Math Lesson Plan · Grades 5–8

Adding Positive and Negative Numbers Lesson

Teach students to add positive and negative integers with this six-page lesson plan and worksheet. Students use the concept of gains and losses to understand addition of integers, then practice 15 addition problems, 10 comparison problems, and 2 word problems. A complete answer key is included.

Lesson Overview

Adding Positive and Negative Numbers

Adding positive and negative numbers builds on the idea that positive numbers represent something you have (a gain) and negative numbers represent a loss. When you add a positive and a negative number, you are combining a gain and a loss: for example, 8 + (−5) means you gained 8 and lost 5, leaving a result of 3.

When adding two negative numbers, both represent losses, so the result is always negative: −12 + (−13) = −25. The lesson reviews these patterns with worked examples, then applies the same logic to three-number sums and to comparing addition results using greater than, less than, and equal to.

The worksheet covers 15 standard addition problems, 10 comparison problems (add each side and then compare), and 2 word problems involving real-world contexts such as football yardage and profit/loss scenarios. All answers are on page 6.

How to Use This Lesson

1. Review positive and negative number concepts from the previous lesson. Read pages 1–3 as a class, working through the gain/loss examples and the three-number addition examples.

2. Distribute the worksheet. Complete problems 1–15 (standard addition), reviewing the key rule: two negatives added together always give a negative result.

3. Complete problems 16–27 (comparison problems) and the two word problems. Review all answers using the answer key on page 6.

Printable Resource

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