For instance, “My friend Khiem
lives at 15 Sycamore Lane, and I live 8 houses away
[assuming that house numbers change by units of
1]. Where could my house be located?” Students
readily figure out that the solution is a matter of
moving 8 units from 15 in either the positive or the
negative direction. To help students connect this
idea to absolute value, ask them to make a visual
representation of this problem on a number line