Grade 5 Coordinate Plane: Plotting Points
Find where an ordered pair goes on a grid
What You'll Learn
- Read an ordered pair (x, y)
- Find where a point goes: start at the origin, go across x, then up y, and name the letter at that spot
- Tell (3, 1) from (1, 3)
📖Plotting
(x, y) = (right, up)!
💡Tip
Always move across first, then up. (3, 1) is 3 right and 1 up — (1, 3) is a different point.
Worked examples
Real problems from the practice worksheets, solved one step at a time.
Example 1
Plot (5, 3). Which letter marks that spot?
- Start at the origin, (0, 0), where the two axes meet.
- The first number, x, is 5: move 5 units to the right along the x-axis.
- The second number, y, is 3: move 3 units up.
- Careful: point A is at (3, 5) — the numbers swapped (right 3, up 5).
- You land on point C, so (5, 3) is point C.
Answer: C
Example 2
Plot (8, 4). Which letter marks that spot?
- Start at the origin, (0, 0), where the two axes meet.
- The first number, x, is 8: move 8 units to the right along the x-axis.
- The second number, y, is 4: move 4 units up.
- Careful: point B is at (4, 8) — the numbers swapped (right 4, up 8).
- You land on point A, so (8, 4) is point A.
Answer: A
Example 3
Plot (2, 4). Which letter marks that spot?
- Start at the origin, (0, 0), where the two axes meet.
- The first number, x, is 2: move 2 units to the right along the x-axis.
- The second number, y, is 4: move 4 units up.
- Careful: point D is at (4, 2) — the numbers swapped (right 4, up 2).
- You land on point A, so (2, 4) is point A.
Answer: A