Overview

In addition to teaching students to locate numbers on a number line, an important goal of elementary mathematics instruction is to help students learn to label marked points on the line.

This part explores patterns in students’ thinking about the number line and considers how some common errors relate to key properties of the number line. Analyzing students’ errors provides insight into students’ understanding of mathematical concepts.

Key Points

When determining how to respond to a student, it can be helpful to consider:

• What question(s) could be asked to learn more about the student’s thinking?
• What key mathematical idea(s) might be raised with the student?