Hello Year 4! Today, we are going to learn about ordering numbers, including negative numbers. This is a fun and important skill that helps us understand how numbers work together. Let’s get started!

What Are Negative Numbers?

Negative numbers are numbers that are less than zero. You can think of them as numbers that go down below zero on a number line. For example, -1, -2, and -3 are all negative numbers.

The Number Line

Imagine a number line:

 ... -3  -2  -1  0  1  2  3 ...
  • To the left of zero are negative numbers.
  • To the right of zero are positive numbers.

Ordering Numbers

When we order numbers, we arrange them from the smallest to the largest. Let’s see how we do this with negative numbers.

Key Rules for Ordering

  1. Zero is Always Greater: Zero (0) is greater than all negative numbers. So, for example, -1 is greater than -2.
  2. The Further Left, the Smaller: The more negative a number is, the smaller it is. For example, -3 is smaller than -1 because -3 is further to the left on the number line.
  3. Compare Positive and Negative: Positive numbers are always greater than negative numbers. For example, 1 is greater than -1.

Examples

  • Example 1: Order these numbers: -2, 3, -1, 0
    • First, we identify the smallest: -2, then -1, then 0, and finally 3.
    • Ordered: -2, -1, 0, 3
  • Example 2: Order these numbers: -5, -3, -7, 2
    • The smallest is -7, followed by -5, then -3, and lastly 2.
    • Ordered: -7, -5, -3, 2

Tips and Tricks

  • Draw a Number Line: When you’re unsure, drawing a number line can help you see where each number is located.
  • Use Real-Life Examples: Think about temperatures. If it’s -2 degrees, it’s warmer than -5 degrees!
  • Practice with Games: You can use card games or online quizzes to practice ordering numbers in a fun way!

Questions

Now it’s time for some practice! Try these questions to test your understanding.

Easy Level (20 Questions)

  1. Order: -1, -3, 0
  2. Order: -2, 1, -1
  3. Order: 2, 0, -2
  4. Order: -4, -2, -3
  5. Order: -5, -1, 2
  6. Order: 3, -2, -4
  7. Order: 1, -1, -3
  8. Order: -3, -2, -1, 0
  9. Order: -1, -5, -4
  10. Order: -2, -6, 0
  11. Order: -1, 2, -2
  12. Order: -4, 1, 0
  13. Order: -3, 2, -2
  14. Order: -5, -3, 1
  15. Order: -2, -4, -1
  16. Order: -1, -6, 4
  17. Order: -3, -5, 0
  18. Order: -2, 0, -1
  19. Order: 3, -1, -4
  20. Order: 0, -2, -3

Medium Level (20 Questions)

  1. Order: -4, -1, -3, 2
  2. Order: -6, 3, -2, -5
  3. Order: 1, -3, -1, 0
  4. Order: -5, -2, 0, 1
  5. Order: -1, -4, -2, 3
  6. Order: -7, -5, -9, 0
  7. Order: 2, -3, 4, -1
  8. Order: 5, -2, -6, -3
  9. Order: -8, 0, -7, -10
  10. Order: -1, -5, 4, -2
  11. Order: 0, -3, -6, 2
  12. Order: -2, -1, -5, 1
  13. Order: -4, 3, -3, -2
  14. Order: -1, 2, 0, -4
  15. Order: -3, -5, -1, 0
  16. Order: -6, 1, -2, -4
  17. Order: 3, -4, -5, -2
  18. Order: -7, -8, 1, 0
  19. Order: -3, 5, -1, -2
  20. Order: -2, -6, 4, 0

Hard Level (20 Questions)

  1. Order: -10, -7, -5, -3, 2
  2. Order: 4, -9, -2, -1, 3
  3. Order: -6, 5, -3, -8, 0
  4. Order: 1, -11, -7, -2, -5
  5. Order: 0, -12, -4, -10, 2
  6. Order: -15, -10, -20, -5, 0
  7. Order: 5, -5, 0, -10, -1
  8. Order: -2, -4, -6, -8, 3
  9. Order: -14, -7, -9, -3, 0
  10. Order: 6, -6, -12, -1, -8
  11. Order: -5, 7, -3, -4, -2
  12. Order: -11, -9, -10, 1, 0
  13. Order: -3, -12, -8, -5, -1
  14. Order: 9, -4, -7, -3, -2
  15. Order: -1, 2, -2, -10, -3
  16. Order: -6, 3, -5, -8, -1
  17. Order: -3, 0, -11, 5, -2
  18. Order: -8, -4, -6, 1, 0
  19. Order: 8, -15, -10, -2, 3
  20. Order: 12, -1, -5, -3, -7

Answers

Easy Level Answers

  1. -3, -1, 0
  2. -2, -1, 1
  3. -2, 0, 2
  4. -4, -3, -2
  5. -5, -1, 2
  6. -4, -2, 3
  7. -3, -1, 1
  8. -3, -2, -1, 0
  9. -5, -4, -1
  10. -6, -2, 0
  11. -2, -1, 2
  12. -4, 0, 1
  13. -3, -2, 2
  14. -5, -3, 1
  15. -4, -2, -1
  16. -6, -1, 4
  17. -5, -3, 0
  18. -2, -1, 0
  19. -4, -1, 3
  20. -3, -2, 0

Medium Level Answers

  1. -4, -3, -1, 2
  2. -6, -5, -2, 3
  3. -3, -1, 0, 1
  4. -5, -2, 0, 1
  5. -4, -2, -1, 3
  6. -9, -7, -6, 0
  7. -3, -1, 1, 2
  8. -6, -5, -4, 3
  9. -10, -9, -8, 0
  10. -5, -2, -1, 4
  11. -6, -3, 0, 2
  12. -5, -2, -1, 1
  13. -4, -3, -2, 3
  14. -4, -1, 0, 2
  15. -5, -3, -1, 0
  16. -6, -4, -2, 1
  17. -5, -4, -3, 0
  18. -8, -7, -6, 0
  19. -11, -9, -3, 5
  20. -6, -4, 0, 4

Hard Level Answers

  1. -10, -7, -5, -3, 2
  2. -9, -2, -1, 3, 4
  3. -8, -6, -3, 0, 5
  4. -11, -7, -5, -2, 1
  5. -12, -10, -4, 0, 2
  6. -20, -15, -10, -5, 0
  7. -10, -6, -5, -1, 0
  8. -8, -6, -4, -2, 3
  9. -15, -11, -10, -9, 0
  10. -12, -8, -6, -1, 3
  11. -5, -4, -3, -2, 7
  12. -11, -10, -9, 0, 1
  13. -12, -11, -8, -5, -3
  14. -7, -4, -3, -2, 9
  15. -10, -3, -2, -1, 2
  16. -8, -6, -5, -1, 3
  17. -11, -3, -2, 0, 5
  18. -8, -6, -4, 0, 1
  19. -15, -10, -7, -5, 8
  20. -15, -10, -7, -5, 12

Great job, Year 4! Keep practicing, and soon you will be experts at ordering numbers, even when they’re negative!