Adding on a Number Line: Hop to the Answer
A frog sits on the number 3. It wants to eat a bug that is 4 hops away. Where will the frog land? We can find out with a number line! A number line is like a sidewalk with numbers on it. When we add, we hop to the right. Let's learn how to make the frog land on the right number every time.
What You'll Learn
- Point to numbers in the right spot on a number line. - Add by hopping to the RIGHT. - Count each hop out loud so you do not skip. - Show a plus problem like 3 + 4 with hops.
A Number Line Is a Row of Numbers
A number line goes 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. The numbers get BIGGER as you go right. They get smaller as you go left. Each number sits on its own little mark. The space between 3 and 4 is one step. The space between 4 and 5 is one step too. Every step is the same size.
Adding Means Hopping Right
To add, we start on the first number. Then we hop to the right, one number at a time. Let's do 3 + 4. Put your finger on 3. Now hop: 4 (one), 5 (two), 6 (three), 7 (four). You made 4 hops and landed on 7. So 3 + 4 = 7! The frog gets the bug.
When you hop, do not count the number you start on. Start on 3, then your FIRST hop lands on 4. Count 1, 2, 3, 4 as you land, not as you sit still.
Try Another One
Now try 5 + 2. Put your finger on 5. Hop: 6 (one), 7 (two). You landed on 7! So 5 + 2 = 7. See? The bigger number you add, the more hops you take, and the farther right you land.
Flashcards — click each card to reveal the answer
A ladybug starts on 2 and hops 3 spots to the right. What number does it land on?
Which number sentence matches: start on 6 and hop 2 to the right?
Make a Sidewalk Number Line
With a grown-up, use chalk or tape to make a number line on the floor from 0 to 10. Stand on the number 3. Have your grown-up call out '3 plus 4!' Take 4 big hops to the right and shout the number you land on. Do three different problems this way. Deliverable: draw a picture of your number line and write the three problems you hopped, like 3 + 4 = 7.
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