Block coding lesson 11: Shapes with repeat and angles
UK version. UK school years and UK spelling. · US version of this lesson
To draw a shape with n equal sides, repeat n times: move, turn. Myrtle turns all the way round once, so each turn is 360° ÷ n: a square turns 90°, a hexagon 60°, an octagon 45°, a triangle 120°. A complete 35-minute block coding lesson (Years 3–4, KS2), from Unit 4: Repeat. Myrtle the Turtle runs right here in your browser – nothing to install.
- Time
- 35 minutes + 15 min homework
- Year
- Years 3–4, KS2 (ages 7–9)
- You need
- A computer or tablet, squared paper and a pencil
- Marked
- Instantly, with explanations
For parents: how to use this lesson
You don't need to know anything about coding. The lesson explains each step on screen, the way Mr Babbage, our Head of Computing, likes it: watch Myrtle first, then have a go. Programs are made from blocks – no typing – and every answer is marked straight away.
- Before the screen: Walk round a triangle drawn in chalk and count how far you turn at each corner.
- Press Start the lesson below and watch the worked examples together. Press Run and say what each block does before Myrtle does it.
- Let your child do the practice on their own. When Myrtle goes the wrong way, that's a clue, not a failure – press Run again and watch which block it is on.
- Finish with the talk question: “Why do all the turns of a closed shape add up to 360°?”
- Later that day or the next day: the homework (15 minutes), then a practice test.
Watch out for
- Turning by the inside angle (60° for a triangle). Myrtle turns the outside angle: 180° − 60° = 120°.
- Thinking every shape turns 90°. Only squares and rectangles. Work out 360° ÷ number of sides.
Miss Lovelace's tip for home: ask your child to be Myrtle. Read out the blocks and let them walk it on the floor. If they can act it out, they understand it.
What your child will learn
We are learning to draw regular shapes with repeat.
Success looks like
- I can draw regular shapes with repeat.
- I can choose the turning angle for a shape.
- I can say why the turns add up to a full turn.
Key words
angle · degrees · regular shape · full turn 360°
The big ideas (for the adult)
To draw a shape with n equal sides, repeat n times: move, turn. Myrtle turns all the way round once, so each turn is 360° ÷ n: a square turns 90°, a hexagon 60°, an octagon 45°, a triangle 120°.
Myrtle turns through the OUTSIDE angle at each corner. A triangle's inside angles are 60°, but Myrtle must turn 120°.
A worked example
repeat 4 times
move forward 2
turn right 90°
endPress Start the lesson to watch the turtle run it.
The lesson, step by step
| Part | Time | How it is checked |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | 5 min | Marked by Classfern |
| Teach | 8 min | Watch, talk and try |
| Worked example and try it | 7 min | Marked by Classfern |
| Practice | 10 min | Marked by Classfern |
| Plenary | 5 min | Marked by Classfern + self-check |
The lesson
It runs here on the page. No sign-up and no names – progress is kept only in this browser. Each visit picks a new mix of questions.
Homework
15 minutes: 5 questions – work out what Myrtle does, then build or fix a program – and a short reflection. New questions every time, all marked instantly. Away from the screen: walk round a triangle drawn in chalk and count how far you turn at each corner.
Practice tests
Curriculum
National curriculum in England, computing, key stage 2: pupils should be taught to design, write and debug programs that accomplish specific goals, including controlling or simulating physical systems; solve problems by decomposing them into smaller parts; and to use sequence, selection, and repetition in programs; work with variables and various forms of input and output.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Our lessons, blocks and questions are our own. They are not written or endorsed by any government department, testing agency or exam board.