Lesson Title: Positive and Negative Numbers
Date: _____________ Teacher(s): ____________________
Course: Common Core 6
Start/end times: _________________________
Lesson Objective(s): What mathematical skill(s) and understanding(s) will be developed?
6.NS.5 Understand that positive and negative numbers are used together to describe quantities having opposite
directions or values; use positive and negative numbers to represent quantities in real-world contexts, explaining the
meaning of 0 in each situation.
Lesson Launch Notes: Exactly how will you use the
first five minutes of the lesson?
As students come in, hand each student a post-it note
with examples of positive and negative integers and
non-integers. Once students are sitting at their desks,
explain the rules of the “I’m going to a party…” game.
Lesson Closure Notes: Exactly what summary activity,
questions, and discussion will close the lesson and provide
a foreshadowing of tomorrow? List the questions.
What are the numbers that can be represented on a number
line?
What role does zero play on a number line?
Think about your daily routine. What can be represented
from your day on a number line? Minutes brushing teeth?
Amount of calories consumed/burned? Number of classes
attended? Amount of money spent?
Can we only represent integers on a number line? Nonintegers? Repeating decimals?
Lesson Tasks, Problems, and Activities (attach resource sheets): What specific activities, investigations,
problems, questions, or tasks will students be working on during the lesson?
1. Lesson Launch- This will serve as a starter, and have students wondering why they received a number as they
walked into the class. This part of the lesson will also define the rules of the introductory game: “I’m going to a
party…”
2. Play introductory game. As students enter class, the teacher should have two columns written on the board:
“Yes” and “No.” Explain to students that you are going to a party, and you would like to know if anyone else
wants to join you. Say “In order to go to the party, you have to have a specific type of number. Are there any
students who have a number and would like to know whether or not they can attend the party?” At this point,
students should be raising their hands. Call on students. If a student has an example of an integer, tell the
student that he/she can attend the party, and place the integer under the “Yes” column. If a student is holding an
example of a non-integer number, politely apologize, and tell the student to place the post-it under the “No”
column. Fill both columns with the remaining post-it notes. Once everyone has placed his/her post-it notes on
the board, ask the students, “Why can some people attend the party, and some people cannot? What do you
notice about the numbers under the “Yes” column, and the numbers under the “No” column? How are they
alike? How are they different? Does anyone know what type of numbers these are? (Integers). If these are
Integers, what are these? (non-integers, or not integers)” [UDL I:1,2,3]
3. Review purpose of a number line (to represent positive and negative numbers, both integers and non-integers).
[UDL I:3]
4. Introduction of Task- Have students get into groups of 3 or 4 students. Distribute Contest Winner Number Lines
and Contest Winner to the students. Have students read Contest Winner and work together to fill in blank
number lines on the resource sheet. Bring class together for a whole group discussion, and for students to
display number lines underneath the document camera, or display number lines and have students engage in a
gallery walk. As students view number lines, ask: “How are the representations similar? How are they
different? What role does zero play on a number line?” [UDL I:2]
Evidence of Success: What exactly do I expect students to be able to do by the end of the lesson, and how will I
measure student mastery? That is, deliberate consideration of what performances will convince you (and any outside
HCPSS Secondary Mathematics Office (v2); adapted from: Leinwand, S. (2009). Accessible mathematics: 10 instructional shifts that raise student
achievement. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Lesson Title: Positive and Negative Numbers
Course: Common Core 6
Date: _____________ Teacher(s): ____________________
Start/end times: _________________________
observer) that your students have developed a deepened (and conceptual) understanding.
Students will be able to represent positive and negative values on a number line and be able to engage in a
conversation that questions the values graphed on a number line.
Students will be able to discuss how real-world contexts can be displayed on number lines.
The teacher will measure understanding from class discussion and closure.
Notes and Nuances: Vocabulary, connections, common mistakes, typical misconceptions, etc.
A negative value may have a “larger” number, but is not larger than a positive number, or any number to the right of
it on a number line.
Connection: Negative numbers are decreasing in value as they move from left to right on a number line.
Number lines can be written both horizontally and vertically.
Resources: What materials or resources are essential
for students to successfully complete the lesson tasks or
activities?
Homework: Exactly what follow-up homework tasks,
problems, and/or exercises will be assigned upon the
completion of the lesson?
Contest Winner resource sheet
Contest Winner Number Lines resource sheet
Create your own real-world scenario of positive and
negative values being used. Represent these values on a
number line.
Lesson Reflections: What questions, connected to the lesson objectives and evidence of success, will you use to
reflect on the effectiveness of this lesson?
From this activity and discussion, will my students be able to graph positive and negative values on a number line?
Will students be able to tell the difference between a value of -90 and a value of -9?
HCPSS Secondary Mathematics Office (v2); adapted from: Leinwand, S. (2009). Accessible mathematics: 10 instructional shifts that raise student
achievement. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.