Montana Math MT.6.NS.8
The Standard
Graph points in all four quadrants of the coordinate plane and include the use of coordinates and absolute value to find distances between points with the same first coordinate or the same second coordinate. This standard should incorporate cultural context relating to Montana Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
2026 Montana Mathematics Content Standards
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students plot points in all four quadrants. They find the distance between points on the same row or column by taking the absolute value of the difference between the changing coordinates.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student plots (−3, 4) and (−3, −2) in the correct places and finds a distance of 6 units. They show |4 − (−2)| = 6 and explain why distance cannot be negative.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may swap the first and second coordinates or move the wrong way for a negative number. Some subtract absolute values first, giving 2 instead of 6 for 4 and −2. Others count grid lines instead of spaces.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: Plot (−4, 3), (−4, −2), and (2, −2). Find the distance between each pair on the same row or column, and show your absolute value calculations.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Tape axes on the floor, have students stand at plotted points in all four quadrants, and count spaces between students on one row or column.
Ask: Why can subtracting coordinates give a negative result when the distance cannot? Use (−4, 1) and (3, 1).
Give partners coordinate cards to plot, then have them match cards on the same row or column and calculate each distance.
Grid a Flathead Reservation map, mark Pablo, home to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes government, then measure to a point on the same row.
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