Drawing: Lines, Shapes and Everyday Things
Primary 1 · Creative Arts
Drawing: Lines, Shapes and Everyday Things
Lesson 4 of 8
10 min
Let's begin
Ishimwe walks home and looks up at the roofs.
Not one roof lies flat. Every roof leans down one side.
He wonders what to call that leaning line.
Today you will give it its own name.
A vertical line stands up. A horizontal line lies flat.
Now draw a line from one corner of your page to the far corner.
It is straight, but it leans. That is a diagonal line.
The slope of a roof is diagonal.
A ladder leaning on a wall is diagonal.
The slide at school is diagonal.
Careful! A diagonal line IS straight. It is straight and it leans, both at the same time. Saying only straight is not enough.
Step 1 Draw a square for the walls of the house.
Step 2 Put one dot in the air above the middle of the square.
Step 3 Join the top left corner up to the dot. That is one diagonal.
Step 4 Join the dot down to the top right corner. That is a second diagonal.
Your roof is made of two diagonal lines.
Lay a piece of string flat on the ground.
Wind it round and round from the middle, going wider each time.
That curling line is called a spiral.
A snail shell is a spiral. Look at one after the rain.
Draw one on paper. Start with a small dot in the middle.
Then curl your pencil round it, wider and wider, without lifting it.
Your line must never cross itself.
Vertical stands up. Horizontal lies flat.
Diagonal leans. Spiral curls round and round.
Say all four out loud, and draw each one as you say it.
Tip
Straight and leaning means diagonal
Hold your arm straight up, then let it fall halfway down.
Every roof you pass on the road is two diagonals.
Answer each one, then tap Show answer to check.
The slope of a roof.
Answer: diagonal. It is straight and it leans.
A ladder leaning on a wall.
Answer: diagonal. It leans against the wall.
Is a diagonal line straight?
Answer: yes. It is straight AND leaning. Both are true.
Draw a square, then one line from corner to corner inside it.
Answer: that inside line is a diagonal.
Start in the middle of your page and curl round and round.
Answer: a spiral, like a snail shell. Your line should never cross itself.
What you learned today
Quick check
A diagonal line is straight.
