Spot turns

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Equipment

Indoor or outdoor playing area

Activity set-up

Find an area to play

How to play

In pairs, players explore different angles through turning their bodies – ¼ turn (90 degrees), ½ turn (180 degrees), full turn (360 degrees, with spotting).

Ask for volunteers to stand up and give them instructions to move by making either a half turn (facing the other direction), full turn (turning around and facing the same direction) or a quarter turn (half of a half turn).
All students find an area and stand up.
Teacher gives directions to move by making either a half turn, full turn or quarter turn. The direction of turn can also be introduced, for example, make a half turn to the right.
After several turns, ask:
- Which turn was the biggest?
- Which turn was the smallest?
- Is there another way you could show a turn by using your body?
Teacher provides further directions:
- Make a half turn to the right.
- Make a quarter turn to the left, then another quarter turn to the left.
- Make a 3-quarter turn to the right (recognising that this will be challenging to show with their arms!).
- Make half of a quarter turn to the left.
Ask:
- What instruction will bring you all back to facing the front again?
- How could you describe the half of a quarter turn? (It is an acute angle, half a right angle, an eighth turn or a 45-degree angle).
Explain that measuring an angle is measuring an amount of turn. Explain that angles can be found in every part of students’ lives.