Number lines – Year 2 maths lesson
Lesson 5 of 16 in the Year 2 maths course
UK version. UK school years, UK spelling and pounds (£). · US Math Department
A complete 45-minute lesson for Year 2 (ages 6–7) that runs on this page – at school or at home. Every answer is marked straight away, with a worked explanation.
- Time
- 45 minutes + 15 min homework
- Year
- Year 2 (ages 6–7)
- You need
- Paper, a pencil and this page
- Marked
- 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 marked straight away with a worked explanation, so you never have to mark 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: “How did you work out what each small step was worth?”
- Later that day or the next day: the homework (15 minutes), then a practice test.
Watch out for
- Counting the marks instead of the jumps. Count the gaps between marks, not the marks themselves.
- Assuming every step is worth 1. Check the labels: the steps might be 2, 5 or 10.
Tip for home: Use a ruler or tape measure as a number line and find numbers on it.
What your child will learn
We are learning to read, mark and estimate numbers on a number line.
Success looks like
- I can work out what each step is worth.
- I can read a marked number.
- I can estimate where a number goes.
Key words
- number line
- a line with numbers marked in order
- interval
- the gap between two marks
- estimate
- a careful guess
- halfway
- exactly in the middle
What to have ready
- Paper and a pencil
- This page on a computer, tablet or phone
- For the hands-on part: Draw a long number line on paper or with chalk. Mark 0 and 100, then halfway, then guess where other numbers go. No number lines? A tape measure works as a number line too.
The big ideas (for the adult)
A number line shows numbers in order with equal gaps. First find what each small step is worth.
To work out a step, take the gap between two labelled numbers and divide by the number of jumps.
To estimate, find the halfway point and decide which end the number is nearer to.
The lesson, step by step
| Part | Time | How it is checked |
|---|---|---|
| Starter: quick recall | 5 min | Marked by Classfern |
| Teaching input | 10 min | Not assessed, self-checked |
| Worked examples and guided practice | 9 min | Not assessed, marked by Classfern |
| Independent practice | 15 min | Marked by Classfern |
| Plenary and exit ticket | 6 min | Marked by Classfern, self-checked |
Starter, "your turn", practice and exit ticket are marked 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
15 minutes: 8 practice questions, 3 multiple-choice questions and 2 to remember from earlier work, then a short reflection. New questions every time, all marked instantly.
More practice
More Year 2 maths lessons
- Counting in 2s, 5s and 10s
- Tens and ones
- Numbers in words
- Comparing numbers
- Number bonds to 10 and 20
- Adding and subtracting
- The equals sign and missing numbers
- Adding and subtracting word problems
- Multiplication and division
- Recognising fractions
- Counting money
- Telling the time
- Measuring length, mass and capacity
- Shapes, position and turns
- Tally charts, pictograms and block diagrams
Curriculum
National Curriculum for England, Year 2: “identify, represent and estimate numbers using different representations, including the number line”
National Curriculum for England, Year 2: “identify, represent and estimate numbers using different representations”
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Our lessons and questions are our own. They are not written or endorsed by any government department, testing agency or exam board.