Cartesian Coordinate Hop – Vertical Number Walk

Mat: Cartesian Coordinate Hop

Grade Guidance: Grade 5 coordinate preparation. Use nonnegative coordinates for the core practice. The negative-number portion of the video is an optional extension.

Focus: Locate and count positions along the vertical (y) axis.

Video guide: The video’s number walk runs from −10 to 10. Use the 0–10 portion for Grade 5 practice. The video models the axis walk; the ordered-pair questions below extend that routine and prepare students to plot points.

Try the Activity:

1. Find the origin, (0, 0), where the two axes meet. Identify the vertical y-axis.
2. Move or point from 0 to 10 along the nonnegative portion of the y-axis, saying each number. Count equal intervals rather than printed squares or marked points.
3. Return to 0, then move six units up. Record (0, 6): x is 0 because there is no horizontal movement, and y is 6.
4. Ask a partner to name another point on the nonnegative portion of the y-axis. Locate it, record its ordered pair, and explain why its first coordinate is 0.

Worked Example: (0, 6) lies six units above the origin on the y-axis.

Quick Check: What is the x-coordinate of every point on the y-axis? 0.

Adapt: Start with 0–5, use a pointer or marker, or work on a paper grid. Explore negative positions only after teaching their directions and signs.

Reflect: What does a zero coordinate tell students about the location of a point?