Integers and absolute value – Grade 6 math lesson
Lesson 11 of 26 in the Grade 6 math course
US version. US grades, US spelling and dollars ($). · UK Maths Department
A complete 45-minute lesson for grade 6 (ages 11–12) that runs on this page – at school or at home. Every answer is graded right away, with a worked explanation.
- Time
- 45 minutes + 20 min homework
- Grade
- Grade 6 (ages 11–12)
- You need
- Paper, a pencil and this page
- Graded
- Instantly, with explanations
For parents: how to use this lesson
You don't need to know this topic yourself. The lesson explains each step on screen, one tidy step at a time. Every answer is graded straight away with a worked explanation, so you never have to grade anything.
- Read what your child will learn and the big ideas together.
- Press Start the lesson below and sit with your child for the teaching and the worked examples (about 19 minutes).
- Let them do the practice on their own. They choose Getting started, On track or Challenge – start on On track and move up after a few right in a row.
- Finish with the exit ticket and the talk question: “Which is greater, −0.5 or −0.45? Explain using a number line.”
- Later that day or the next day: the homework (20 minutes), then a practice test.
Watch out for
- Thinking −9 is greater than −3 because 9 > 3. Picture the number line: −9 is further left, so it is smaller.
- Thinking 0.45 > 0.5 because 45 > 5. Write 0.5 as 0.50 and compare tenths first.
Tip for home: Compare temperatures around the world or bank balances in and out of credit.
What your child will learn
Learning goal: order integers, decimals and negative numbers and use the symbols <, >, ≤ and ≥.
Success looks like
- I can order positive and negative numbers.
- I can order decimals.
- I can use inequality symbols correctly.
Key words
- integer
- a whole number, positive, negative or zero
- absolute value
- the distance from zero
- inequality symbol
- <, >, ≤ or ≥
- ascending
- from smallest to largest
What to have ready
- Paper and a pencil
- This page on a computer, tablet or phone
- For the hands-on part: Draw a number line from −10 to 10 and place cards with integers and decimals on it.
The big ideas (for the adult)
Place every number on a number line: numbers further right are greater. −2 is greater than −7.
To order decimals, line up the decimal points and compare place by place from the left.
The absolute value of a number is its distance from zero, so |−6| = 6. The symbols ≤ and ≥ mean "less than or equal to" and "greater than or equal to".
The lesson, step by step
| Part | Time | How it is checked |
|---|---|---|
| Starter: quick recall | 5 min | Graded by Classfern |
| Teaching input | 10 min | Not assessed, self-checked |
| Worked examples and guided practice | 9 min | Not assessed, graded by Classfern |
| Independent practice | 15 min | Graded by Classfern |
| Closure and exit ticket | 6 min | Graded by Classfern, self-checked |
Starter, "your turn", practice and exit ticket are graded by Classfern. Worked examples and teaching are not assessed. The hands-on task and the reflection are self-assessed. Explanations in talk are judged by the parent and not recorded.
The lesson
It runs here on the page. No sign-up and no names – progress is kept only in this browser.
Homework and practice at home
20 minutes: 10 practice questions, 3 multiple-choice questions and 2 to remember from earlier work, then a short reflection. New questions every time, all graded instantly.
More practice
More Grade 6 math lessons
- Solving word problems
- Fractions, decimals and percentages
- Ratios
- One quantity as a fraction or percentage of another
- Percent
- Proportional relationships
- Rates and unit rates
- Unit prices and best buys
- Converting units
- Negative numbers and temperature
- Operations with multi-digit decimals
- Operations with fractions
- Greatest common factor and least common multiple
- Square and cube numbers
- Writing expressions
- Evaluating expressions
- Simplifying expressions
- Solving equations
- Inequalities
- Writing equations for situations
- 3-D shapes and nets
- Coordinates
- Volume and surface area
- Mean, median and mode
- Box plots and interquartile range
Curriculum
Common Core State Standards 6.NS.C.7.c: “Understand the absolute value of a rational number as its distance from 0 on the number line; interpret absolute value as magnitude for a positive or negative quantity in a real-world situation. For example, for an account balance of -30 dollars, write |-30| = 30 to describe the size of the debt in dollars.”
Common Core State Standards 6.NS.C.5: “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.”
Our lessons and questions are our own. They are not written or endorsed by any government department, testing agency or exam board.