Practice Writing an Equation with a Variable

Your students may have some familiarity with variables, but do they know how to write equations to match a written scenario? Being able to write a word sentence for an equation and vice versa is an important skill to have so that they can understand the relationship between numbers, variables, and operations.

Teach Starter has created a set of 24 task cards where students will practice writing a word sentence for a given equation and also writing an equation for a given word sentence. These task cards include equations with whole numbers, decimals, and fractions. 

Tips for Differentiation + Scaffolding 

A team of dedicated, experienced educators created this resource to support your math lessons.

In addition to individual student work time, use this set of task cards to enhance learning through guided math groups, whole class lessons, or remote learning assignments. 

If you have a mixture of above and below-level learners, check out these suggestions for keeping students on track with the concepts: 

🆘 Support Struggling Students

Help students who need help understanding the concepts by providing them with a chart to reference that helps them recognize operation words.

➕ Challenge Fast Finishers

For students who need an additional challenge, encourage them to create their own equations with a variable and write different ways to say the equation. You could also challenge students to determine the value of the variable. 

🛴 Scoot Activity

Place the cards around the room in numerical order and give each student a recording sheet. Assign students or pairs to a starting point card. Give students time to review the card and record their answers in the corresponding space on their paper. Students will rotate to the next card when you say, “SCOOT!” Continue in this manner until students return to their starting point. 

👋 Exit Ticket

Use these cards as a formative assessment after your lesson. Pick a random assortment of cards and project them on the board for the whole class to see. Students can record their answers on a sheet of paper, sticky note, or their notebook. 

Easily Prepare This Resource for Your Students

Use the dropdown icon on the Download button to choose between the PDF or editable Google Slides version of this resource. A recording sheet and answer key are also included with this download. 

Print on cardstock for added durability and longevity. Place all pieces in a folder or large envelope for easy access. 

To keep the task cards out of pockets or under desks, punch a hole in the corner of each to place them on a binder ring. 

Sustainability Tip: Print a few recording sheets on cardstock and slip them into dry-erase sleeves. Students can record their answers with a whiteboard marker, then erase and reuse them. 

This resource was created by Cassandra Friesen, a teacher in Colorado and Teach Starter Collaborator. 

Don’t stop there! We’ve got more activities and resources that cut down on lesson planning time:  

teaching resource

Writing Equations – Worksheet

Practice writing equations to represent a situation with this math worksheet designed for 6th-grade students.

teaching resource

Writing Numerical Expressions – Google Slides Interactive Activity

Write and solve numerical expressions based on descriptions using a letter for the unknown quantity with this interactive activity.