Combine Like Terms
Written by Adi Ackerman, Head Teacher
"Combine Like Terms" is written for 6th Grade (Ages 11-12), and it covers Common Core 6.EE.A.3. If your student is a year younger but already steady on algebra, the page still works. You may just need to read the instructions out loud. And if they are older and equivalent expressions never quite stuck, this is a short review rather than busywork.
6th grade math worksheet: simplify 16 expressions like 4x + 7 + 2x minus 3 by combining like terms. Answer key included. Part of our equivalent expressions algebra collection. Aligned to Common Core standards.
How do I use this worksheet?
Start with terms, coefficients and constants so students can name the parts. Then do the distributive property and like terms pages, and use the matching page as a check.
What students will practice
- Students will simplify 16 expressions by combining like terms and constants.
- Students will combine terms with two variables, such as 8c + 3d minus 2c + 5d = 6c + 8d.
- Students will treat a lone variable as 1 of it, as in y + y + y + 8 = 3y + 8.
Curriculum Links
Common Core State Standards
Expressions and Equations · 6th Grade
Standard: Apply the properties of operations to generate equivalent expressions.
View all 6.EE.A.3 worksheets →Find this in the curriculum
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FAQ
How do I use this equivalent expressions worksheet?
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Start with terms, coefficients and constants so students can name the parts. Then do the distributive property and like terms pages, and use the matching page as a check.
What does this worksheet teach?
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Simplify 16 expressions like 4x + 7 + 2x minus 3 by combining like terms. Like terms have the same variable part, so they can be added: 5m + 2m = 7m. A number with no variable is a constant term. The directions on the page read: Simplify each expression by combining like terms. An answer key is included.
Can I use this equivalent expressions worksheet for homeschool or classroom?
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Yes, both. We made it for 6th Grade algebra, and the page works the same whether it lands on a kitchen table or a center rotation. At home, most families go through it together and talk the answers out loud, and that talking is where most of the learning happens with equivalent expressions. In class it runs well as independent work while you pull a small group. Print one copy or thirty, whichever the day needs.
What are equivalent expressions?
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They are expressions that have the same value no matter what number the variable is. 4(2x minus 1) and 8x minus 4 are equivalent because the distributive property turns one into the other.
How do you combine like terms?
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Add or subtract terms that have the same variable part, and add the constants separately. In 4x + 7 + 2x minus 3, the x terms make 6x and the constants make 4, so the expression simplifies to 6x + 4.
What is a coefficient?
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A coefficient is the number that multiplies a variable. In 7x + 3y minus 12, the coefficients are 7 and 3 and the constant is negative 12. A variable on its own, like b, has a coefficient of 1.
Is there an answer key?
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Yes. All 4 equivalent expressions worksheets have an answer key.
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