Understand negative numbers as values less than zero, place them on a number line, and order rational numbers including negatives.
Negative numbers describe amounts below zero - temperatures below freezing, elevations below sea level, or money owed. A negative sign in front of a number means "the opposite direction from positive."
On a number line, negative numbers sit to the left of zero and positive numbers sit to the right. The farther left a number is, the smaller its value, even though it might "feel" bigger.
To order numbers that include negatives, picture the number line: numbers get bigger as you move right, no matter the sign.
Mastery looks like: They correctly place negative and positive numbers on a number line and order a mixed list from least to greatest.
Common stumbles: Assuming a negative number with a bigger digit is the bigger value; forgetting that negative numbers are always less than positive ones.
See it visually
Interactive, spoken-aloud tools that show this idea in motion.