Writing expressions – Grade 6 math lesson
Lesson 16 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: “Is n² the same as 2n? Try n = 3 and n = 2.”
- Later that day or the next day: the homework (20 minutes), then a practice test.
Watch out for
- Writing n × 3 as n3. Numbers go in front: 3n.
- Thinking 3n means 3 + n. Write it out: 3n means 3 × n.
Tip for home: Write expressions for real things: the cost of n cinema tickets at 8 each.
What your child will learn
Learning goal: use letters for numbers and write expressions in the correct way.
Success looks like
- I can write expressions in algebra.
- I can use the correct notation.
- I can tell an expression from an equation.
Key words
- variable
- a letter that stands for a number
- term
- a number, a letter or numbers and letters multiplied
- expression
- terms joined by + or −
- coefficient
- the number in front of a letter
What to have ready
- Paper and a pencil
- This page on a computer, tablet or phone
- For the hands-on part: Use cups for x and counters for 1 to build expressions such as 2x + 3.
The big ideas (for the adult)
In algebra a letter stands for an unknown number. We write 3 × n as 3n, n × n as n² and n ÷ 4 as n/4.
An expression has terms but no equals sign: 3n + 2. An equation has an equals sign: 3n + 2 = 11.
Words can be turned into algebra: "5 more than x" is x + 5; "twice y" is 2y.
The lesson, step by step
| 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
More Grade 6 math lessons
- Solving word problems
- Fractions, decimals and percentages
- Ratios
- One quantity as a fraction or percentage of another
- Percent
- Proportional relationships
- Rates and unit rates
- Unit prices and best buys
- Converting units
- Negative numbers and temperature
- Integers and absolute value
- Operations with multi-digit decimals
- Operations with fractions
- Greatest common factor and least common multiple
- Square and cube numbers
- Evaluating expressions
- Simplifying expressions
- Solving equations
- Inequalities
- Writing equations for situations
- 3-D shapes and nets
- Coordinates
- Volume and surface area
- Mean, median and mode
- Box plots and interquartile range
Curriculum
Common Core State Standards 6.EE.A.2.a: “Write expressions that record operations with numbers and with letters standing for numbers. For example, express the calculation "Subtract y from 5" as 5 - y.”
Common Core State Standards 6.EE.A.2.b: “Identify parts of an expression using mathematical terms (sum, term, product, factor, quotient, coefficient); view one or more parts of an expression as a single entity. For example, describe the expression 2 (8 + 7) as a product of two factors; view (8 + 7) as both a single entity and a sum of two terms.”
Our lessons and questions are our own. They are not written or endorsed by any government department, testing agency or exam board.