Max Maths, Year 5, Learn together, Positive and negative numbers on number lines

In the Max Maths Year 5 curriculum, students explore the concept of positive and negative numbers using number lines as a visual aid. The number line presented to the learners includes a sequence of integers from -10 to 10, demonstrating how numbers are positioned relative to zero. This visual representation helps to clarify that numbers to the left of zero are negative and those to the right are positive, establishing a foundation for understanding the numerical value in relation to zero.

Through an interactive exercise, students are encouraged to verbalise the numbers ranging from -20 degrees to +20 degrees, practising counting upwards from zero to positive numbers and then downwards into negative numbers. This activity is designed to help students recognise the pattern and order of numbers on the line, noting that negative numbers represent values less than zero, while positive numbers signify values that are greater than zero. The lesson aims to cement the students' comprehension of how positive and negative numbers are ordered and how they relate to each other on a number line.