This document provides instructions for creating a foldable to explain the real number system. It includes directions for cutting and folding different colored sheets of paper to form tabs that define and label the natural numbers, whole numbers, integers, rational numbers, irrational numbers, and real numbers. Labels are placed on the tabs to concisely summarize what each set represents in the real number system.

1. Real Number System Foldable This Idea came from Dinah Zike's Foldables. Directions were revised by Jamal Hutchinson, Numeracy Coach Johnson/Baxter ALC, original by Barbara Broadway, Math Mentor at Maplewood High School

2. Materials

3. Materials Pre-Cut Dark Green 8 ½ in. x 11 in Yellow 8 ½ in. x 5 ½ in. Bright blue 4 ¼ in. x 5 ½ in. Beige 4 ¼ in. x 5 ½ in. Orange 4 ¼ in. x 5 ½ in. Light green 4 ¼ in. x 5 ½ in. Pink 4 ¼ in. x 5 ½ in.

4. Types of Folds

5. Hot dog fold light green Cut a window by cutting a ½ in from bottom to a ½ in to the long side to a ½ in from the top. Stop cutting. Don’t cut across on the top.

6. Hot dog fold orange Cut a window by cutting a ½ in from bottom to a ½ in to the long side to 1 in from the top. Stop cutting. Don’t cut across on the top.

7. Hamburger fold yellow sheet. Cut a window by cutting a ½ in from bottom to a ½ in to the long side to a ½ in from the top. Stop cutting. Don’t cut across on the top.

8. Assembly Slightly hamburger and hotdog fold the dark green sheet Center the pink sheet on the left side paper

9. Slightly hamburger and hotdog fold the dark green sheet Center the light blue sheet on the right side paper

10. Apply glue around the edges of the pink rectangle and lay the beige rectangle on it so that it opens from bottom to top.

11. Apply glue around the edges of the beige rectangle and lay the orange rectangle on it so that it opens from bottom to top.

12. Apply glue around the edges of the orange rectangle and lay the light green rectangle on it so that it opens from bottom to top.

13. Apply glue around the edges of the rectangle made up of the light green and bright blue rectangle No glue down the middle where they join Lay the yellow rectangle on them so that it opens from bottom to top.

14. Label Pink: N = Natural Numbers or Counting Numbers 1,2,3,4… Beige: W = Whole Numbers 0,1,2,3….

15. Orange: Z = Integers …-3,-2,-1,0,1,2,3… Light green: Q = Rational Numbers a/b a and b Z, b = 0

16. Bright blue Ir = Irrational Numbers non-terminating and non-repeating decimals, pi, square roots of non perfect squares, pattern decimals, golden ratio. Yellow: R = Real Numbers

17. All colors can be changed for another color. Only thing that matters is the folds and cuts.