Teaching ideas
This link displays the Getting started from page 43 for students to discuss.
You could extend the discussion by asking students to find out other information about record low temperatures and bring them or send the links via email to school for discussion.
- Post it note brainstorm
Ask students to brainstorm silently all the places that negative numbers are used in real life.
Ask them to pair up and share and then form groups of 4.
Each group shares this with the class. Examples might be water levels in a well, oil levels at an oil refinery, distance above or below ground of a drilling rig, distances into a mine, a company's profit and loss sheets, a bank statement.
Teacher notes
Recognising integers in real life contexts is important in understanding how to manipulate the numbers later.
Teaching ideas
The link displays a picture of an underground railway in a mine with positive and negative numbers along a scale. You could ask students questions about the picture and where things are on the scale.
Teacher notes
- Understanding where integers lie on a number line or other scale helps when adding and subtracting integers.
- Point out the balance of the number line to students.
Teaching ideas
This link displays instructions for the game of ladders. Students draw a ladder with five spaces. Temperatures are called out and must be placed on the ladder in order. The first person to get five temperatures in order is the winner. Once a temperature is written on the ladder it cannot be removed.
Teacher notes
Some students have difficulty understanding that ‾20 is smaller than ‾10 for example. Keep referring back to temperatures and pointing out that ‾20ºC is a lower temperature than ‾10ºC or if you lost $20 you would have less money than if you lost $10.
Teaching ideas
You could use the discussion on page 51 to discuss that the operation signs + and – differ from the starting amount which will be either positive or negative and also the amount that is being added or subtracted which will also be either positive or negative.
This link displays some thermometers. Ask students what they need to do to get back to 0º C.
Example To get from ‾3ºC to 0ºC you need to add +3ºC
To balance +2ºC you need to either subtract +2ºC
Teacher notes
- Encourage students to use or imagine a number line or use balancing if they are having difficulty.
Getting started (Getting started sheet 2)
