24 hour clock  The 12 hour clock runs from 1 o’clock to 12 o’clock twice per day. The 24 hour clock runs from 00:00 hours (midnight or 12.00 am) through 24 hours to 23:59 (11.59 pm).


Illustrated Tree Background