Formulae and equations – Year 6 maths lesson
Lesson 31 of 32 in the Year 6 maths course
UK version. UK school years, UK spelling and pounds (£). · US Math Department
A complete 45-minute lesson for Year 6 (ages 10–11) that runs on this page – at school or at home. Every answer is marked straight away, with a worked explanation.
- Time
- 45 minutes + 20 min homework
- Year
- Year 6 (ages 10–11)
- You need
- Paper, a pencil and this page
- Marked
- 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 marked straight away with a worked explanation, so you never have to mark 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: “How can you be sure you have found every pair?”
- Later that day or the next day: the homework (20 minutes), then a practice test.
Watch out for
- Reading 3n as 3 + n or as thirty-something. Write it out: 3n means 3 × n.
- Finding only one pair when there are many. Work through systematically: try 1, then 2, then 3…
Tip for home: Write a formula for the cost of tickets or pizza slices and use it.
What your child will learn
We are learning to use simple formulae, solve equations and find pairs of numbers that fit.
Success looks like
- I can use a formula.
- I can solve simple equations.
- I can find all pairs that fit an equation.
Key words
- formula
- a rule written with letters
- equation
- a number sentence with an = sign
- unknown
- a number we have to find
- substitute
- put a number in place of a letter
What to have ready
- Paper and a pencil
- This page on a computer, tablet or phone
- For the hands-on part: Play "think of a number": one person applies a rule (double it and add 3) and the other works out the starting number.
The big ideas (for the adult)
In algebra a letter stands for a number. In 3n + 2, the letter n can be any number.
A formula is a rule for working something out, such as cost = 5 × number of tickets. Put the numbers in to use it.
To solve an equation, find the number that makes both sides equal. With two unknowns, list the pairs that work.
The lesson, step by step
| Part | Time | How it is checked |
|---|---|---|
| Starter: quick recall | 5 min | Marked by Classfern |
| Teaching input | 10 min | Not assessed, self-checked |
| Worked examples and guided practice | 9 min | Not assessed, marked by Classfern |
| Independent practice | 15 min | Marked by Classfern |
| Plenary and exit ticket | 6 min | Marked by Classfern, self-checked |
Starter, "your turn", practice and exit ticket are marked 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 marked instantly.
More practice
More Year 6 maths lessons
- Place value: the value of each digit
- Negative numbers
- Comparing, ordering and writing numbers
- Negative numbers and temperature
- Long multiplication
- Short division
- Long division
- Order of operations
- Factors and multiples
- Prime numbers
- Estimating and checking answers
- Solving word problems
- Adding and subtracting fractions with different denominators
- Multiplying fractions
- Percentages of amounts
- Calculating with decimals
- Rounding decimals
- Adding and subtracting decimals
- Fractions, decimals and percentages
- Comparing and simplifying fractions
- Converting units of measure
- Volume of cuboids
- Missing angles
- Properties of 2-D shapes
- 3-D shapes and nets
- Coordinates
- Line graphs
- Pie charts
- The mean (average)
- Ratio and proportion
- Sequences
Curriculum
National Curriculum for England, Year 6: “express missing number problems algebraically”
National Curriculum for England, Year 6: “use simple formulae”
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Our lessons and questions are our own. They are not written or endorsed by any government department, testing agency or exam board.