Algebra uses a letter to stand for a number we don’t know yet. Year 6 children solve simple equations by undoing each step, and replace a letter with a value to work out an expression.
What your child will learn
- Understand that a letter can stand for a number
- Solve one-step and two-step equations
- Work out the value of an expression when the letter’s value is given
Undo each step
In n + 7 = 12, something plus 7 makes 12. Undo the adding by subtracting: 12 − 7 = 5, so n = 5. In 3 × n + 2 = 14, undo the last step first: take away 2 to get 12, then divide by 3 to get n = 4.
Example questions
Here are a few questions like the ones in the first quest. Can you solve them?
1. Find n: n − 6 = 5
Show answer
Answer: 11. Do the opposite to undo it: 5 + 6 = 11.
2. Find n: n + 3 = 19
- 16
- 22
- 6
- 26
Show answer
Answer: 16. Do the opposite to undo it: 19 − 3 = 16.
3. Find n: n ÷ 9 = 4
Show answer
Answer: 36. Do the opposite to undo it: 4 × 9 = 36.
Tips for grown-ups
- Play “I’m thinking of a number”: “I double it and add 3 to get 11.”
- Check every answer by putting it back into the equation.