Unit 7, Lesson 11
Points in the Coordinate Plane
Grade 6
Preparation
Lesson Narrative
In this lesson, students make use of structure when they extend the vertical and horizontal axes to include positive and negative numbers and create the coordinate plane (MP7). The crossing axes create quadrants, the four regions of the coordinate plane.
Students begin the lesson by revisiting ordered pairs in order to describe the location of three points in the coordinate plane. They continue to practice identifying the coordinates of points as well as which quadrant a point is located in. Students gain additional experience by choosing, plotting, and writing the coordinates of points in order to hit targets drawn in the coordinate plane.
- Generalize the signs of coordinates that represent locations in each quadrant of the coordinate plane.
- Plot a point given its coordinates, or identify the coordinates of a given point in the coordinate plane.
- Recognize that in the coordinate plane, the horizontal and vertical axes include negative numbers.
Let’s explore the coordinate plane.
Required Preparation
None
The coordinate plane is one way to represent pairs of numbers. The plane is made of a horizontal number line and a vertical number line that cross at 0.
Pairs of numbers can be used to describe the location of a point in the coordinate plane.
Point is located at . This means is 3 units to the right and 2 units down from .