Curriculum › Math ›Grade 5

Grade 5 Math · Level 5, Patterns & Percents

Integers, Opposites & Negation

How the lesson starts: Integers, Opposites & Negation

1. Captain Zara dives

   Ahoy! Captain Zara drives a little yellow submarine. The top of the sea is zero. Gus the seagull flies above the water, and Zara dives below it. Below the water we need numbers less than zero: negative numbers!

2. The integer line

   Here's a number line for the sea. Zero is sea level. Numbers to the right are positive, like 4, where Gus flies. Numbers left of zero are negative, like −3, where Zara's submarine is. −3 means 3 steps below zero.

3. Opposites

   Opposites are the same distance from zero, on opposite sides. 5 and −5 are opposites: each is 5 steps from zero. So the opposite of 7 is −7, and the opposite of −7 is 7. Watch out: the opposite of a negative is positive!