Positive & Negative Numbers (Grade 6)
Examples, solutions, videos, and lessons to help Grade 6 students understand that positive and negative numbers are used together to describe quantities having opposite directions or values (e.g., temperature above/below zero, elevation above/below sea level, credits/debits, positive/negative electric charge); use positive and negative numbers to represent quantities in real-world contexts, explaining the meaning of 0 in each situation.
Related Pages
Types of Numbers
More Lessons for Grade 6
Common Core for Grade 6
Math Worksheets
Common Core: 6.NS.5
Suggested Learning Targets
- I can use integers to describe quantities
- I can describe the relationship of integers to 0.
- I can identify an integer and its opposite.
- I can use integers to represent quantities in real world situations (above/below sea level, etc).
- I can explain where zero fits into a situation represented by integers.
The following diagram shows positive and negative numbers on the number line. Scroll down the page for more examples and solutions on how to use positive and negative numbers.
Understanding how positive and negative numbers describe quantities (Standard 6.NS.5)
Positive and Negative Numbers (6.NS.5)
Examples of positive and negative numbers.
Altitude - above sea level is positive, below sea level is negative.
Temperature - temperatures below zero are negative.
Money (Loans) - savings are positive, loans are negative.
Science - protons have a positive charge and electrons have a negative charge.
Examples:
A hiker starts at -500 ft altitude.
a) If she hikes 37 feet down, what is her new altitude?
b) How many feet up would she have to hike to reach sea level?
c) If she hikes up 537 ft, what will her new altitude be? Will that be a positive or negative altitude?
Negative Numbers…Where Are They?
The video provides real-world examples of negative integers.
Understand positive and negative numbers
Real World Negative Numbers
Two examples of negative numbers in everyday life. Temperature, Underwater.
Integers in the Real World
It shows how positive and negative numbers occur in everyday situations.
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