Maryland Math 6.AT.B.6.c
The Standard
- 6.AT.B.6
- Write, read, and evaluate expressions in which letters stand for numbers.
Evaluate expressions given specific values of their variables in context. Include expressions that involve arithmetic operations and whole number exponents.
Maryland College and Career Ready Standards for Mathematics (2025) · APPLY AND EXTEND PREVIOUS UNDERSTANDINGS OF ARITHMETIC TO ALGEBRAIC EXPRESSIONS.
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students replace a variable with a given number from a situation, such as the side length of a rug. They calculate in the right order, including squaring a number before multiplying, and give an answer with units.
What Mastery Looks Like
- For two square rugs and one 3-by-s rug, a student evaluates 2s²+3s at s=4 and gets 44 square feet. They can show that 2s² means two squares, each with an area of 16 square feet.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may calculate 2s² as (2s)² or multiply s by 2 instead of squaring it. They may give an area in feet rather than square feet.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: Two square rugs have side length s feet, and one rectangular rug measures 3 feet by s feet. If s=4, use 2s²+3s to find the total rug area in square feet.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Use square tiles to build two 2-by-2 squares and one 3-by-2 rectangle, then match the tile count to 2s²+3s for s=2.
Ask why 2s² equals 32, not 64, when s=4. Have students sketch what each calculation represents.
Give pairs cards marked s=2, s=3, and s=4; they draw one, evaluate 2s²+3s, and check against 14, 27, or 44.
Show a plan with a square patio of side s meters and a 2-by-s walkway; find the total paved area when s=5.
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Printable 6.AT.B.6.c Worksheet
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Related Standards
- 5.AT.A.1
Interpret and evaluate numerical expressions with grouping symbols (e.g. parentheses, brackets, or braces).
- 6.AT.B.5
Write numerical expressions involving whole number exponents and positive rational number bases. Use technology to evaluate numerical expressions involving whol...
- 5.AT.A.2
Write expressions that record calculations with numbers and interpret numerical expressions without evaluating them.
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