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WALT identify and use the cartesian plane.
I can describe what the Cartesian plane is.
I can locate and plot points using coordinates (x, y).
I can understand how the horizontal (x-axis) and vertical (y-axis) lines work.
"Have you ever played a game like Battleship or drawn maps in Minecraft?"
These games use grids — and so does mathematics!
A mathematician named René Descartes came up with a way to map out space on paper using two lines that cross — a horizontal and a vertical line. This system is called the Cartesian plane.
The plane is divided into 4 Quadrants. They are ++ (1), -+ (2), - - (3) and + - (4). The x coordinate is always stated first.
The cartesian plane is not like grids that you have used before. The coordinates sit on the grid lines and do not fill in blank spaces.
Have a go at placing the following coordinates on the grid below.
3,6 -4, -6 -3, 4 6, -3
Get your grid ready.
Use a piece of graph paper or a printed Cartesian plane. Make sure both the x-axis (horizontal) and y-axis (vertical) are clearly labelled.Label your axes.
Draw arrows at the end of each axis.
Label the origin (0, 0).
Number the axes from –10 to 10 (or as far as your grid allows).
Choose your shape.
Decide on a simple shape like a triangle, square, rectangle, parallelogram, or trapezium.Write down the coordinates.
Plan 3–5 coordinate points that match the corners (vertices) of your shape.
For example:
To draw a square: (1, 1), (1, 4), (4, 4), (4, 1)Plot your points.
Use a sharp pencil to mark your points on the grid.
Make a small dot and write the coordinate next to it for clarity.Join the dots.
Use a ruler to carefully draw straight lines between the points in order.
Finish the shape by joining the last point back to the first.Label your shape.
Write the name of the shape and colour it in if you like!
Reflection 15 minutes:
Add the following words to your Maths dictionary
cartesian plane
coordinate
x axis
y axis
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