Week 6: Word Problems

Week 6: Word Problems

John is twice as old as Jeremy. Together, they are 36 years old. How old are John and Jeremy?

This is an Algebra word problem. Sometimes we are given the variable (the unknown), sometimes we aren't, and we will always have to set up the equation ourselves. The key to word problems is being able to think about keywords and the relationships between numbers.

And by now, you should be very confident with integers, combining like terms, and multi-step equations, all of which are the foundation of solving Algebra Word Problems.

To get started, check out the LESSON OBJECTIVES next.

Lesson Objectives

You can use this as a checklist to monitor and measure your learning! At this end of this module, you should be able to:

• • Define variables in a word problem

  • Set up an equations based on a word problems

  • Solve word problems

Check out the LESSON ACTIVITIES next.

Lesson Activities

You can also use this as a checklist to make sure you've finished the entire assignment:

• • Practice translating words to Algebraic phrases in Part 1

  • Watch a video introduction to Algebra word problems in Part 2

  • Create an Algebra word problems guide in Part 3

  • Practice Algebra word problems on Khan in Part 4

Estimated time to complete: 1-2 hours

These activities are due by 9pm on Sunday, August 23rd

Next up, check out PART 1.

Then move on to PART 2 below!

Part 2 - Video introduction to word problems

Solving word problems is all about finding the variables and setting up the problem. Once we get comfortable with that pattern, the problems will start to look the same. Check out the video introduction below that shows how to set up and solve a few types of problems.

Part 3 - Practice translations and word problems guide

This week's writing activity is to define the keywords we just learned about in Part 1; click the icon or link below to get started!

Week 6: Word Problems

When you finish the writing activity, you can move on to PART 3!

Part 4 - Practice suggestions on Khan

Remember to find time to get on Khan Academy to practice each suggested skill. Notice that this week, some of the skills will be found in your course on "ALGEBRA BASICS". You can also access them with the links in the spreadsheet on this page. So, next, time you log-in to your Khan Academy account:

1. Click on the "ALGEBRA BASICS" and "8TH GRADE" courses

2. There will be a few skill suggestions from me. These are the focus this week, so click into each of them and try to complete all your suggested activities by this Sunday!