Unit 7, Lesson 1
Positive and Negative Numbers
Grade 6
Preparation
Lesson Narrative
In this lesson, students extend their understanding of the number system from just positive numbers, numbers greater than 0, to also include negative numbers, numbers less than 0. By exploring temperature and elevation, students see a need to describe numbers less than 0. In these two contexts, zero represents a physical situation (the freezing point of water and sea level), and numbers less than zero describe a physical state in the real world. Students reason quantitatively and abstractly as they represent temperatures and elevations with positive and negative numbers on a number line (MP2).
- Comprehend the words “positive” and “negative” (in spoken and written language) and the symbol “-” (in written language). Say “negative” when reading numbers written with the “-” symbol.
- Interpret positive and negative numbers that represent temperature or elevation, and understand the convention of what “below zero” typically means in each of these contexts.
- Recognize that the number line can be extended to represent negative numbers.
Let’s explore how we represent temperatures and elevations.
Required Preparation
For the digital version of the activity, acquire devices that can run the applet.
For the digital version of the activity, acquire devices that can run the applet.
A negative number is a number that is less than 0.
A positive number is a number that is greater than 0.