Square and cube numbers – Grade 6 math lesson

Lesson 15 of 26 in the Grade 6 math course

US version. US grades, US spelling and dollars ($). · UK Maths Department

A complete 45-minute lesson for grade 6 (ages 11–12) that runs on this page – at school or at home. Every answer is graded right away, with a worked explanation.

Time: 45 minutes + 20 min homework
Grade: Grade 6 (ages 11–12)
You need: Paper, a pencil and this page
Graded: Instantly, with explanations

For parents: how to use this lesson

You don't need to know this topic yourself. The lesson explains each step on screen, one tidy step at a time. Every answer is graded straight away with a worked explanation, so you never have to grade anything.

Read what your child will learn and the big ideas together.
Press Start the lesson below and sit with your child for the teaching and the worked examples (about 19 minutes).
Let them do the practice on their own. They choose Getting started, On track or Challenge – start on On track and move up after a few right in a row.
Finish with the exit ticket and the talk question: “Why are they called square and cube numbers?”
Later that day or the next day: the homework (20 minutes), then a practice test.

Watch out for

Thinking 5² means 5 × 2. The small 2 means two fives multiplied: 5 × 5.
Thinking 2³ is 6. Write it out: 2 × 2 × 2 = 8.

Tip for home: Find square numbers in tiles or chessboards (64 squares!).

What your child will learn

Learning goal: recognize square and cube numbers and use the notation ² and ³.

Success looks like

I can recognize square numbers.
I can recognize cube numbers.
I can use ² and ³.

Key words

square number: a number times itself
cube number: a number times itself three times
squared: the small ² sign
cubed: the small ³ sign

What to have ready

Paper and a pencil
This page on a computer, tablet or phone
For the hands-on part: Build squares and cubes with cubes, sugar lumps or counters, and count how many you used. No counters? Draw squares on squared paper.

The big ideas (for the adult)

A square number is a number times itself: 5 × 5 = 25, written 5². Square numbers make square arrays.

A cube number is a number times itself three times: 3 × 3 × 3 = 27, written 3³. Cube numbers make cubes from small cubes.

Learn the squares up to 12² = 144 and the cubes up to 5³ = 125.

The lesson, step by step

45 minutes in 5 parts
Part	Time	How it is checked
Starter: quick recall	5 min	Graded by Classfern
Teaching input	10 min	Not assessed, self-checked
Worked examples and guided practice	9 min	Not assessed, graded by Classfern
Independent practice	15 min	Graded by Classfern
Closure and exit ticket	6 min	Graded by Classfern, self-checked

Starter, "your turn", practice and exit ticket are graded by Classfern. Worked examples and teaching are not assessed. The hands-on task and the reflection are self-assessed. Explanations in talk are judged by the parent and not recorded.

The lesson

It runs here on the page. No sign-up and no names – progress is kept only in this browser.

Homework and practice at home

20 minutes: 10 practice questions, 3 multiple-choice questions and 2 to remember from earlier work, then a short reflection. New questions every time, all graded instantly.

More practice

Grade 6 Math: Expressions and Equations Practice TestGraded instantly

All Grade 6 math lessons and tests · Math Department

Curriculum

Common Core State Standards 6.EE.A.1: “Write and evaluate numerical expressions involving whole-number exponents.”

Our lessons and questions are our own. They are not written or endorsed by any government department, testing agency or exam board.