Michelle Macdonald

Date: 10/29/2015

Grade Level: 6th

Length of Lesson: 30 min.

Title/Theme/Focus of Lesson: Using Positive and Negative Integers in Real Life

Common Core State Standards for Mathematics:
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.6.NS.5
Understand that positive and negative numbers are used together to describe quantities having
opposite directions or values (e.g., temperature above/below zero, elevation above/below sea level,
credits/debits, positive/negative electric charge); use positive and negative numbers to represent
quantities in real-world contexts, explaining the meaning of 0 in each situation.
Essential Lesson Question(s):
How can using positive and negative integers help us solve real-life problems?
Learning Outcomes/Objectives:

The learner will be able to use positive and negative integers to keep track of credits and debits
and balance a checkbook.
The learner will be able to add positive and negative integers together to find a balance.
The learner will be able to recognize and articulate that a balance of "0" means that they have
no money and owe no money.

Vocabulary:
Integer
Positive
Negative
Credit
Debit
Balance
Standards for Mathematical Practice:

Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them = "I can solve problems without giving
up!"
Reason abstractly and quantitatively = "I can think about numbers in many ways!"
Model with mathematics = "I can show my work in many ways!"
Attend to precision = "I can work carefully and check my work!"
Look for and make use of structure = "I can use what I know to solve new problems!"

Assessment:
Diagnostic:

Ask students if they remember from geography what negative elevation and positive elevation
mean (to see if they understand how positive and negative numbers are being used to signify
numbers in different directions).
Formative:
Observe student groups as they use positive and negative integers to balance their
"checkbooks."
Summative:
Collect student balance sheets.
Have students report back their final balances (and advertise their parties).
Materials:
Balance sheets
Credit/Debit amount cards
Poster paper
Room Environment:
Students will be at their table groups, with three students at each group.
Teacher will roam the room, observing groups.
Accommodations and Modifications for Diverse Learners:
ELLs:
English Learners will be strategically grouped with each other and with students who have
trouble with the concepts presented and will be given cards with more visual cues on them (ex.
color-coding).
Visuals of money will be provided for English Learners.
Vocabulary will be displayed on the wall in large print, color-coded and paired (i.e. "positive"
with "credit," and "negative" with "debit").
Multiple Intelligences:
Students will use interpersonal intelligence when they work together in their groups to balance
their checkbooks.
Students will use logical/mathematical intelligence as they convert credits and debits into
positive and negative integers and add the integers together.
Students who prefer visual intelligence may find the graphic organization of the balance sheet
beneficial. Also, the color-coded and sorted vocabulary words on the board, as well as the visual
of the money can help visual learners to engage. Visual learners will enjoy drawing out what
they have purchased.
Special Needs:
Students with special needs can benefit from visuals and sorted vocabulary words. They may
also find the balance sheet helpful as a graphic organizer.
These students will benefit from homogeneous strategic grouping and cards with visual cues.
GATE:

GATE students can be given more debits and credits to add to their balance sheet. They can also
be asked to add larger numbers. Also, GATE students' cards will contain fewer visual cues.
Anticipatory Set:

Good morning, students!

We have been talking about positive and negative integers.
Do you remember how we used positive and negative integers to talk about elevation in social
studies?
Today, we are going to use positive and negative integers to talk about credits and debits:
making money and spending money.

Instruction:

The teacher will review positive and negative integers with students using a number line.
The teacher will explain that, in real-life situations, positive and negative integers are often used
to indicate amounts going in different directions (ex. elevation up or down, acceleration or
deceleration, money earned and money spent).
The teacher will introduce the vocabulary words.
The teacher will introduce the balance sheet on the document camera.
The teacher will explain that numbers in the credit column indicate money earned and are
written as positive integers, while numbers in the debit column indicate money spent and are
written as negative integers.
The teacher will model a credit and a debit on the sheet, as well as how to calculate the running
balance.
The teacher will explain the balance sheet activity to students:
o In groups, students will plan a fictional party.
o Each group will begin with a budget of $200.
o Students will go around and draw cards that will tell them how much money they will be
spending or gaining; some cards will include donations, some will be mandatory
purchases, and some will allow students to choose whether to purchase something. All
cards will be mixed together.
o In groups, students will rotate the roles of Presenter, Recorder, and Artist.
Collector draws a card from the deck and reads the card aloud to team. If the
card gives a choice, all team members decide whether to buy or pass on the
object.
Banker records the credit or debit on "Finding a Balance" worksheet in correct
column. Recorder should also record the running balance, and may have the
Presenter check his/her answer.
Artist sketches a representation of whatever is "bought" for the party on
poster paper. If the card is a credit rather than a purchase, the artist may assist
his teammates in calculations.

At the end of the activity, each group will present their party ideas, as well as their final
balance, to the class.

Guided Practice:

Teacher will guide student groups in recording their first credit and their first debit on their
balance sheet, as well as the first running balance.
In groups, students will use cards to fill in their balance sheets, using positive and negative
integers to signify credits and debits and recording the running balance.
When students are given a choice, they must discuss in their groups whether or not to purchase
the item on the card, taking into account their balance and their party preferences.

Monitoring:

Teacher will roam the room and assist or direct students when necessary.
Teacher will ask questions, such as:
o Why is this a negative integer?
o Are you using addition or subtraction to calculate your running balance? Why?
o What does it mean when your running balance is positive? Negative? Zero?

Independent Practice:

Students write a reflection about what they learned about integers from this activity, including
what it meant when the balance was positive, negative, or zero.

Closure:

Student groups will present their party ideas and final balances.
Great job.
Today, you used positive and negative integers to solve real-world problems.
All of your parties sounded great! Maybe we will use some of your ideas for our next class party.

Your team has been given $200 to plan a party. As you take turns drawing cards and deciding what to
spend money on, record your running balance on this sheet.
Purchases (debits) should be represented by NEGATIVE numbers and placed in the "Debit (-)" column,
while donations or earned money (credits) should be represented by POSITIVE numbers and placed in
the "Credit (+)" column.
To find the Running Balance, add the new Debit (-) or Credit (+) to the current Balance.
When you are finished, record the Final Balance at the bottom of the sheet.
Description
Party Planning Budget

Debit (-)

Credit (+)
$200.00

Final Balance:

Running
Balance
$200.00