Lesson plan — Understanding Number: Integers, Place Value, Primes & Fractions

Explicit teaching — I Do (~15 min)

This opening lesson surveys the five strands of Understanding Number. Teach each idea with a concrete representation first, then the symbolic form. Keep the human number line and a place-value chart visible throughout.

1. Integers on a number line WA6MNAUN1

Draw a horizontal number line and connect it to real contexts: temperatures below zero, basement floors (B1, B2), and money owed. Show that −3 and +3 are the same distance from zero but in opposite directions.

A number line from minus 5 to plus 5 with zero centred; negative integers in red on the left, positive integers in green on the right, with minus 3 and plus 4 highlighted. — Integers increase left to right; the number furthest left is the smallest.

2. Multiplicative place value WA6MNAUN2

On a place-value chart, establish that each place is 10 times the place to its right and one-tenth of the place to its left, extending into tenths and hundredths.

3. Square, prime & composite numbers WA6MNAUN3

Build arrays with counters: 9 = 3 × 3 forms a square; 7 can only be a single row of seven (prime); 12 forms several rectangles (composite).

4. Ordering fractions & 5. Connecting percentages WA6MNAUN4–UN5

On a 0–1 number line, place 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 and label the matching decimals and percentages. Establish the key conversions 10% = 1/10 = 0.1, 25% = 1/4 = 0.25 and 50% = 1/2 = 0.5.

Guided practice — We Do (~20 min)

Move around the five ideas with short, active tasks. Ask students to justify every placement aloud.

Integer ordering. As a class, order −5, 2, −1, 4, 0, −8 on a large number line. Prompt justification: "−8 is furthest left because it is the smallest."
Place-value partner talk. Display 23.7. Pairs state the value of the 7, the 3 and the 2, then predict what happens when the number is multiplied by 10.
Array hunt. Pairs build arrays for the numbers 1–20 and sort them into squares, primes and composites on a shared anchor chart.
Fraction & percentage match. Hand out cards (1/4, 0.25, 25%, …). Students order themselves along a 0–1 "washing line".

Independent practice — You Do (~15 min)

Students complete the lesson worksheet. It covers:

placing and ordering a set of integers on a number line;
stating the value of nominated digits and multiplying or dividing decimals by 10;
classifying eight numbers as square, prime or composite with a supporting array sketch;
ordering related fractions and matching three common percentages to fraction and decimal forms.