Year 2: Clockwise and anticlockwise turns
Part of the Year 2 position and direction chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
Clockwise and anticlockwise turns
Clockwise is the way the hands of a clock move. Clockwise goes up, right, down, then left.
Anticlockwise is the other way round. It goes up, left, down, then right.
The orange arrow in each picture shows the turn. Follow it to see which way it goes.
Key ideas
- Clockwise goes up, right, down, left.
- Anticlockwise goes up, left, down, right.
- Clockwise and anticlockwise go opposite ways round.
- Check the orange arrow before you turn.
Method. Turn the car clockwise, one quarter turn at a time.
- Find which way it faces at the start. The car faces up.start: up
- Turn it clockwise, a quarter turn. Each quarter turn moves it one step round.up → right
- Write the way it faces now. right
Check. Turning it back the other way by the same amount makes it face up again. ✓
Watch out. Clockwise goes up, right, down, left. Anticlockwise goes up, left, down, right.
Method. Follow the orange arrow round from the car.
- Find where the arrow starts. It starts at the way the car faces, right.start: right
- Follow the arrow round. Clockwise goes up, right, down, left. Anticlockwise goes up, left, down, right.right → up
- Say which way it turns. anticlockwise
Check. Going the other way from right would give a different order. ✓
Watch out. Clockwise is the way the hands of a clock move. Check the way the orange arrow points.
Method. Turn the car anticlockwise, one quarter turn at a time.
- Find which way it faces at the start. The car faces right.start: right
- Turn it anticlockwise, a half turn. Each quarter turn moves it one step round.right → up → left
- Write the way it faces now. left
Check. Turning it back the other way by the same amount makes it face right again. ✓
Watch out. Clockwise goes up, right, down, left. Anticlockwise goes up, left, down, right.
Watch out
Watch out: check the way the orange arrow goes before you turn. Clockwise goes up, right, down, left. Anticlockwise goes up, left, down, right.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Hold up a real clock or a plate with a hand on it. Turn the hand clockwise, then anticlockwise. Ask: “Which way did it go? Which way does the car face now?”
Exercise 9F Clockwise and anticlockwise turns
Non-calculatorMethod. Turn the car clockwise, one quarter turn at a time.
- Find which way it faces at the start. The car faces up.start: up
- Turn it clockwise, a quarter turn. Each quarter turn moves it one step round.up → right
- Write the way it faces now. right
Check. Turning it back the other way by the same amount makes it face up again. ✓
Watch out. Clockwise goes up, right, down, left. Anticlockwise goes up, left, down, right.
Method. Turn the car anticlockwise, one quarter turn at a time.
- Find which way it faces at the start. The car faces up.start: up
- Turn it anticlockwise, a quarter turn. Each quarter turn moves it one step round.up → left
- Write the way it faces now. left
Check. Turning it back the other way by the same amount makes it face up again. ✓
Watch out. Clockwise goes up, right, down, left. Anticlockwise goes up, left, down, right.
Method. Turn the car clockwise, one quarter turn at a time.
- Find which way it faces at the start. The car faces right.start: right
- Turn it clockwise, a half turn. Each quarter turn moves it one step round.right → down → left
- Write the way it faces now. left
Check. Turning it back the other way by the same amount makes it face right again. ✓
Watch out. Clockwise goes up, right, down, left. Anticlockwise goes up, left, down, right.
Method. Turn the car clockwise, one quarter turn at a time.
- Find which way it faces at the start. The car faces left.start: left
- Turn it clockwise, a three-quarter turn. Each quarter turn moves it one step round.left → up → right → down
- Write the way it faces now. down
Check. Turning it back the other way by the same amount makes it face left again. ✓
Watch out. Clockwise goes up, right, down, left. Anticlockwise goes up, left, down, right.
Method. Turn the car anticlockwise, one quarter turn at a time.
- Find which way it faces at the start. The car faces down.start: down
- Turn it anticlockwise, a quarter turn. Each quarter turn moves it one step round.down → right
- Write the way it faces now. right
Check. Turning it back the other way by the same amount makes it face down again. ✓
Watch out. Clockwise goes up, right, down, left. Anticlockwise goes up, left, down, right.
Method. Follow the orange arrow round from the car.
- Find where the arrow starts. It starts at the way the car faces, up.start: up
- Follow the arrow round. Clockwise goes up, right, down, left. Anticlockwise goes up, left, down, right.up → right
- Say which way it turns. clockwise
Check. Going the other way from up would give a different order. ✓
Watch out. Clockwise is the way the hands of a clock move. Check the way the orange arrow points.
Method. Follow the orange arrow round from the car.
- Find where the arrow starts. It starts at the way the car faces, right.start: right
- Follow the arrow round. Clockwise goes up, right, down, left. Anticlockwise goes up, left, down, right.right → up
- Say which way it turns. anticlockwise
Check. Going the other way from right would give a different order. ✓
Watch out. Clockwise is the way the hands of a clock move. Check the way the orange arrow points.
Method. Count the quarter turns along the orange arrow.
- Count the quarter turns. Each quarter turn is a quarter of the way round.2 quarter turns
- Name the turn. 2 quarter turns is a half turn.half turn
Check. Four quarter turns make a whole turn, so 2 quarter turns is less than a whole turn. ✓
Watch out. Two quarter turns make a half turn. Three make a three-quarter turn.
Method. Turn the car clockwise, one quarter turn at a time.
- Find which way it faces at the start. The car faces up.start: up
- Turn it clockwise, a quarter turn. Each quarter turn moves it one step round.up → right
- Write the way it faces now. right
Check. Turning it back the other way by the same amount makes it face up again. ✓
Watch out. Clockwise goes up, right, down, left. Anticlockwise goes up, left, down, right.
Method. Turn the car anticlockwise, one quarter turn at a time.
- Find which way it faces at the start. The car faces up.start: up
- Turn it anticlockwise, a quarter turn. Each quarter turn moves it one step round.up → left
- Write the way it faces now. left
Check. Turning it back the other way by the same amount makes it face up again. ✓
Watch out. Clockwise goes up, right, down, left. Anticlockwise goes up, left, down, right.
Method. Turn the car clockwise, one quarter turn at a time.
- Find which way it faces at the start. The car faces up.start: up
- Turn it clockwise, a half turn. Each quarter turn moves it one step round.up → right → down
- Write the way it faces now. down
Check. Turning it back the other way by the same amount makes it face up again. ✓
Watch out. Clockwise goes up, right, down, left. Anticlockwise goes up, left, down, right.
Method. Follow each turn from the same start, one quarter at a time.
- Start both turns from the same way. Both start with the car facing up.start: up
- Turn clockwise. A clockwise turn of 1 quarter turn ends right.up → right
- Turn anticlockwise. An anticlockwise turn ends left.up → left
- Compare the two ends. They end different.No
Check. Clockwise and anticlockwise go opposite ways round, so they end on different sides. ✓
Watch out. Clockwise and anticlockwise go opposite ways round. Check both ends.
Method. Do each turn in order. Each turn starts from the way the car faces after the turn before.
- Find which way it faces at the start. The car faces up.start: up
- Turn it clockwise, 2 quarter turns. It was facing up.up → right → down
- Turn it anticlockwise, 1 quarter turn. It was facing down.down → right
- Write the way it faces now. right
Check. Check each turn one at a time, starting from up. ✓
Watch out. Do the turns in the order they are given. Each turn starts from where the car is now.
Method. Do each turn in order. Each turn starts from the way the car faces after the turn before.
- Find which way it faces at the start. The car faces left.start: left
- Turn it clockwise, 2 quarter turns. It was facing left.left → up → right
- Turn it anticlockwise, 2 quarter turns. It was facing right.right → up → left
- Write the way it faces now. left
Check. Check each turn one at a time, starting from left. ✓
Watch out. Do the turns in the order they are given. Each turn starts from where the car is now.