6th Grade Math Lesson
The Missing Receipt: Solving One-Step Equations
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6th Grade3-Act MathCCSS.MATH.CONTENT.6.EE.B.745 min
Learning Objective
Students will write and solve one-step equations using addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division to represent real-world situations involving personal savings and missing receipt totals.
Lesson Overview
Students investigate a real-world savings and spending scenario to discover how one-step equations model missing information, then solve for unknown values using inverse operations.
Materials
- Whiteboard and markers
- Paper and pencils
- Phone or basic calculator (optional, for Act 3 verification)
Scaffolded Task Progression
1Task 1
Warm-Up — Balance Scale: The pan balance below shows paperclips on each side. The left pan has 8 paperclips. The right pan has some paperclips hidden in a bag plus 3 loose ones, and the scale is perfectly level. How many paperclips are in the bag?
[ Interactive graph / diagram, available in the full lesson ]
Write an equation for this balance. Solve for the unknown.
[ Interactive graph / diagram, available in the full lesson ]
Write an equation for this balance. Solve for the unknown.
2Task 2
Jordan had some money before shopping and now has 12 dollars left. You think Jordan spent about ___ dollars. Write your estimate and explain your reasoning. What information would you need to be sure?
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