Introduction to Algebra: Grade 6 Workbook

In Introduction to Algebra: Grade 6 Workbook, we concentrate on two important concepts: expressions and equations. We also touch on inequalities and graphing on a very introductory level. In order to make the learning of these concepts easier, the expressions and equations in this workbook do not involve negative numbers (as they typically do when studied in pre-algebra and algebra). We start out by learning some basic vocabulary used to describe mathematical expressions verbally — terms such as the sum, the difference, the product, the quotient, and the quantity. Next, we study the order of operations once again. A lot of this lesson is review. The lesson Multiplying and Dividing in Parts is also partially review and leads up to the lesson on distributive property that follows later. Then, we get into studying expressions in definite terms: students encounter the exact definition of an expression, a variable, and a formula, and practice writing expressions in many different ways. The concepts of equivalent expressions and simplifying expressions are important. If you can simplify an expression in some way, the new expression you get is equivalent to the first. We study these ideas first using lengths– it is a concrete example, and hopefully easy to grasp. In the lesson More On Writing and Simplifying Expressions, students encounter more terminology: term, coefficient, and constant. In exercise #3, they write an expression for the perimeter of some shapes in two ways. This exercise is once again preparing them to understand the distributive property. Next, students write and simplify expressions for the area of rectangles and rectangular shapes. Then we study the distributive property, concentrating on the symbolic aspect and tying it in with area models. The next topic is equations. Students learn some basics, such as, the solutions of an equation are the values of the variables that make the equation true. They use properties of operations and the idea of maintaining the equality of both sides of an equation to solve simple one-step equations. I have also included a few two-step equations as an optional topic. Lastly, in this workbook students get to solve and graph simple inequalities, and study the usage of two variables and graphing.