Maths Library

Negative Numbers: Grade 6 math

Students explore the concept of negative numbers including ordering, comparing, and interpreting them in real-world contexts. Practice covers temperature changes, elevation, and plotting directed numbers on number lines.

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What this covers

Negative Numbers is taught in Grade 6 (age 11 to 12) as a topic to introduce. It sits in the Number strand.

Worked example

The temperature is -3°C and falls by 5°C. What is the new temperature

  1. Start at -3 on the number line
  2. Move 5 units down: -3 - 5
  3. Reach -8

Answer: -8°C

Difficulty scale

The sheet generator offers five difficulty settings for this topic.

  1. Compare and order directed integers between -10 and 10
  2. Read values on vertical and horizontal number lines crossing zero
  3. Solve context problems involving temperature drops or rises across zero
  4. Calculate directed intervals between positive and negative values
  5. Compare and order negative decimals and fractions

Common mistakes

  • Believing -8 is greater than -3 because 8 is larger than 3
  • Assuming zero is a positive number

Curriculum links

Indicative matches to Common Core State Standards. Check wording and codes against the official document.

  • 6.NS.C.5 Understand that positive and negative numbers describe quantities having opposite directions or values.

Sample sheet and answers

Six questions at the level's usual difficulty. Open the editor to change, add or regenerate any of them.

Negative Numbers

Grade 6 math

Qs
6
Marks
6
NameDateScore / 6
1.
The temperature is −1°C. It falls by 3 degrees. What is the new temperature?
[1]
2.
Put these in order, smallest first: −7, −3, 9, 2
[1]
3.
How many degrees are there from −1°C up to 1°C?
[1]
4.
How many degrees are there from −8°C up to 6°C?
[1]
5.
Put these in order, smallest first: 8, −6, −7, 6
[1]
6.
How many degrees are there from −8°C up to 8°C?
[1]

Answer key

  1. −4°CFalling means subtracting: −1 − 3 = −4
  2. −7, −3, 2, 9Negative numbers get smaller as the digits get larger; −7, −3, 2, 9
  3. 21 to zero, then zero to 1; 1 + 1 = 2
  4. 148 to zero, then zero to 6; 8 + 6 = 14
  5. −7, −6, 6, 8Negative numbers get smaller as the digits get larger; −7, −6, 6, 8
  6. 168 to zero, then zero to 8; 8 + 8 = 16