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Grade 6 · Math

6th grade Write an equation for a story worksheet

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Write an equation for a story

Grade 6 Math Worksheet - Challenge Me

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

  1. Milo walked some kilometers before lunch, 2.5 km after lunch and 1.75 km in the evening, 8 km in all. Let w be the kilometers before lunch. Which equation matches the story?

    • w − 2.5 − 1.75 = 8
    • w + 2.5 = 8 + 1.75
    • w + 2.5 + 1.75 = 8
    • w + 8 = 2.5 + 1.75

  2. Noah read some pages Monday, 14 pages Tuesday and 18 pages Wednesday, 60 pages in all. Let m be Monday's pages. Which equation matches the story?

    • m + 60 = 14 + 18
    • m − 14 − 18 = 60
    • m + 14 = 60 + 18
    • m + 14 + 18 = 60

  3. Ren jogged 4.5 km, 0.75 km farther than Esme. Let m be how far Esme jogged, in kilometers. Which equation matches the story?

    • 0.75m = 4.5
    • 4.5 + m = 0.75
    • m + 0.75 = 4.5
    • m = 4.5 + 0.75

  4. Jun's yarn is 5.5 m long. Tala's yarn is 1.25 m longer than Jun's. Let b be the length of Tala's yarn in meters. Which equation matches the story?

    • b/1.25 = 5.5
    • 1.25b = 5.5
    • b = 5.5 + 1.25
    • b = 5.5 − 1.25

  5. Pia jogged 4.25 km. Zee jogged 0.5 km farther than Pia. Let k be how far Zee jogged, in kilometers. Which equation matches the story?

    • k = 4.25 − 0.5
    • k/0.5 = 4.25
    • k = 4.25 + 0.5
    • 0.5k = 4.25

  6. Luz drank 12.5 liters of water this week, 1.5 liters less than Ari. Let m be the liters Ari drank. Which equation matches the story?

    • 1.5 − m = 12.5
    • 1.5m = 12.5
    • m − 1.5 = 12.5
    • m = 12.5 − 1.5

  7. Noah's ladder is 4 m long. Esme's ladder is 0.25 m shorter than Noah's. Let d be the length of Esme's ladder in meters. Which equation matches the story?

    • 0.25d = 4
    • d = 4 + 0.25
    • d = 4 − 0.25
    • d/0.25 = 4

  8. Ren's yarn is 12.5 m long, 5 times as long as Kira's yarn. Let s be the length of Kira's yarn in meters. Which equation matches the story?

    • s + 5 = 12.5
    • 5s = 12.5
    • s − 5 = 12.5
    • s = 5 × 12.5

  9. Tala ran 18 km this week, 4 times as far as Luz ran. Let b be how far Luz ran, in kilometers. Which equation matches the story?

    • 4b = 18
    • b − 4 = 18
    • b + 4 = 18
    • b = 4 × 18

  10. Zee's yarn is 1.75 m long. Milo's yarn is 3 times as long as Zee's. Let s be the length of Milo's yarn in meters. Which equation matches the story?

    • s = 3 × 1.75
    • s = 1.75 + 3
    • s + 3 = 1.75
    • s = 1.75/3
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6th grade Write an equation for a story worksheet – printable
Print: 123456

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?

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.

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

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