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What you'll learn

  • Why -2 is greater than -6 on a number line
  • Order temperatures from coldest to warmest, including below zero
  • Work out a new temperature after a rise or fall across zero
  • Find the interval between a negative and a positive number
  • Count the gap between two negative numbers, such as -9 and -3
  • Use negative numbers for sea level, lift floors and bank balances

Chapter by chapter

  1. Comparing and ordering negative numbers in context (temperatures, sea level, lifts) Free to try

    Year 6 maths · 1

  2. Working out rises and falls that cross zero

    Year 6 maths · 1

  3. Calculating the difference (interval) across zero

    Year 6 maths · 1

  4. Solving real-life problems with negative numbers

    Year 6 maths · 1

  5. Negative numbers challenge: 12 mixed questions (12 questions)

See every Maths chapter in the chapter library

What the chapters cover in the national curriculum in England:

  1. Year 6 maths: Use negative numbers in context, and calculate intervals across 0

About this adventure

Zero Line Expedition is an interactive negative numbers game for children aged 10–11 that teaches the Year 6 skill of using negative numbers in context and calculating intervals across zero.

Guided by Tundra the penguin, players visit four stations on a frozen map. They drag the liquid on a thermometer, place a seal below sea level, ride a lift to basement floors and follow a diver swimming up to the surface. A number line shows every jump, so children see why -2 is greater than -6 and how to cross zero in two hops: first to zero, then the rest.

The interval is the distance between two numbers, so the difference between -4°C and 7°C is 4 + 7 = 11 degrees, not 3. Children also solve problems with temperature tables, bank overdrafts and missing starting values, then try a 12-question challenge.

Questions and answers

How do you find the difference between a negative and a positive number?

Count the steps to zero, then count on to the other number and add the two parts. For -4 and 7, it is 4 steps up to zero and 7 more, so the difference is 4 + 7 = 11.

Is -8 bigger or smaller than -3?

-8 is smaller than -3. On a number line, -8 is further below zero, so it is the lower number, and -8°C is colder than -3°C. The closer a negative number is to zero, the greater it is.

What is the temperature if it is 3°C and it falls 7 degrees?

The new temperature is -4°C. A fall of 3 degrees takes it down to 0°C, and the other 4 degrees take it below zero to -4°C. Hopping to zero first makes these questions easier.

What age is this negative numbers game for?

The game is written for children aged 10–11 in Year 6, following the English national curriculum. A short warm-up recaps the Year 5 basics, so it also suits older Year 5 pupils or anyone revising for KS2 SATs.

What is in the Zero Line Expedition game and how long does it take?

The game has a warm-up, four teaching stations and a 12-question Polar Challenge, which take about 35 minutes in total. Each station is spoken aloud by Tundra the penguin, mixes tapping, dragging and typed answers, and can be played on its own.

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