How to Teach Fifth Graders to Make a Number Line
Every point on a number line shows a real number and every number becomes a point on that line. Number lines with arrows continue forever in each direction. Fifth grade math includes teaching the number line as a standard set-up to negative and positive integers in mathematics. Positive numbers go after the zero on the right part of the line, whereas negative numbers fall before the zero on the left side. Various videos, word problems and lesson plans exist to teach number lines to fifth-graders. Here is a simple way to teach the number line to your students.
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Instructions
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Give students a number line worksheet. Have students fill in the missing numbers in the number line, gradually increasing the level of difficulty. For instance, start with a number line that lists whole numbers from 1 to 6, then have the numbers list from -6 to 0 to 6.
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Hand out rulers to each fifth-grader or have the students work in pairs if you do not have enough rulers. Ask them to create different lines on a blank sheet of paper based on a list of numbers.
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Ask students to label their sheet of paper from 1 to 3 with enough space to make three different number lines. Then from the board, show them how to draw three straight lines with their ruler under each number.
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Ask your fifth-graders to place arrows on each end of the first problem's number line. From the board, show them how to evenly space marks for 11 numbers. Start with -5 and tick off to 0, then mark 1 to 5 on the other side of the 0.
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5
Show students for the second problem how to do a closed number line from -5 to 5. For this number line, students place a circle instead of arrows at each end of the line to show that this number line is a closed number line, not continuous. Follow the same marking off for numbering the line.
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Tell students to create their own number line for problem 3. The number line needs to have 11 marks with 11 integers and span from negative to positive numbers. They can make the number line either closed or continuous.
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References
- Photo Credit Numbers image by paul hampton from Fotolia.com
