Maryland Math 6.NOS.C.7
Standard Cluster
Intersect perpendicular number lines at the point (0,0) as the x-axis and y-axis to introduce the four quadrants of the Coordinate Plane. Represent points on the plane with positive and negative coordinates. Use understanding of the relationship between signs and value of coordinates in ordered pairs to reason about the location of an ordered pair without plotting. Locate and interpret the positions of rational numbers on the Coordinate Plane, including how changes in the signs of ordered pairs reflect their location into different quadrants.
Maryland College and Career Ready Standards for Mathematics (2025) · APPLY AND EXTEND PREVIOUS UNDERSTANDING OF NUMBERS TO THE SYSTEM OF RATIONAL NUMBERS.
Cluster contents
Standards in This Cluster
6.NOS.C.7 is a cluster heading. These are the individual standards under it.
- 6.NOS.C.7.a
Use understanding of the relationship between signs and value of coordinates in ordered pairs to reason about the location of an ordered pair without plotting.
- 6.NOS.C.7.b
Locate and interpret the positions of rational numbers on the Coordinate Plane, including how changes in the signs of ordered pairs reflect their location into ...
Teacher's field guide
What This Cluster Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students make a coordinate plane from two number lines crossing at zero. They plot positive and negative rational numbers, then use coordinate signs to predict a point’s quadrant without plotting it.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student plots (-1.5, 2) by moving left 1.5 and up 2, and names quadrant II. They know that changing the first coordinate to 1.5 reflects the point across the y-axis into quadrant I.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may swap the x- and y-coordinates or move right for a negative x-coordinate. They may put (0, 2) in a quadrant instead of on the y-axis.
How to Assess It
- Plot (-1.5, 2). Without plotting (1.5, 2), name its quadrant and the axis that reflects the first point onto it.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Tape two number lines on the floor, mark half-unit ticks, and have students place cards for (-1.5, 2) and (1.5, 2).
Ask: Without plotting, how does changing (-2, 1.5) to (2, 1.5) change its quadrant, and why?
Play quadrant bingo: call pairs like (-3/2, 2) and (0, -2), then have students mark the matching quadrant or axis.
On a mock town map with school at (0, 0), mark a library 1.5 miles west and 2 miles north, then write its coordinates.
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Related Standards
- 5.GR.D.6
Define the coordinate system as a pair of perpendicular lines called axes that intersect at the origin. Use understanding that the coordinate values represent t...
- 6.NOS.C.9
Solve problems in context by graphing points (with the same first coordinate or the same second coordinate) in all four quadrants of the Coordinate Plane.
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