Ordering numbers, decimals and negatives – Year 8 maths lesson
Lesson 1 of 35 in the Year 8 maths course
UK version. UK school years, UK spelling and pounds (£). · US Math Department
A complete 45-minute lesson for Year 8 (ages 12–13) that runs on this page – at school or at home. Every answer is marked straight away, with a worked explanation.
- Time
- 45 minutes + 20 min homework
- Year
- Year 8 (ages 12–13)
- 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: “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
We are learning to 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 | 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
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 marked instantly.
More practice
More Year 8 maths lessons
- Calculating with negative numbers
- Prime factors, HCF and LCM
- Rounding and estimation
- Powers and roots
- Written methods with decimals
- BIDMAS: order of operations
- Calculating with fractions
- Units and measures
- Area of triangles, parallelograms and trapeziums
- Circles: circumference, area, arcs and sectors
- Angle facts and parallel lines
- Angles in polygons
- Transformations
- Quadrilaterals and symmetry
- Constructions and loci
- Averages and range
- Scatter graphs and correlation
- Probability
- Relative frequency and expected outcomes
- Algebraic notation
- Substitution
- Simplifying expressions
- Expanding brackets
- Solving linear equations
- Sequences and the nth term
- Straight-line graphs
- Graphs of functions
- Ratio
- One quantity as a fraction or percentage of another
- Percentages
- Direct and inverse proportion
- Speed, density and pressure
- Best buys and exchange rates
- Scale drawings and maps
Curriculum
National Curriculum for England, Year 8: “order positive and negative integers, decimals and fractions; use the number line as a model for ordering of the real numbers; use the symbols =, ≠, <, >, ≤, ≥”
GCSE subject content N1: “order positive and negative integers, decimals and fractions; use the symbols =, ≠, <, >, ≤, ≥”
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Our lessons and questions are our own. They are not written or endorsed by any government department, testing agency or exam board.