Negative numbers in context
Interpret negative numbers in context (temperature, sea level, bank balance); count forwards and backwards with positive and negative whole numbers, including through zero
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Negative numbers in context means practising the idea at the table with counters or paper models and one clear check. We will demo once, then your child tries.
Materials: Number line (−5 to 5) on paper; A token. Adult places −2 and +3 and compares which is greater. Child places three integers and says which is greater for two pairs. Done: three placements plus two correct comparisons. Stop after the fresh check; keep optional challenge for another day.
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Start practiceNegative numbers in context practice
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Illustrative Mathematics · Practice link — not the full lesson
Mile High
Before you open · source notes
Mile High elevation contexts support negative numbers in context. Not every coordinate proof.
Free, no sign-in. A teacher solution is on the same page, so use the student view with your child.
Before you openAsk the learner to explain what a negative elevation means in the situation.
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Source, access and review notes
Public Illustrative Mathematics task page. The .html address responds HTTP 308 to this URL. An anonymous GET of this URL on 2026-11-12 returned HTTP 200 with no login or payment prompt. Where a teacher solution is present, it is on the same page as the student task; this check did not find a separate locked student view. An adult can use the student view section and should not read a solution aloud. Advertising was not observed in the fetched HTML text; that is not a browser, device, or ad-free guarantee. This is a paper or discussion task, not an automatically marked interactive game. Opening the link does not save practice or assess mastery. Diagrams on the page use missing or filename-only alt text, so they are not an accessible image equivalent. Accessibility still depends on an adult describing the picture.
Illustrative Mathematics. “Mile High.” Licensed CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. External task; Gakuva does not copy, host, embed, or redistribute it.
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Check understanding
- Place –3, –1, 0, 2, 5 on a number line
- The temperature is –4°C and rises by 7 degrees — what is the new temperature?
- Count backwards from 3 in ones: 3, 2, 1, 0, –1, –2
“If the temperature drops to −5°C overnight and rises to 3°C by day, can your child place both on a number line and say how many degrees warmer the daytime temperature is?”
Curriculum record
- Type
- Conceptual
- Subject
- Mathematics
- Domain
- Number Representation & Place Value
- Age range
- Ages 9–13
Standards