Number Line Reasoning Challenge (Mini-Assessment)

Do you operate a ‘mastery’ classroom? Do you want to know how well your students really understand place value, number lines and the intervals found on them? Look no further than this full-lesson reasoning-based activity, complete with answers. There is also a complete set of mastery style questions after the initial task, which is aimed specifically at stretch and challenge for all children.

This activity is ideal for children in Key Stage 2.

How could I use this activity?

1. As a pre-assessment and post-assessment of any unit you teach linked to number lines, intervals (marked and unmarked) and even measures;
2. As a full-lesson activity related to those same areas of learning.

Why is this activity useful?
This activity has been specifically designed to develop children’s reasoning skills. They are given some limited information for each number line, with the only constant being the number they have to mark. Each number line represents a different scale, with different values for the intervals. Children will need to use all of their logic to establish the other intervals, and therefore where 564 can be marked. We have used this activity in a classroom, and found the knowledge we gain as teachers about each child’s true maths ability and understanding, is far greater than any test could provide.

Which objectives in the UK National Curriculum does it match?
Key Stage 2
Number and Place Value:

• recognise the place value of each digit in a three-digit number (hundreds, tens, ones)
• compare and order numbers up to 1000
• identify, represent and estimate numbers using different representations
• solve number problems and practical problems that involve all of the above