Grade 6 · Math

6th grade Write an equation for a story worksheet

6 printable versionsOn Level10 questions · answer keyFree · no account

Level: Building Confidence · On Level · Challenge Me

When it’s done, scan the sheet with your phone and PencilGo marks it and picks the next one. Create a free account

Version

Write an equation for a story

Grade 6 Math Worksheet

NameDate

Circle the best answer, or write your answer on the line.

1.
Pia's class read some pages before lunch and 24 after, 60 pages in all. Let n be the pages before lunch. Which equation matches the story?
- 24n = 60
- n + 24 = 60
- n + 60 = 24
- n − 24 = 60
2.
Tala has 48 stickers, 15 more than Jun has. Let l be Jun's stickers. Which equation matches the story?
- l = 48 + 15
- l + 15 = 48
- 48 + l = 15
- 15l = 48
3.
Pia has 62 buttons, 15 fewer than Jun. Let r be Jun's buttons. Which equation matches the story?
- r − 15 = 62
- 15r = 62
- r = 62 − 15
- 15 − r = 62
4.
Zee has 40 buttons, 4 times as many as Milo. Let d be Milo's buttons. Which equation matches the story?
- 4d = 40
- d + 4 = 40
- d = 4 × 40
- d − 4 = 40
5.
Bo has 7 buttons. Pia has 4 times as many as Bo. Let m be Pia's buttons. Which equation matches the story?
- m = 4 × 7
- m + 4 = 7
- m = 7/4
- m = 7 + 4
6.
Esme has 8 crayons. Ren has 6 times as many as Esme. Let l be Ren's crayons. Which equation matches the story?
- l = 8 + 6
- l = 8/6
- l = 6 × 8
- l + 6 = 8
7.
Ari shares a jar of beads equally among 6 friends. Each friend gets 9 beads. Let b be the beads in the jar. Which equation matches the story?
- 6b = 9
- b − 6 = 9
- b/6 = 9
- 6/b = 9
Noah has 63 stickers, 9 times as many as Esme. The sticker book is getting crowded. Write an equation with t for Esme's stickers, then solve it. How many stickers does Esme have?
Kira has 120 cm of yarn. After cutting some off, 45 cm is left. Write an equation with x for the length cut off, then solve it. How many cm did Kira cut off?
Luz's jar holds 85 beads. After some are taken out, 30 beads are left. Write an equation with x for the beads taken out, then solve it. How many beads were taken out?

6th grade Write an equation for a story worksheet – printable — Print: 1 2 3 4 5 6

About this worksheet

Writing equations for stories. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

I can pick the equation that fits a story, whether the unknown is the bigger or the smaller amount.
I can draw who has more and who has less before I choose add or subtract.
I can write the equation and then solve it for the number the story asks about.

Standard: 6.EE.B.6

Words to know

variable: A letter that stands for a number we do not know yet.

equation: A math sentence with an equal sign. Both sides have the same value.

total (in all): The whole amount that the parts add up to.

gap: How much more one bar is than another.

tape (bar) diagram: A bar cut into parts or compared with another bar, to show how the numbers fit.

Common mistakes

Your child chose the operation from a word like "more", "fewer" or "times", so "Leo has 26, 8 more than Mia" became 26 + 8. Try drawing two bars together, one for who has more and one for who has less, before choosing.

Your child used the opposite operation in a story where the unknown is the bigger (or the smaller) amount, for example subtracting when the unknown rope is the longer one. Try drawing the two bars and asking which bar is longer before choosing.

Your child wrote the numbers in the wrong order in a subtraction or a division, so "6 taken from s" became 6 − s. Try asking "which amount did we start with?" and write that one first.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with write an equation for a story?

Are these 6th grade math worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

More grade 6 math

See all grade 6 math

Every sheet you scan goes into your child’s record: dated, marked and ready for the year-end portfolio. Homeschool records