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Represent Whole Numbers on a Number Line

Students place whole numbers on a number line by treating each interval as a unit of length. Students understand that numbers are represented as distances from 0 and that points are equally spaced.

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Represent Whole Numbers on a Number Line

Grade 2 · Length and the Number Line · question 1 of 3

0 of 12

12 rungs. A star at the top.

0510H

What number is H?

How it is taught

0:00 of 3:04

A number line puts whole numbers on equally spaced marks.

A move left subtracts; a move right adds.

−1405101520

Read it: Find what each tick counts

This line goes from 0 to 50. From 0 to 10 is 2 spaces, so each tick is 5. A is 35.

  1. Read two labels side by side.
  2. Count the spaces between them to find what each tick counts.
  3. Count from the nearest label to the point.

The labels skip some ticks, so a tick is not always 1.

2 spaces make 10, so 1 space is 5.

From 20 to 25 is 5 spaces, so there each tick is 1.

Find what each tick counts first. Then count from a label.

Counting each tick as 1 and saying A is 32.

Each tick is 5 here: 30, then 35. A is 35.

Count by 10s: 40, 50, 60, ___ — 70. Each count is 10 more: 60 and 10 more is 70.

Place 6 on a number line from 0 to 10

A number line is like a tiny ruler. Today we'll find where the number six lives on it.

First, we draw a straight line and mark zero on the left and ten on the right.

The space between every number must be exactly the same — like equal hops.

So we make ten equal jumps from zero to ten.

Now we label each tick: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine.

To find six, we start at zero and count six hops to the right.

One, two, three, four, five, six. We landed right here!

Where does 6 live on the number line?Numbers are distances from 0Place 6 on the number line010Every space is the same size010010010123456789Start at 0 — count 6 hops →66 units from 0POSITION66 units from 0010123456789
Grade 2 · Numbers as distances from zero

We drop a dot to mark the spot where six lives.

Six is six units away from zero — that distance is what the number means.

Great job! The number six sits exactly six equal spaces from zero on the number line.

What you see

While they climb, your page writes one true line to ask about tonight, and a short note each Sunday.

MayaGrade 3 · Mathematics
Did you know?

A chessboard has 64 squares — share them out between the 8 rows and each row holds exactly 8.

Today’s goal
1 star — one skill mastered, every rung of its ladder climbed
Climbing now
Divide within 100

An example student.

MayaGrade 3 · Mathematics

Maya earned 2 stars this week — Interpret multiplication as equal groups, which took 6 answers over 3 days before its star landed 3 days ago and Multiply by 6, 7, 8 and 9. Next up: Divide within 100.

An example week.

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