Georgia 6.NR.3.3
The Standard
Recognize and explain that opposite signs of integers indicate locations on opposite sides of zero on the number line; recognize and explain that the opposite of the opposite of a number is the number itself.
Georgia's K-12 Mathematics Standards · Solve a variety of problems involving whole numbers and their opposites; model rational numbers on a number line to describe problems presented in relevant, mathematical situations.
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students locate positive and negative integers on opposite sides of zero and compare their distances from zero. They find an integer’s opposite and determine what happens when taking the opposite twice.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can plot 7 and −7 at equal distances from zero on opposite sides. The student can state that the opposite of −7 is 7 and that −(−7) equals −7.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think a negative number is always smaller in distance from zero than a positive number. They may read the negative sign only as subtraction. Some also think the opposite of the opposite stays negative.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: Plot −6 and its opposite on a number line, then simplify −(−6). Write one sentence explaining both answers.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Make a floor number line with tape, then have students stand at an integer and move to its opposite.
Ask students to explain why −(−9) equals 9 using a labeled number line and a complete sentence.
Play a card-matching game where students pair each integer with its opposite and sort double-opposite expressions by value.
Compare temperatures 6 degrees above and below zero, then plot both and describe their relationship to zero.
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Printable 6.NR.3.3 Worksheet
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Related Standards
- 6.NR.3.1
Identify and compare integers and explain the meaning of zero based on multiple authentic situations.
- 6.NR.3
Solve a variety of problems involving whole numbers and their opposites; model rational numbers on a number line to describe problems presented in relevant, mat...
- 6.NR.3.2
Order and plot integers on a number line and use distance from zero to discover the connection between integers and their opposites.
- 7.NR.1.1
Show that a number and its opposite have a sum of 0 (are additive inverses). Describe situations in which opposite quantities combine to make 0.
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