CCSS.
The Standard
Attend to precision. Mathematically proficient students try to communicate precisely to others. They try to use clear definitions in discussion with others and in their own reasoning. They state the meaning of the symbols they choose, including using the equal sign consistently and appropriately. They are careful about specifying units of measure, and labeling axes to clarify the correspondence with quantities in a problem. They calculate accurately and efficiently, express numerical answers with a degree of precision appropriate for the problem context. In the elementary grades, students give carefully formulated explanations to each other. By the time they reach high school they have learned to examine claims and make explicit use of definitions.
Common Core State Standards for Mathematics
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students use exact math words, symbols, labels, and units so another person can follow their reasoning. They check calculations and report answers with accuracy that fits the situation.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student writes correct equations, defines variables, labels graphs, includes units, and shows calculations that others can follow. They choose suitable rounding and revise unclear or inaccurate statements.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may treat the equal sign as a signal to write an answer rather than as a statement that two quantities match. They may omit units, leave graphs unlabeled, round too soon, or use vague words such as “it” and “thing.”
How to Assess It
- Use this exit ticket: “A student wrote 3.5 m + 80 cm = 83.5 m. Correct the work and explain every change.”
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Have pairs measure one desk, record the value and unit, compare results, then agree on a clear reporting rule.
Display two solutions and ask, “Which explanation is easier to verify, and what exact words, symbols, or labels make it clearer?”
Play Precision Detective: students find and fix missing units, undefined variables, incorrect equal signs, unlabeled axes, and premature rounding in sample work.
Give students a grocery receipt and ask them to verify the total, label money amounts, and explain any rounding to the nearest cent.
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Printable CCSS.Math.Practice.MP6 Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to CCSS.Math.Practice.MP6, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
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Related Standards
- CCSS.Math.Practice.MP7
Look for and make use of structure.
- CCSS.Math.Practice.MP1
Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
- CCSS.Math.Practice.MP5
Use appropriate tools strategically.
- CCSS.Math.Content.HSN-Q.A.3
Choose a level of accuracy appropriate to limitations on measurement when reporting quantities.
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