Constructions and Scale Drawings

Scheme of work: GCSE Foundation: Year 10: Term 2: Constructions and Scale Drawings

Identify and construct a radius, diameter, circumference, area, chord, tangent and arc.
measure and begin to record lengths and heights
identify acute and obtuse angles and compare and order angles up to two right angles by size

Use the standard conventions for labelling and referring to the sides and angles of triangles; draw diagrams from the written description
use the standard ruler and compass constructions (perpendicular bisector of a line segment, constructing a perpendicular to a given line from/at a given point, bisecting a given angle);
use these to construct given figures and solve loci problems;
know that the perpendicular distance from a point to a line is the shortest distance to the line

Students need to sketch the diagram before attempting their construction. The sketch should be drawn freehand and contain all the necessary information.
Bisectors are used to half an angle as well as a length of a line segment.
Constructing a 60Â° angle using a pair of compasses is an essential skills throughout this topic as it goes on to equilateral triangles and reflex angles.

Students often have difficulty constructing smooth arcs using a pair of compasses.
Encourage students to try different techniques, such as rotating the paper rather than the compasses.
It is important to leave in construction lines as these form the working out.