Charts and number linesGrades 2–6
Number line worksheets
Each row is a number line with ten or so ticks. Students either name the marked point A, or fill in three missing labels. Choose whole numbers, negatives, tenths or fractions, with 4 to 12 lines and an answer key.
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Reading the scale, not just the numbers
The hard part of a number line is rarely the counting. It is working out what one small space is worth. A line that runs from 30 to 80 with ten gaps counts by 5s, but the page never says so. This worksheet makes students discover the scale before writing anything, and the instruction line tells them to do exactly that.
It is designed for grades 2 to 6, with a different kind of number at each level. If you want blank lines to mark up yourself, use the printable number line instead.
What each row looks like
Every problem is one wide number line, one per row. The Numbers menu chooses the kind:
- Whole numbers. The line counts by 1s, 2s, 5s or 10s, starting at a multiple of the step.
- Negative and positive. Steps of 1 or 2, always starting below zero so the line crosses zero.
- Decimals (tenths). A line covering one whole unit in ten tenths, starting from 0 to 5.
- Fractions. Halves, thirds, quarters, fifths, sixths or eighths, with the line spanning two whole units, so there are twice as many ticks as the denominator. Answers appear as simplified fractions or mixed numbers.
Whole, negative and decimal lines have ten gaps. The Task menu then has two choices:
- Name the point. Only the two ends are labeled. A dot marks point A, and the student writes its value on the line at the right.
- Fill in missing numbers. Every tick is labeled except three, which are left as empty boxes. The student works out what belongs in each.
The count is from 4 to 12. The key fills in the answers.
Worked example: a fraction line from 1 to 3
The line has labels 1 on the left and 3 on the right, with six gaps and point A on the fourth tick from the left.
- Find the length of the whole line. From 1 to 3 is 2 units.
- Divide by the number of gaps. Six equal gaps across 2 units means each gap is 2 ÷ 6 = 1/3.
- Count from the start. Four gaps of 1/3 is 4/3, so A is at 1 + 4/3.
- Write the answer. 1 + 4/3 = 2 1/3. The key shows it as a mixed number.
A whole-number example: the ends are 30 and 80, with ten gaps. The distance is 50, so each gap is 5. Point A on the seventh tick is 30 + 7 × 5 = 65.
Choosing a level
Start with whole numbers and the missing-number task, since labels on both sides give a built-in clue. Move to naming the point once students can state the step size aloud. Negative lines need a separate lesson on direction: numbers get smaller as you move left, so −6 is to the left of −2. Fraction lines come after students know what a unit fraction means, usually grade 3, and thirds and sixths are better after halves and quarters.
Mistakes the key will show
- Reading the gaps as ones. On a 30-to-80 line, answering 37 for the seventh tick. Ask: "How much is each space worth?"
- Counting ticks, not gaps. Off by one because the starting tick counts as zero steps. Counting jumps rather than marks fixes it.
- Negative direction slip. Reading a point left of zero as positive, or counting right from −8 and landing on −9.
- Fraction denominators. Writing 4/6 on a line of thirds, or ignoring the whole number part.
- Wrong spaces filled. On the missing-number sheet, writing a repeated number. The values must increase evenly.
Extending the work
After a page of fractions, compare two points by asking which is greater and by how much. For a page of decimals, ask students to say each value aloud as tenths. Related practice includes comparing fractions and integers, both of which depend on a solid picture of order on the line.