- Definition
Tessellation is like fitting puzzle pieces together perfectly, without any spaces or overlapping parts, to cover a surface. Think of a tiled floor or a honeycomb.
A honeycomb is a natural tessellation of hexagons.
How to teach this in 30 seconds
Try this analogy: A tessellation is like laying bathroom tiles perfectly so there are no gaps or overlaps between any of the pieces.
Ask your child: What shapes around us fit together perfectly with no gaps?
Common mix-up: A common mix-up is thinking any repeating pattern is a tessellation. The key is that the shapes must fit together perfectly, with absolutely no gaps or overlaps.
Examples
- A brick wall is a tessellation of rectangles.
- A checkerboard is a tessellation of squares.
- The interlocking birds or fish in an M.C. Escher drawing create a complex tessellation.
tessellation is a term used in Ontario’s Kindergarten to Grade 8 curriculum.
Where this shows up
The descriptions on this page are SmartStudy’s own original, plain-language writing — not the Ministry’s wording. They are aligned to the Ontario Curriculum, © King’s Printer for Ontario. For the Ministry’s official wording, see the source link below. SmartStudy is an independent service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the Government of Ontario or the Ministry of Education. Ontario Curriculum and Resources ↗
