Mini Minds Hub · Free printable
Pirate Missing Angles: Free Printable Worksheet for Year 5
- ForYear 5
- StageKey Stage 2
- CostFree
- FormatPrintable PDF
Pirate Missing Angles is a free printable maths worksheet for Year 5 (ages 9 to 10). Children use the treasure map to find missing angles. They use what they know about angles on a straight line and angles around a point, and they practise subtracting and sharing a total equally. Page 2 gives the grown-up notes, help ideas, a stretch task and the answers.
It comes from the Mini Minds Hub, the free library of printables from Jaques of London, the British games and toy company that has been making games for families since 1795. Print both pages, give page 1 to your child and keep page 2 for yourself. Black and white printing works well.
What is on the sheet
Children work through numbered questions with space to write each answer. Some questions give one angle on a straight line and ask for the other. Others split a straight line, or a full turn around a point, into equal angles and ask how big each one is. Children decide which total to use, then work out the missing angle.
- On a straight line, one angle is 120 degrees. What is the other?
- On a straight line, one angle is 35 degrees. What is the other?
- A straight line is split into two equal angles. How big is each one?
- Around a point there are three equal angles. How big is each one?
A worked example
On a straight line, one angle is 70 degrees. What is the other?
This is a different question from the ones on the sheet. It shows two ways children can work.
Method 1: subtract from the total- Angles on a straight line total 180 degrees.
- Take the angle you know away from 180: 180 take away 70.
- 180 take away 70 is 110.
- Start at 70. Jump 10 to reach 80.
- Jump 100 more to reach 180.
- Add the jumps: 10 + 100 = 110.
Build the idea before the sums
Fold a paper turn
Fold a sheet of paper in half and open it out. The fold line is a straight line. Talk about how it is half of a full turn.
Turn on the spot
Ask your child to face a wall, then turn a full turn back to where they started. Then try a half turn. Say what they notice.
Draw and split
Draw a straight line with a dot on it. Draw a second line from the dot so that it makes two angles. Colour each angle a different colour.
Why learn about missing angles?
An angle measures an amount of turn. We measure it in degrees. A full turn is one whole circle, and a half turn makes a straight line. A right angle is a quarter turn. Seeing angles as turns helps children picture them, instead of treating them as numbers to remember.
Once children know the total for a straight line and the total for a full turn, they can find a missing angle without measuring it. They use subtraction when one angle is known, or sharing when the angles are equal. This is reasoning, and it also prepares children for finding unknown angles in shapes later on.
Skills and curriculum link
- Angles in degrees
- Subtracting
- Problem solving
- Sharing a total equally
- Reasoning about turns
Ideas that help with missing angles
- Straight lineA straight line is half a full turn. Angles that sit together on a straight line fill that half turn.
- Around a pointAngles that meet at one point and go all the way round make a full turn.
- Know the total firstBefore you work anything out, decide whether the angles are on a line or around a point. That tells you which total to use.
- Equal anglesWhen angles are equal, they share the total fairly. Each one is the same size, so think about dividing.
Key words
- AngleThe amount of turn between two lines that meet at a point.
- DegreesThe unit we use to measure angles. The symbol is a small circle, like this: °.
- Straight lineA line that does not bend. The angles along it make a half turn.
- Full turnA turn all the way round a point, back to where you started.
- Missing angleAn angle we do not know yet. We work it out from the angles we do know.
- ProtractorA tool for measuring angles in degrees.
How to use it
- Print both pages. Page 1 is for your child. Keep page 2, which has the notes and answers.
- Draw a straight line and a circle on paper. Say that a straight line is half a full turn.
- Work through the first question together. Ask your child whether it is about a straight line or a full turn around a point.
- Let your child try the rest. Talk about each choice, and ask how they decided what to do.
- Check against page 2. Come back another day to try again. Repeating a familiar sheet builds confidence.
Help, stretch and game ideas
If it feels too hard
Draw a quick sketch for each question. Mark the angle you know and put a question mark on the missing one. Say out loud whether it is on a straight line or around a point. A protractor can check one answer.
To stretch confident children
Make up two missing angle questions of your own. Write one about a straight line and one about a full turn around a point. Swap with a friend or grown up, solve each other's, then check the answers together.
Make it a game
Fold paper to make half turns and full turns. Then take turns to call out a turn, such as half or full, while the other player faces that way and turns on the spot. Score a point for each correct turn.
Mistakes to watch for
Watch forA child uses the wrong total, for example a full turn total for a straight line.
Try thisDraw the situation and ask, "Is this a half turn or a full turn?" Match the total to the picture.
Watch forA child adds the known angle to the total instead of subtracting it.
Try thisAsk whether the missing angle can be bigger than the whole line. Show that the two angles must fit inside the total.
Watch forWith 50 degrees on a straight line, a child thinks about a right angle and writes 40.
Try thisRemind them a straight line is not a right angle. Use the line total and check by adding both angles.
Talk about it
- How do you know if angles are on a straight line or around a point?
- What would you do first when you see a new question?
- How could you check that your answer makes sense?
- Can you find a straight line or a corner in this room? What turns can you see?
- Why is a half turn the same as a straight line?
- What was the trickiest question, and what helped you?
Take it off the page
Treasure trail
Hide a small treasure in the garden or a room. Give directions using turns, such as a half turn left, then walk forward.
Paper plate turns
Draw a dot in the middle of a paper plate. Cut or draw lines from the dot to split it into parts. Talk about how the parts make a full turn.
Clock hands
Look at a clock with moving hands. Talk about how the hands turn and how far they travel between two times.
Who it is for
Parents
Sit with your child for the first question, then let them lead. Ask them to draw what they know. Keep sessions short and stop while it still feels fun.
Teachers
Use it as a starter, a plenary, an early finisher task or a table activity after teaching angles on a line and at a point. It needs no preparation beyond printing, and page 2 gives support and stretch ideas.
Home educators
Pair it with hands on turns and drawing. Use the fold and turn ideas first, then the sheet. It can be printed again for brothers and sisters, or for revision a few weeks later.
Where this fits in maths
Before this, children have met right angles, and have learned to describe angles as acute or obtuse. They have compared and ordered angles by size. They are used to thinking of an angle as an amount of turn.
In Year 5, children also learn to measure and draw angles in degrees with a protractor. This sheet sits alongside that work, because it asks children to reason about missing angles instead of measuring them. In Year 6, children find unknown angles in triangles, quadrilaterals and regular polygons, and in other situations where lines meet.
Questions parents and teachers ask
- What age is Pirate Missing Angles for?
It is written for Year 5 (ages 9 to 10), in Key Stage 2. Children in nearby year groups can use it too, as extra practice or a gentle challenge, depending on how confident they are with angles.
- What will children practise?
Children practise finding missing angles on a straight line and around a point. They use subtraction and equal sharing, and they decide which total to use. This matches the Year 5 National Curriculum strand on angles.
- How do I use it?
Print both pages and give page 1 to your child. First, draw a straight line and a circle, and say that a straight line is half a full turn. Work through the first question together, then let them try the rest.
- What if it feels too hard?
Start with a quick sketch for each question, and say whether the angles sit on a line or around a point. A protractor can check one answer. You can also do a few questions now and the rest later.
- Does my child need a protractor?
No. The sheet is about working out missing angles from what children know. A protractor is only an optional way to check one answer, if your child would like to see the angle measured.
- Is it free, and do I need colour?
Yes, it is free to print for home and classroom use. No colour is needed. It prints well in black and white on plain A4 paper, so you can print again for brothers, sisters or revision.
- Where are the answers?
The answers are on page 2, which is for the grown up. Page 2 also has notes on how to use the sheet, help for children who find it hard and a stretch idea. Keep it separate so children try the questions first.
Preview the full PDF
Made by Jaques of London, making games for families since 1795. A printable supports classroom learning and does not replace a teacher.