Coordinate Plane Worksheets
Free printable coordinate plane worksheets: read and name points on two first-quadrant grids a sheet, and find distances along a gridline, with a key.
Each sheet draws two coordinate grids, 0 to 10 along both axes, with six lettered points on each. Four questions sit beside each grid: the coordinates of a point, which point is at a given pair, and how far apart two points are. Every sheet asks all three kinds.
An ordered pair is read the way fifth grade learns it: the first number is how far to go along the x-axis, the second how far to go up. Every point sits on a crossing of two labelled lines, so its coordinates are read straight off the numbers, never estimated, and no point is on an axis.
Distances are only asked between two points in the same row or column, so a student counts units along one line or subtracts two coordinates. No question asks a student to plot a point. A plotted point is a drawing, and an answer key cannot print one, so the sheets ask for what can be read off the grid instead.
What this worksheet covers
- Read the coordinates of a point in the first quadrant
- Name the point at a given ordered pair
- Find the distance between two points in the same row or column
Common Core standards
- 5.G.A.1 Use a pair of perpendicular number lines as a coordinate system, and read an ordered pair as distances along each axis.
Frequently asked questions
Which number in an ordered pair comes first?
The x-coordinate, the distance along the horizontal axis. (3, 5) means go 3 along, then 5 up. A way to remember it: you walk along the hallway before you go up the stairs.
How do you find the distance between two points on a coordinate plane?
If the points share an x-coordinate, subtract their y-coordinates; if they share a y-coordinate, subtract their x-coordinates. From (2, 7) to (2, 3) is 4 units. These sheets only ask about points in the same row or column, so counting squares along the line gives the same answer.
Why do the sheets never ask students to plot points?
Because a plotted point is a drawing, and an answer key can only print values. Each question asks for something a key can state: a pair, a letter or a distance. Plotting can be practised by asking students to plot the points they named.
Is there a four-quadrant version?
Yes. Four-Quadrant Coordinate Plane draws grids from -6 to 6 with points in every quadrant, and adds a question about which quadrant a point is in. You can also switch the grid in the settings here.