Coordinates

For grown-ups: this lesson in words

Years 4 to 6 · Maths

Coordinates: I can read and plot coordinates on a grid: along first, then up.

1. Here is a squared grid. The numbers go along the bottom and up the side, starting at 0.

   Point A is 3 squares along and 2 squares up.

   We write that as (3, 2). Along first, then up.

   The two numbers are the coordinates of A.

   Picture: A squared grid numbered 0 to 6 along and up. Point A is at (3, 2).

2. Your turn: What are the coordinates of point B?

   Picture: A squared grid numbered 0 to 5 along and up. Point B is 4 squares along and 1 square up.

   Choose one:

   • (1, 4)
   • (4, 1)
   • (5, 2)

   Answer

   The answer: (4, 1)

   B is 4 along and 1 up, so B is at (4, 1).

   Picture: A squared grid numbered 0 to 5 along and up. Point B is at (4, 1).

3. To plot a point, start at S, (0, 0), where the axes meet.

   Point C is at (2, 5). Let's walk there.

   Go 2 along: 1, 2. Then go 5 up: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

   We reach C. Along the corridor, then up the stairs!

   Picture: A squared grid numbered 0 to 6 along and up. Point S is at (0, 0). Point C is at (2, 5). A walker starts at point S and goes right, right, up, up, up, up, up, ending at (2, 5).

Words to know

coordinates:

Two numbers in brackets that give a position on a grid: along, then up.

axis:

One of the two numbered lines on a grid. The two together are the axes.

vertex:

A corner of a shape. More than one corner are vertices.

quadrant:

One of the four parts of the full grid, where the axes cross in the centre.

x-axis:

The along axis: the numbered line that goes across the grid. Its label is x.

y-axis:

The up axis: the numbered line that goes up the grid. Its label is y.