Wyoming Math 6.NS.8
The Standard
Solve real-world and mathematical problems by graphing points in all four quadrants of the coordinate plane. Find distances between points with the same first coordinate or the same second coordinate; relate absolute value and distance.
2023 Wyoming Mathematics Content and Performance Standards · Apply and extend previous understandings of numbers to the system of rational numbers.
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students plot ordered pairs with positive and negative coordinates in all four quadrants. They find distances along horizontal and vertical lines using the absolute value of the difference between coordinates.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student plots (-3, 4) and (-3, -2) correctly and finds that they are 6 units apart. They can explain why distance is positive even when a coordinate is negative.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may swap x and y or plot (-3, 4) in the wrong quadrant. They may give a negative distance or count grid lines instead of spaces.
How to Assess It
- On a coordinate grid, plot A(-4, 2), B(3, 2), C(-4, -3), and D(3, -3). Find AB and AC, and show each distance using absolute value.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Tape axes on the floor; have students stand at ordered pairs in each quadrant and count steps between points sharing one coordinate.
Ask partners to write two sentences explaining why the distance from (-4, 2) to (3, 2) is 7, not -7.
Hand out coordinate cards; partners pair cards with a shared x or y, then calculate and check each distance.
On a town map grid, place a park at (-3, 2) and a school at (4, 2), then find the distance in blocks.
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