English National Curriculum, Programme Of Study For Year 6 Mathematics

Subject Content:

Pupils should be taught to express missing number problems algebraically

Here are some specific activities, investigations or visual aids we have picked out. Click anywhere in the grey area to access the resource.

Think of a Number Ten students think of a number then perform various operations on that number. You have to find what the original numbers were.

Clouds Can you work out which numbers are hidden behind the clouds in these calculations?

Stable Scales Ten balance puzzles to prepare you for solving equations.

Equations A series of exercises, in increasing order of difficulty, requiring you to solve linear equations. The exercises are self marking.

Click on a topic below for suggested lesson Starters, resources and activities from Transum.

Algebra Pupils begin their study of algebra by investigating number patterns. Later they construct and express in symbolic form and use simple formulae involving one or many operations. They use brackets, indices and other constructs to apply algebra to real word problems. This leads to using algebra as an invaluable tool for solving problems, modelling situations and investigating ideas. If this topic were split into four sub topics they might be: Creating and simplifying expressions; Expanding and factorising expressions; Substituting and using formulae; Solving equations and real life problems; This is a powerful topic and has strong links to other branches of mathematics such as number, geometry and statistics. See also "Number Patterns", "Negative Numbers" and "Simultaneous Equations".

How do you teach this topic? Do you have any tips or suggestions for other teachers? It is always useful to receive feedback and helps make these free resources even more useful for Maths teachers anywhere in the world. Click here to enter your comments.