PencilGo

Grade 7 · Math

7th grade Subtract positive and negative whole numbers worksheet

6 printable versionsBuilding Confidence10 questions · answer keyFree · no account

Level: Building Confidence · On Level · Challenge Me

When it’s done, scan the sheet with your phone and PencilGo marks it and picks the next one. Create a free account

Version
Print

Subtract positive and negative whole numbers

Grade 7 Math Worksheet - Building Confidence

NameDate

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

  1. Ari's robot starts at 3 on a number line, beeping happily. Subtracting (-4) is the same as adding 4, a move of 4 right. Where does the robot stop?

  2. Bo's frog starts at -2 on a number line and looks very determined. Subtracting (-5) is the same as adding 5, a move of 5 right. Where does the frog land?

  3. Kira's toy boat floats at 5 on a number line river. Subtracting (-7) is the same as adding 7, a move of 7 right. Where does the boat stop?

  4. Milo rewrites a subtraction as an addition. The card says 5 - (-3) = 5 + ?. What number goes in place of the ?

  5. Noah copies a puzzle from the math book. The card says (-6) - 2 = (-6) + ?. What number goes in place of the ?

    Use the picture in question 4.

  6. Pia fills in a star-shaped puzzle. The card says (-2) - (-8) = (-2) + ?. What number goes in place of the ?

    Use the picture in question 4.

  7. Ren's robot sits at -3 on a number line. Its charging spot is at 5. How far is the robot from the charging spot?

  8. Tala watches two snails on a number line, at 2 and 9. How far apart are the snails?

  9. Ari spots a whale at -4 m and a bird at 6 m. (Above the water is positive.) How far apart are they?

  10. Jun finds a puzzle at the back of the math book. What is (-4) - 7?

PencilGopencilgo.com

7th grade Subtract positive and negative whole numbers worksheet – printable
Print: 123456

About this worksheet

Subtract positive and negative whole numbers. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can rewrite a subtraction as adding the opposite, and use it to work out answers like 6 - (-3).
  • I can find the distance between two numbers on the number line, and say why it is never negative.
  • I can say what a negative or positive difference means in a story.

Standard: 7.NS.A.1c

Words to know

opposite: The number the same distance from 0 on the other side, like 3 and -3.

additive inverse: The school name for an opposite: a number that adds with it to 0.

difference: The answer to subtracting: how far the first number is from the second.

distance: How far apart two numbers are on the number line. Never negative.

change: Later value minus earlier value. Negative means it went down.

Common mistakes

Your child changed the minus to a plus but kept the second number as it was. Try: 5 - (-3) is the same as 5 + 3. Ask why the sign of the second number flips.

Your child got the right size but the wrong sign.

Your child flipped the first number instead of the one after the minus sign.

What to say

Ask: after the last move on the number line, are you left or right of 0?

Ask: which number comes right after the minus sign?

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with subtract positive and negative whole numbers?

Your child changed the minus to a plus but kept the second number as it was. Try: 5 - (-3) is the same as 5 + 3. Ask why the sign of the second number flips.

Are these 7th 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 7 math

See all grade 7 math

Every sheet you scan goes into your child’s record: dated, marked and ready for the year-end portfolio. Homeschool records