Negative Numbers
Count backwards through zero to include negative numbers
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Negative Numbers 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 practice
Practice key ideas from Negative Numbers.
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Illustrative Mathematics · Practice link — not the full lesson
It's Warmer in Miami
Before you open · source notes
Temperature comparisons support negative numbers in real contexts. Not every absolute-value 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 say which temperature is warmer and why a negative matters.
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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. “It's Warmer in Miami.” Licensed CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. External task; Gakuva does not copy, host, embed, or redistribute it.
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Check understanding
- Count backwards from 5 through zero: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0, −1, −2 …
- Place negative numbers on a number line
- Understand that negative numbers are less than zero and use them in context (e.g. temperature)
“Can your child count backwards past zero into negative numbers — like 3, 2, 1, 0, −1, −2, −3 — without hesitating at zero?”
Curriculum record
- Type
- Conceptual
- Subject
- Mathematics
- Domain
- Number Representation & Place Value
- Age range
- Ages 8–12
Standards