Same Math › Grades 6–7 › Integers on a number line
How do kids add integers on a number line?
On a number line, adding a positive number moves right and adding a negative number moves left. 2 − 5 means start at 2 and move 5 to the left, landing on −3. It turns sign rules into directions kids can see.
- Start at the first number.
- Move right to add, left to subtract.
- Where you land is the answer.
Why schools teach it
It makes negative numbers real
Sixth graders place negative numbers on a number line (6.NS.C.6), and seventh graders add and subtract them as distances and directions (7.NS.A.1b). Temperatures, elevations and bank balances all work the same way.
Subtracting a negative means turning around: 3 − (−2) moves right, the same as 3 + 2. Seeing the moves helps kids understand why.
At the kitchen table
What to say, and what to skip
Say this
Where do you start?
Which way do you move, left or right?
How far do you move?
Where did you land?
Skip this
Bigger number minus smaller number.
2 − 5 isn't 3. Direction matters.- Counting the starting tick as a step.Count the jumps between ticks, not the ticks.
Negatives are just backwards.
They're values less than zero, like temperatures below freezing.
See it in action
Working out −4 + 7
Start at −4
Adding a positive: move right 7
−4 → −3 → ... → 3Read where you land
−4 + 7 = 3
A thermometer is a vertical number line. “It's −4° and warms up 7°” is the same problem.
Free practice sheet
Make an integer number line sheet
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Parents also ask
Why is subtracting a negative like adding?
Taking away a debt leaves you better off. On the line, subtracting means turning around, and a negative turns you around again.
Should the number line be horizontal or vertical?
Either. Vertical ones, like thermometers, help some kids.
When do kids stop drawing it?
Once they can picture the moves, usually after a few weeks.
Is this the same as the open number line from earlier grades?
Same idea, now with numbers below zero.