Lesson plan

Identify the opposite of a number by using a number line

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teaches Common Core State Standards 6.NS.C.6.a http://corestandards.org/Math/Content/6/NS/C/6/a
teaches Common Core State Standards MP4 http://corestandards.org/Math/Practice/MP4
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Big Ideas: The number line is infinite in both directions. A number and its opposite are the same distance from zero. This lesson builds on students’ work with positioning negative and positive integers on the number line and recognizing that opposite signs indicate opposite locations in relation to 0. This task uses a number line to represent locations in relation to an amusement park ticket office. Students first complete a number line, and then are presented with a list describing which rides and vendors must be placed at opposite locations while meeting other location conditions. The directions lead students to make connections between location and distance and to cement the understanding that opposite integers are equidistant from 0. The mathematical concepts in this build toward students’ future work with magnitude and absolute value and finding distances between points on the coordinate plane. Vocabulary: opposite, negative, positive, integer, distance