Max Maths, Year 5, Work Book, Calculating a rise or fall in temperature

The Max Maths workbook for Year 5 includes a section on understanding positive and negative numbers through the context of temperature changes. Practice 4 engages students with a series of exercises designed to develop their comprehension of how numbers represent temperature on a thermometer and how to distinguish between rises and falls in temperature. The first task requires students to place various temperatures, both positive and negative, onto the correct position on a thermometer scale, enhancing their ability to visualize and compare temperatures.

The workbook continues with exercises that help students use comparative language to describe temperature differences. They must choose the appropriate term—'warmer' or 'cooler'—to complete sentences comparing two temperatures. This is followed by a set of problems where students calculate the difference in temperature, identifying whether it is a 'fall' or a 'rise' and stating the number of degrees involved. Additionally, students are tasked with plotting specific positive and negative numbers onto a number line, reinforcing their understanding of the numerical order of temperatures. Finally, students are encouraged to critically analyze statements comparing temperatures, circling those that are correct, which serves to solidify their grasp of the relationship between positive and negative values in a real-world context.