Tessellation Worksheet

Name:

Tessellation:

Squares and Rectangles CAN tessellate.

Trace each shape onto its section. Mark the midpoint of each side of the shape.
Rotate or flip the shape around each midpoint to create your tessellation.
Draw at least six rotated copies of each shape to prove if it tessellates

Equilateral triangle

YES

NO

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Pentagon

YES

NO

Hexagon

YES

NO

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Octagon

YES

NO

Irregular Quadrilateral:

Draw and cut out an irregular quadrilateral.

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Trace your quadrilateral and mark off the midpoint on each of the four sides. Use
the midpoints to rotate or flip your quadrilateral and create a tessellation.

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Triangles
Trace an example of each of these triangles. Mark the midpoints on each of the
three sides. Rotate or flip copies around the midpoints. Trace at least eight copies
of each triangle to prove that it tessellates.
Right triangle

Isosceles

YES

YES

NO

NO

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Scalene

YES

NO

Two Shape Tessellations

If shapes can tessellate, their ________________________________ will add to
360 at one vertex.
And there sides will be the same _______________________.

60
60 60
60
60
60

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This is also true for two or more shapes. Look at the octagon example.

135 135
90

Interior angles of common shapes

Equilateral triangle: 60
Squares and rectangle: 90
Pentagon: 108
Hexagon: 120
Heptagon: 129
Octagon: 135
Nonagon: 140

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Find a new shape that can tessellate with a pentagon.
Trace a pentagon onto the space below. Create a tessellation with at least one other
shape that has equal side length.
Write the interior angles of each shape around one vertex to prove that they tadd
up to 360.
Pentagon (Internal angles 108)

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Create a tessellation using both equilateral triangles and squares.
Write the interior angles of each shape around one vertex to prove that they add to
360.

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Escher Tessellation by Translation
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Begin with a shape you know will tessellate

Change the top side and bottom side the same way using a transformation
Change the right side and left side the same way using a transformation
Tessellate this new irregular shape
These shapes can be made to look like real life objects

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Create an Escher tessellation by translation out of the following shapes. Draw at
least eight more shapes in order to prove that it tessellates.
Square

Parallelogram

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Escher Tessellations by Rotation
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Begin with a shape you know will tessellate

Mark the midpoints of each side
Change HALF of one side
Rotate that change around the midpoint of that side
Continue this steps for each face using a different design if you wish
Tessellate this new irregular shape
These shapes can be made to look like real life objects

Tessellation Worksheet
Create an Escher tessellation by rotation around a midpoint for the following
shapes
Equilateral triangle

Hexagon