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Grade 5 · Maths · Lessons
The shape family tree
⬜quadrilateral▱parallelogram▭rectangle◇rhombus
The shape family tree.
The big ideaA family's facts belong to every shape inside it. Facts pass down the tree, never up.

How it works

A family's facts belong to every shape inside it. Facts pass down the tree, never up.

Every rectangle is a parallelogram, so it has two pairs of parallel sides. Every square is a rectangle, a rhombus and a parallelogram.

A fact about parallelograms is true for rectangles and rhombuses too.

QuadrilateralParallelogramRectangle orrhombusSquare
Down the tree.

Example 1: A fact passes down

  1. Every parallelogram has two pairs of parallel sides.
  2. A rhombus is a parallelogram.
  3. So a rhombus has two pairs of parallel sides.

Example 2: Not up

  1. Every rectangle has four right angles.
  2. A parallelogram is not always a rectangle.
  3. So not every parallelogram has right angles.

Example 3: Which family?

  1. A shape with four sides is a quadrilateral.
  2. A trapezoid, a rectangle and a rhombus are all quadrilaterals.
  3. Quadrilateral is the biggest family here.

Words to know

parallelogram
A quadrilateral with two pairs of parallel sides.
rhombus
A quadrilateral with four equal sides.

Watch out

Try it

  1. Is every square a rectangle?
  2. Is every rectangle a square?
  3. Does a rhombus have two pairs of parallel sides?
  4. What is the biggest family of four-sided shapes?
Answers: 1. yes · 2. no · 3. yes · 4. quadrilaterals
For grown-upsDraw a tree of shapes together and write one fact beside each branch.
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