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Grade 5 · Maths · Lessons
Finding a point
🗺️map➡️across⬆️up📍point
Find a point.
The big ideaStart at the origin. Go across first, then up.

How it works

Start at the origin, the corner where both numbers are zero.

Go across first, then up.

Write the point as (across, up).

0123456across5 across
Across first: 5 steps from the origin.

Example 1: Plot a point

  1. The museum is at (5, 4).
  2. Start at the origin. Go across 5, then up 4.
  3. That is where the museum is.

Example 2: Read a point

  1. A chest is 8 across and 9 up.
  2. Write across first, then up.
  3. It is at (8, 9).

Example 3: A bigger step

  1. A slide is at (45, 35) on a grid that counts by 5s.
  2. Go 9 steps across and 7 steps up, each worth 5.
  3. 9 × 5 = 45 and 7 × 5 = 35.

Words to know

origin
The starting point where both numbers are 0.
coordinate
One of the two numbers that name a point.

Watch out

Try it

  1. Which number comes first in (3, 7)?
  2. Where do you start?
  3. Write the point 2 across and 6 up.
  4. Is (2, 6) the same point as (6, 2)?
Answers: 1. 3, the across number · 2. at the origin · 3. (2, 6) · 4. no
For grown-upsPlay battleships on squared paper using across-then-up coordinates.
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