Home›Lesson Plans›Mathematics›The Number System · Grade 6

Integers: Negative Numbers on the Number Line

Students extend the number line below zero to meet negative numbers — for temperatures, elevations, and money owed — and learn about opposites and absolute value (distance from zero).

Grade 6Integers50 minutes1 class periodGradual ReleaseExplicit teaching4 StandardsCommon Core
Start the Lesson
Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Read negative numbers on a number line.
  • ✓Find the opposite of a number.
  • ✓Find absolute value (distance from 0).
  • ✓Compare positive and negative numbers.
Essential Question

A temperature can be 5 below zero, and a submarine can be 200 feet below sea level. How do we write and compare numbers less than zero?

0
Lesson Phases
0
Vocabulary Terms
0
Standards Aligned
0
Interactive Task
Model · Interactive Tool

The Integer Line

Project this and slide along the number line, above and below zero. Watch the value, its opposite, and its absolute value change.

🌡️ Slide the number line — above and below zeroTry it
Number: -4

The Lesson · Gradual Release (I Do · We Do · You Do)

50 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Launch — Below Zero

5 min

How cold is “5 below zero”? How do we write it?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Give below-zero examples.
  • Ask how to write them.
  • Set the goal: integers.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Think below zero.
  • Predict the writing.
  • Guess the idea.
2

I Do — Opposites & Distance

10 min

Teacher models.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Extend the line below zero.
  • Show opposites (+3 and −3).
  • Show absolute value = distance from 0.

🎒 Student Actions

  • See negatives.
  • Find opposites.
  • Find absolute value.
3

We Do — Explore Together

13 min

Class drives the Integer Line.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Slide to positive and negative values.
  • Read opposite and absolute value.
  • Compare two integers.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Slide the line.
  • Read the values.
  • Compare integers.
4

You Do — On Your Own

12 min

Students use integers.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Assign integer problems.
  • Find opposites and absolute values.
  • Order integers.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Read integers.
  • Find opposites/abs.
  • Order them.
5

Close — Close

5 min

One integer.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Give an integer; find opposite and abs.
  • Compare to another.
  • Hand out the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Find opposite/abs.
  • Compare.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, including the Standards for Mathematical Practice.

CCSS
6.NS.5

Understand that positive and negative numbers describe quantities with opposite directions.

CCSS
6.NS.6a

Recognize opposite signs as locations on opposite sides of 0.

CCSS
6.NS.7c

Understand absolute value as distance from 0.

CCSS
6.NS.6

Understand a rational number as a point on the number line.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Use a thermometer as a number line.
  • Sentence frame: “The opposite of ___ is ___.”
  • Point to negatives left of zero.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Focus on negatives as “below zero.”
  • Use a vertical number line.
  • Find opposites first.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Compare and order many integers.
  • Explain absolute value in a real context.
  • Add integers on the line.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Projector / board
  • 📓Math notebooks
  • 💻The Integer Line
  • 🌡️A thermometer
  • ✏️Pencils
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

integera whole number, positive, negative, or zeronegativeless than zeropositivegreater than zerooppositesame distance from 0, other sideabsolute valuedistance from zeronumber linea line showing numbers in orderzeroneither positive nor negativesignthe + or − on a number
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
What is the opposite of −7?
7.
QUESTION 2
What is the absolute value of −5, written |−5|?
5 (its distance from zero).
QUESTION 3
Which is greater, −3 or −8?
−3 (it is closer to zero, and to the right on the line).

Going deeper? Integer contexts.

Have students match integers to real situations (elevation, temperature, money owed) and place them on a number line. A printable integer-context sheet is in the Math library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Integers & the Number LineFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
0

Nice work!

Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Integers & the Number LineQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
0%

Nice work!

Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Integers & the Number LinePrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: absolute value, integer, negative, number line, opposite, positive, sign, zero
  1. same distance from 0, other side
  2. greater than zero
  3. a whole number, positive, negative, or zero
  4. distance from zero
  5. less than zero
  6. a line showing numbers in order
  7. neither positive nor negative
  8. the + or − on a number

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What is the opposite of −7?
  2. What is the absolute value of −5, written |−5|?
  3. Which is greater, −3 or −8?
Answer key — Part A: 1) opposite · 2) positive · 3) integer · 4) absolute value · 5) negative · 6) number line · 7) zero · 8) sign
Part B: 1) 7. 2) 5 (its distance from zero). 3) −3 (it is closer to zero, and to the right on the line).