6th grade integers
6th grade integers (class 6): a quiz for kids, then every skill in order with lessons, a checklist and a plan.
🧒 Kids: answer 10 grade 6 integer questions. Tap Check ✓ after each one!
🔢 Integer practice 🏆 Integer levels 🧮 Integer calculator 📏 Number line
What 6th grader learn about integers
In grade 6 (class 6), children meet negative numbers for the first time. They write integers for real situations, place them on horizontal and vertical number lines, and find opposites and absolute values. They compare and order integers, find distances, and plot points in all four quadrants.
- 6.NS.C.5: use positive and negative numbers to describe quantities with opposite directions or values, and explain what 0 means.
- 6.NS.C.6: show integers and other rational numbers on number lines and coordinate axes, including opposites and reflections.
- 6.NS.C.7: order rational numbers, and understand absolute value as distance from 0.
- 6.NS.C.8: solve problems by graphing points in all four quadrants, including distances between points.
Other grades: 6th grade · 7th grade
The big idea in grade 6
Grade 6 is the year negative numbers arrive. Children use positive and negative numbers for real situations, like temperatures below zero, depths below sea level and money owed (6.NS.C.5).
The number line is the key picture. Children extend it to the left of 0, find opposites, and learn that absolute value is the distance from 0 (6.NS.C.6 and 6.NS.C.7).
They also compare and order integers, and plot points in all four quadrants of the coordinate plane (6.NS.C.8). In grade 8 they move whole shapes around the grid with transformations. Grade 6 does not yet add or subtract negatives; that comes in grade 7.
6th grade integer skills, in order
Work down the list. Each lesson explains the idea for parents with pictures and has a quiz for your child.
By the end of grade 6, your child should be able to…
- Write an integer for “12 m below sea level” and explain what 0 means.
- Plot −7, 0 and 4 on a number line, and read a thermometer below 0.
- Find the opposite of −9 and the absolute value of −15.
- Order −3, 5, −8 and 0 from least to greatest.
- Find the distance from −4 to 6.
- Plot (−3, 2) and name its quadrant, then reflect it in the x-axis.
Unsure where your child is? The integer levels page has a short test for every step from the number line to rational numbers.
A 4-week plan for 6th grade integers
| When | Focus |
|---|---|
| Week 1 | What integers are, real-life examples and the number line |
| Week 2 | Opposites and absolute value |
| Week 3 | Comparing and ordering integers, and distance |
| Week 4 | The four-quadrant coordinate plane and word problems |
Add 5 minutes a day with the integer practice tool. Check answers with the integer calculator, and use the integer number line to see order, opposites and distance.
More for grade 6
All 6th grade math · CBSE class 6: The Other Side of Zero · 6th grade ratios · Integers quiz for both grades · Integers for kids
What to say to your child
A short script for teaching it the first time. Pause after each line and let your child do the next step.
- “It is 5 degrees below zero. What integer is that?” (−5.)
- “What is the opposite of −5?” (5.)
- “Which is colder, −5°C or −2°C?” (−5°C.)
- “How far is −5 from 0?” (5. That is its absolute value.)
- “Plot (−5, 2). Which way first?” (5 left, then 2 up.)
More worked examples
Example 1: real life: a debt of $15
−15.
Example 2: compare: −8 ○ −3
−8 < −3, because −8 is further left.
Example 3: distance: −4 to 6
4 + 6 = 10.
Practice questions (answers below)
Ask these out loud or write them down. Check each answer, and ask “how did you get that?” for one or two.
- 7 degrees below zero
- Opposite of 12
- |−20|
- −6 ○ −1
- Least of 2, −9, −4, 0
- From −5 to 3
- Quadrant of (4, −2)
- Reflect (−3, 5) in the y-axis
- Is 0 positive or negative?
- Stretch: two numbers 6 from −1
Show the answers
- −7
- −12
- 20
- −6 < −1
- −9
- 8
- IV
- (3, 5)
- Neither
- 5 and −7
Common mistakes
How to teach it at home
Five minutes a day
Short daily practice beats long weekend sessions.
Weather watch
Cold-city temperatures are the best integer lesson there is: compare them, order them and find the changes.
Money talk
Track pretend spending and earning, and let the balance go below zero.
By grade
- Before: subtraction and the number line
- After: 7th grade integers and rational numbers
Not sure where to start?
The free 6th grade math check-up tests every grade 6 topic in 18–22 minutes. It shows which topics are solid and which lesson to start with.
Worksheets and practice
Comparing integers worksheet: printable PDF with an answer key.
Last reviewed
Questions parents ask
What integer skills should a 6th grader know?
Using integers for real situations, the number line, opposites, absolute value, comparing and ordering, distance and the four-quadrant coordinate plane.
Do 6th graders add and subtract negative numbers?
Not under Common Core. Grade 6 places and compares integers; adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing them is grade 7.
Is there a 6th grade integers quiz?
Yes. The quiz at the top of this page has 10 mixed grade 6 integer questions. Each one is marked straight away, with a hint for every mistake. Play again for a fresh set, or try the integers quiz for both grades.
What is class 6 integers?
Class 6 in India and grade 6 in the US cover similar integer skills, though the order differs. This page lists them in order, starting with what are integers, negative numbers in real life, integers on a number line.
How much integer practice does a 6th grader need?
About 10 minutes a day: 5 minutes on the current skill with the practice tool and 5 minutes of mixed review. Short daily practice works better than long weekly sessions.