Every point on a map has two numbers: how far across, then how far up or down. Find the treasure, mark the spot and sail the ship.
Go across first (x), then up or down (y). Which point is it at?
(x, y)
x comes first: how far across (right or left)
y comes second: how far up or down
Along the corridor, then up or down the stairs: x first, then y.
The origin, where the two axes cross
Negative x: go left of 0
Negative y: go down below 0
Start at 0, where the axes cross. The first number (x) says how far to go along, the second (y) how far to go up. (3, 5) means 3 along and 5 up. A way to remember: along the corridor, then up the stairs.
Swapping the two numbers: going up first, then along. (3, 5) and (5, 3) are different points. On this page a swapped answer gets its own reminder, so children notice the order.
When the axes carry on past 0, they split the grid into four parts. Left of 0 the x numbers are negative, and below 0 the y numbers are negative, so (−3, 2) is 3 left and 2 up.
Children read and plot points in the first quadrant at about 8 to 10, then use all four quadrants, move shapes and find missing corners at about 10 to 11.