This chapter focuses on the interaction of two first graders as they attempt to make sense of a particular instructional context for learning negative numbers. The context is one where they move an elevator to a building's floors above and below ground in order to model integer addition and subtraction problems. In particular, the focus of the…

The language involved in de-contextualized integer comparisons poses challenges, as students may interpret "most" based on absolute values rather than on order. Using the context of temperature, we explored how students' integer value comparisons differed based on question phrasing (which temperature is hottest, most hot, least hot,…

How children play around with new numerical concepts can provide important information about the structure and patterns they notice in number systems. In this chapter, we report on data from 243 second graders who were asked to fill in missing numbers on a number path (encouraging them to play around with numbers less than zero) and to solve…

The language that students use with whole numbers can be insufficient when learning integers. This is often the case when children interpret addition as "getting more" or "going higher." In this study, we explore whether instruction on mapping directed magnitudes to operations helps 88 second graders and 70 fourth graders solve…

As students progress from working with whole numbers to working with integers, they must wrestle with the big ideas of number values and order. Using objects to show positive quantities is easy, but no physical negative quantities exist. Therefore, when talking about integers, the author refers to number values instead of number quantities. The…

In this study, we explore thirty-two second graders' performance on integer addition problems before and after analyzing contrasting cases involving integers. The students, as part of a larger study, completed a pretest, were randomly assigned to one of three intervention groups, and participated in two small-group sessions, one short whole-class…

In this study, we explore four, second graders' performances on integer addition problems before and after analyzing contrasting cases involving integers. The students, as part of a larger study, participated in a pretest, small group sessions, one short whole-class lesson on integer addition, and a posttest. Based on their integer mental models…

This paper presents the results of a pre-test, instruction, post-test study that investigated students' integer mental models and how their models changed based on instruction. Sixty-one first graders' responses to questions about the values and order of negative numbers were categorized according to a series of mental models. The models reveal…

Linear board games have shown great promise as tools to teach whole number concepts (Ramani & Siegler, 2008), but little is known about their utility for supporting negative integer concepts. This study sought to extend the use of linear board games to teach integer concepts. Forty-eight first graders (ages 6-7) counted along an integer board…

How can children's natural perceptuo-motor skills be harnessed for teaching and learning mathematical structure? We address this question in the case of the integers. Existing research suggests that adult mental representations of integers recruit perceptuo-motor functionalities involving symmetry. Building on these findings, we designed a…