Grade 6 · Math

Grade 6 math

Grade 6 is the bridge to middle-school math: ratios and percents, negative numbers, and letters standing in for numbers. Here is what it covers, where kids usually get stuck, and one way to help.

What your child learns this year

Every curriculum words it differently, but most grade 6 classes cover the same ground:

Ratios, rates and percents. Comparing amounts, finding the price of one, and percents of a number.
Fractions and decimals. Multiplying and dividing with them, and switching between fractions, decimals and percents.
Negative numbers. Placing them on a number line and comparing them.
Expressions and equations. Letters for unknown numbers, and solving simple equations.
Geometry. Area of triangles and other shapes, and volume and surface area of boxes.
Data and probability. Mean, median and mode, and the chance of an event.

Where kids usually get stuck

1Finding 10% and stopping. For 15% of 80, getting 8 and calling it done. 15% is 10% plus another 5%.
2Treating a ratio as a fraction of the whole. Boys to girls 2 : 3 does not mean 2/3 are boys. It means 2 out of every 5.
3Thinking −8 is bigger than −3. 8 is bigger than 3, but on a number line −8 is further below zero, so it is smaller.

One of Pip's tricks

Start from 10%

Use it when finding a percent of a number in your head, like 15% of 80 or 35% of 60.

Find 10% by moving the decimal point one place to the left.
Build the percent you need from 10% pieces: 5% is half of 10%, and 1% is a tenth of it.
Add the pieces.

Watch it work. 15% of 80. 10% of 80 is 8. 5% is half of that, 4. So 15% is 8 + 4 = 12.

Why it works: every percent is made of tens, fives and ones, and 10% is just the number with the decimal moved, so any percent is a few easy pieces.

Try three

Have a go, then tap to see the answer.

1.What is 35% of 60?
Show the answer
21. 10% is 6, so 30% is 18. 5% is half of 6, which is 3. 18 + 3 = 21.
2.A class has 30 students, and the ratio of boys to girls is 2 : 3. How many girls are there?
Show the answer
18. 2 + 3 = 5 parts, so each part is 30 ÷ 5 = 6 students. The girls are 3 parts: 3 × 6 = 18.
3.Which is greater, −8 or −3?
Show the answer
−3. On a number line, −3 is to the right of −8, closer to zero.

How Sparkpip fits in

Pip, Sparkpip's tutor, works through problems like these with your child one small step at a time, using tricks like the one above.

Start free See how it works

Your curriculum

Sparkpip is built on the grade 6 math curriculum for your province or state. The official pages:

Also: Grade 5 math · Grade 7 math · Grade 6 science · Grade 6 English