Unit Plan 10 (Grade 6 Math): Integers in the Wild—Opposites & Absolute Value
6th graders represent real-world quantities with positive and negative numbers, interpret absolute value as distance from zero, and compare integers on number lines. They explain differences between order and magnitude using clear, contextual reasoning and precise inequality statements.
Focus: Represent quantities with positive/negative numbers; compare/order; interpret absolute value in context.
Grade Level: 6
Subject Area: Mathematics (Number System • Integers & Absolute Value)
Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 45–60 minutes per session
I. Introduction
Students use integers to model real situations with direction and change (temperature above/below 0, elevation relative to sea level, bank gains/losses). They explore opposites on a number line and develop a clear sense of absolute value as distance from zero (magnitude). They then compare and order integers, write and interpret inequalities, and explain the difference between order (value) and absolute value (magnitude).
Essential Questions
- How do positive and negative numbers describe opposite directions or opposite effects in the real world?
- What does absolute value tell me about a number in context?
- How can I accurately compare and order integers and explain my comparisons?
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to…
- Represent real-world situations using positive and negative numbers and identify opposites on a number line.
- Explain and use absolute value as the distance from 0, and interpret it as magnitude in context (for example, size of a debt or drop in temperature).
- Compare and order integers and write inequality statements that match number line positions and real situations.
- Distinguish between statements about order (value) and statements about absolute value (magnitude).
- Communicate solutions with precise language, units, and context-based reasoning.
Standards Alignment — CCSS Grade 6
- 6.NS.5: Understand that positive and negative numbers are used together to describe quantities having opposite directions or values; use integers on a number line diagram.
- 6.NS.7a–d:
- (a) Interpret statements of inequality as statements about the relative position of two numbers on a number line.
- (b) Write, interpret, and explain statements of order for rational numbers in real-world contexts.
- (c) Understand absolute value as magnitude for a positive or negative quantity in a real-world situation; interpret absolute value in context.
- (d) Distinguish comparisons of absolute value from statements about order.
- Mathematical Practices: MP.1 (make sense), MP.2 (quantitative reasoning), MP.3 (justify), MP.4 (model), MP.5 (tools), MP.6 (precision), MP.7 (structure).
Success Criteria — Student Language
- I can place positive and negative numbers—and their opposites—on a number line.
- I can explain absolute value as how far from 0 and use it to talk about magnitude in real life.
- I can use >, <, = correctly and explain what my inequality means in the situation.
- I can tell the difference between “which is greater” and “which has greater absolute value.”
- I can write a clear sentence with units that matches my comparison or conclusion.