One of the most important tools that I use for math instruction at any elementary and even middle school level is the life sized number line. For more on uses of the number line in general in grades K-5 (including lessons) see this free ebook from The Math Learning Center Learning To Think Mathematically With the Number Line.
Why a life sized number line?
While pretty much all teachers use number lines on the board and at the students’ desks, there is a difference in learning when the kids actually move along a large number line. The motion activates their brains in a different way and helps them remember and understand.
The very first time I ever used one was actually when substituting in a 6th grade math classroom. The students were struggling with adding and subtracting negative numbers. I had a brainstorm and made a huge number line on the floor using masking tape. Then I had the kids actually move along the number line to add and subtract integers. It WORKED! “Why has no one shown us this before?” one asked.
Ways to make your number line
Since then I have made large number lines in many different ways. I have taped large numbers on to foam connecting squares (you can of course buy connecting squares that already have numbers) or used numbered paper plates to make number paths for preschoolers. With older children I usually give them numbered index cards and have them order the cards. And, when the need for the number line has come up unexpectedly, I go back to the masking tape standby .
For young children you can buy a 0-30 number line floor mat or number path floor mat.
At TPT you can get free instructions and printables from Marsha Maguire for making a floor number line appropriate for any elementary grade. Her number line is made with strips that can also be rearranged to make a floor hundreds chart. She has color coded even numbers and multiples of 5 to make her number line perfect for skip counting by 2 and 5. If you want to see her complete blog post about how she uses the number line in kindergarten go here to Differentiated Kindergarten.
Lessons using the life sized number line
Two of my own favorite lessons using a floor number line:
Subtraction as difference – such an important undertaught concept, I wrote a whole post about it.
Rounding- this is typically a hard concept to teach. What I did as a small group game was have students place upside down colored plastic bowls at each ten. We called these caves. Then we had animal counters race starting at zero. The student would roll a number using dice (we used large inflatable dice just for fun) and move their animal to that number. At certain intervals a timer would go off and all animals had to go to the nearest “cave.”
A few free lessons/game ideas from others:
Differentiated Kindergarten has this lesson called Stomping Out Subtraction.
Tired Need Sleep has free floor number game printables created for homeschool but usable for any small group including card stock dice for basic addition/subtraction as well as actions to take along the number line (for example a child might roll jump on the action dice and +2 on the operations dice.)
Proud to Be Primary has The Human Number Line Game to practice addition and subtraction of 3 numbers.
Math Coach’s Corner has this article on Exploring Comparison Subtraction With the Life Sized Number Line.
Teach Forever has this Ultimate Number Line game that can be adapted to any level 1st grade through high school.
However, keep in mind that any lesson you teach using a number line can be taught using the floor version. See my post Fractions On a Number Line for applications In upper elementary.
