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Grade 6 · Math

6th grade Positive and negative numbers; opposites worksheet

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Positive and negative numbers; opposites

Grade 6 Math Worksheet - Challenge Me

NameDate

Circle the best answer, or write your answer on the line.

  1. Bo looks down a mine shaft with a very long ladder. The bottom is 210 feet below the ground. Ground level is 0. Write the bottom of the shaft as a number.

  2. On one play, Esme's team loses 7 yards. Write the change in the team's position as a number.

  3. After Jun buys party balloons, the class fund is 64 dollars below zero. Write the fund as a number.

  4. Milo wakes up on a morning so cold the puddles turn to ice. The thermometer shows -22 degrees Celsius. Which sentence describes the opposite temperature?

    • 22 degrees above zero
    • 22 degrees below zero
    • -22 degrees above zero
  5. Ren, the chess club treasurer, checks the fund and sees -85 dollars. Which sentence is right?

    • The chess club owes 85 dollars.
    • The chess club has 85 dollars.
    • The chess club owes -85 dollars.
  6. Ari meets a tricky question in a book. Find the value of -(-47).

  7. Bo cheers as a team gains 14 yards on a play. Which number shows the change in the team's position?

    • 14
    • -14
    • 0
  8. Esme dives 60 feet below the surface to see a jellyfish. Which number shows Esme's position?

    • 0
    • 60
    • -60
  9. Jun plays a robot game and loses 90 points on one unlucky turn. Which number shows the change in score?

    • -90
    • 0
    • 90
  10. Kira watches a bird soar. The valley floor is 0. Which number shows the bird 300 meters above the valley floor?

    • 0
    • -300
    • 300
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6th grade Positive and negative numbers; opposites worksheet – printable
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About this worksheet

Negative numbers in context. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can use a negative number for a temperature below zero, a place below sea level, or money I owe.
  • I can say what 0 means in a story and which side of 0 a number is on.
  • I can find the opposite of a number or a change, and tell that the opposite of -4 is 4.

Standard: 6.NS.C.5, 6.NS.C.6a

Words to know

positive number: A number greater than 0. It sits to the right of 0.

negative number: A number less than 0. It sits to the left of 0 and has a minus sign.

integer: A whole number, its opposite, or 0, like -3, 0 or 5.

opposite: The number the same distance from 0 on the other side.

zero point: The place in a story where we start counting, like sea level.

owes: Has to pay back. Owing money is a negative amount.

Common mistakes

Your child wrote or chose a number for something below zero without its minus sign, such as 8 for owing 8 dollars. Show a thermometer and ask: is 5 degrees below zero warmer or colder than 5 degrees above zero?

Your child used a minus sign and also a word that already says the same thing, like “-5 degrees below zero” or “owes -8 dollars”. Say it one way together: “-5 degrees” or “5 degrees below zero”, never both.

Your child kept the answer negative because it had a minus sign in it. Draw a line from -10 to 10 together and ask where the opposite of -3 lands.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with positive and negative numbers; opposites?

Your child wrote or chose a number for something below zero without its minus sign, such as 8 for owing 8 dollars. Show a thermometer and ask: is 5 degrees below zero warmer or colder than 5 degrees above zero?

Are these 6th grade math worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

More grade 6 math

See all grade 6 math

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