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Negative Numbers Year 5

Teach your Year 5 class about negative numbers with these three ready-to-teach lessons. In the first lesson, children use their growing knowledge and understanding to compare and order negative numbers. In the second lesson, children will explore negative numbers in the context of temperature, using line graphs to ask and answer questions about the average low and high temperatures for several different cities worldwide. In the third lesson, your class will practise adding and subtracting resulting in negative numbers in the context of bank account overdrafts.

Each of these Negative Numbers Year 5 Maths lessons includes:

  • a detailed lesson plan with differentiated activities
  • a slideshow for the teaching input
  • a range of printable resources for independent learning activities
  • answer sheets were necessary

These lessons are part of our Positive and Negative Numbers scheme of work for Year 5.

Negative Numbers Year 5: Comparing and Ordering Lesson Pack

£2.99

Scroll through the pictures for a preview of the lesson's resources:

Negative Numbers Year 5 Comparing and Ordering slideshow example 1
Negative Numbers Year 5 Comparing and Ordering slideshow example 2
Negative Numbers Year 5 Comparing and Ordering slideshow example 3
Negative Numbers Year 5 Comparing and Ordering slideshow example 4
Negative Numbers Year 5 Comparing and Ordering slideshow example 5
Negative Numbers Year 5 Comparing and Ordering worksheet example 1
Negative Numbers Year 5 Comparing and Ordering worksheet example 2
Negative Numbers Year 5 Comparing and Ordering worksheet example 3
Negative Numbers Year 5 Comparing and Ordering worksheet example 4
Negative Numbers Year 5 Comparing and Ordering lesson plan example 1

Negative Numbers Year 5: Tricky Temperatures Lesson Pack

£2.99

Scroll through the pictures for a preview of the lesson's resources:

Negative Numbers Year 5 Tricky Temperatures slideshow example 1
Negative Numbers Year 5 Tricky Temperatures slideshow example 2
Negative Numbers Year 5 Tricky Temperatures slideshow example 3
Negative Numbers Year 5 Tricky Temperatures slideshow example 4
Negative Numbers Year 5 Tricky Temperatures slideshow example 5
Negative Numbers Year 5 Tricky Temperatures worksheet example 1
Negative Numbers Year 5 Tricky Temperatures worksheet example 2
Negative Numbers Year 5 Tricky Temperatures worksheet example 3
Negative Numbers Year 5 Tricky Temperatures lesson plan example 1

Negative Numbers Year 5: Adding and Subtracting Lesson Pack

£2.99

Scroll through the pictures for a preview of the lesson's resources:

Negative Numbers Year 5 Adding and Subtracting slideshow example 1
Negative Numbers Year 5 Adding and Subtracting slideshow example 2
Negative Numbers Year 5 Adding and Subtracting slideshow example 3
Negative Numbers Year 5 Adding and Subtracting slideshow example 4
Negative Numbers Year 5 Adding and Subtracting slideshow example 5
Negative Numbers Year 5 Adding and Subtracting worksheet example 1
Negative Numbers Year 5 Adding and Subtracting worksheet example 2
Negative Numbers Year 5 Adding and Subtracting worksheet example 3
Negative Numbers Year 5 Adding and Subtracting lesson plan example 1

Negative Numbers

What is a negative number?

A negative number is a number that is less than zero. A negative number is written with a minus sign before the digits, e.g. -3, -15, -121.

A number line showing negative and positive numbers

A number line showing negative and positive numbers

 

Ordering negative numbers

When you order negative numbers, the larger the number after the negative sign, the smaller the number actually is.

Look at the number line above – this shows that -6 is smaller than -1.

Zero, and any positive number, are always larger than a negative number.

Comparing negative numbers

Numbers can be compared using the greater than (>) or less than (<) signs.

For example, we can write:

-4 < -2       -8 > -11       5 > -5       -25 < -10

(The open part of the sign always faces the larger number.)

Adding and subtracting negative numbers

A number line can be used to help us add and subtract negative numbers.

 

  • Adding a negative number to a negative number (this always results in a negative number):

For example: -4 + -3 = -7

To add a negative number to a negative number, we move to the left on the number line.

Number line showing a negative number added to a negative number

 

  • Adding a positive number to a negative number:

For example: -2 + 6 = 4

To add a positive number to a negative number, we move to the right on the number line.

Number line showing a positive number added to a negative number

 

  • Subtracting a positive number from a positive number:

For example: 3 - 9 = -6

To subtract a positive number from a positive number, we move to the left on the number line.

Number line showing a positive number subtracted from a positive number

 

  • Subtracting a positive number from a negative number:

For example: -5 - 4 = -9

To subtract a positive number from a negative number, we again move to the left on the number line.

Number line showing a positive number subtracted from a negative number

 

  • Subtracting a negative number from a positive number:

For example: 6 - -2 = 8

To subtract a negative number from a positive number, we move to the right on the number line.

Number line showing a negative number subtracted from a positive number

 

  • Subtracting a negative number from a negative number:

For example: -4 - -6 = 2

To subtract a negative number from a negative number, we again move to the right on the number line.

Number line showing a negative number subtracted from a negative number

 

When should children learn about negative numbers?

According to the National Curriculum Maths objectives, children start to learn about negative numbers in KS2. It is assigned as compulsory learning in the 'Number - number and place value' strand of learning.

In Year 4, children should be taught to:

  • count backwards through zero to include negative numbers

In Year 5, children should be taught to:

  • interpret negative numbers in context, count forwards and backwards with positive and negative whole numbers, including through zero
  • solve number and practical problems that involve (all of) the above.

In Year 6, children should be taught to:

  • use negative numbers in context, and calculate intervals across zero
  • solve number and practical problems that involve (all of) the above.