Unit 13 · Integers
Integers
Mathematics · Grade 7
What You Will Be Able To Do
↔️Compare integers correctly, including two negatives
➕Add and subtract integers by moving along the number line
✖️Multiply and divide them, and say why two negatives give a positive
🌡️Use them in real situations: temperature, debt, depth below sea level
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The minus sign is not saying something is wrong. It is saying which side of zero you are on, and zero is the agreed starting point, not the smallest possible value.
Presenter notes: Open by asking whether zero is the smallest number there is. Most of the class will say yes, because every number they have ever counted has been zero or above. Then ask for the temperature in Jumla on a January night, or what floor a basement car park is on, or what happens to a bank balance when somebody spends more than they have. Each answer needs a number below zero. The line does not stop at zero, and today it gets extended.