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Year 5 Maths 2D Shapes, Position & Transformations

Locate positions using grid maps & directional language

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Theory

A grid map has lettered columns and numbered rows, so every square has a grid reference such as B4: the column letter first, then the row number. This Year 5 maths page shows how to find a place from its grid reference, write the reference of a place, and describe a route as moves north, south, east and west.

A grid reference names a square on the map. Write the column letter (along the bottom) first, then the row number (up the side): B4 means column B, row 4.

With north at the top of the map, moving up the page is north, down is south, right is east and left is west.

A route is described in squares: “3 squares east, then 2 squares north”. Going east the letters go up (C, D, E); going north the numbers go up (2, 3, 4).

A place that is both north and east of another is north-east of it. The other in-between directions are north-west, south-east and south-west.

Grid map with five places A grid map with columns A to F and rows 1 to 5, north at the top. Z (zoo) is in A1, G (gym) in C2, K (kiosk) in B4, R (river bridge) in E1 and H (hospital) in F4. ABCDEF 12345 K R G H Z N
Z zoo, G gym, K kiosk, R river bridge, H hospital. North is at the top.
Route from the gym to the hospital The same grid map with a dashed red route from the gym in C2, 3 squares east to F2, then 2 squares north to the hospital in F4. ABCDEF 12345 K R G H Z N
From G: 3 squares east, then 2 squares north, reaches H in F4.

Reading a grid reference:

Column letter first, then row number: B4, not 4B.

East \(\rightarrow\) next letter. West \(\rightarrow\) previous letter. North \(\rightarrow\) next number. South \(\rightarrow\) previous number.

Along the corridor, then up the stairs. Read across to the column letter first, then up to the row number.
A reference names a whole square. Anything inside the square has the same grid reference.

How to find a grid reference

  1. Look down from the place to the letter along the bottom.
  2. Look across from the place to the number up the side.
  3. Write the letter, then the number.

How to follow a route

  1. Start at the given square.
  2. Count squares for each move (east/west changes the letter, north/south changes the number).
  3. Write the grid reference of the square you finish in.
Example 1 — Write a reference
Use the first map. What is the grid reference of the kiosk (K)?
Solution

Column B, row 4: B4.

Example 2 — Find a place
Which place is in square E1?
Solution

The river bridge (R).

Example 3 — Count squares
How many squares east of the zoo (Z) is the river bridge (R)?
Solution
\(\text{A to E}\)\(=\)\(4 \text{ squares}\)
4 squares

\(4\) squares east (both are in row 1).

Example 4 — Follow a route
Start at the gym (G) in C2. Move 3 squares east, then 2 squares north. Where are you?
Solution

C2 to F2, then F2 to F4: the hospital (H). See the second map.

Example 5 — Describe a route
Describe a route from the kiosk (K) in B4 to the river bridge (R) in E1.
Solution
\(\text{B to E}\)\(=\)\(3 \text{ east}\)
\(\text{4 to 1}\)\(=\)\(3 \text{ south}\)
3 east ,3 south

3 squares east and 3 squares south (in either order).

Example 6 — In-between direction
In which direction is the hospital (H) from the gym (G)?
Solution

H is east and north of G, so it is north-east.

Example 7 — Find the mistake
Leo says the zoo is in square 1A. Explain the mistake and fix it.
Solution

He wrote the row number first. The column letter comes first: A1.

Common pitfalls

Number before letter. Write the column letter first: B4, not 4B.
Counting the start square. Count the moves (jumps) from square to square, not the squares you start in.
Mixing up east and west. With north at the top, east is to the right.
Reading rows from the top. Check where row 1 is. On these maps row 1 is at the bottom.

Frequently asked questions

What is a grid reference?

A letter and a number that name one square on a grid map, such as B4.

Which comes first, the letter or the number?

The column letter, then the row number.

Does a grid reference name a point or a square?

A square. Everything inside that square has the same reference.

Which way is east on a map?

With north at the top, east is to the right.

How do you describe a route?

Give the number of squares and the direction for each move, such as 3 squares east, then 2 squares north.

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