6th Grade Math

Learning does not end in the classroom. Students who have supportive families who practice skills at home do better in school. These students also feel that school is important.

 Ways to help your child with sixth grade math
 

• There are lots of opportunities to solve problems involving ratios and rates around your home. Your child might develop his deepest understanding of these important math concepts by seeing real-world examples at home. Here are some ideas for problems that you can use as examples and build on:

If you work for 12 hours and get paid $5 per hour, how much money will you make?

If you work for 12 hours and made a total of $48, how much is that per hour?

We’re driving to Indianapolis to visit some relatives. If we drive at an average of 60 miles per hour, and the distance to Indianapolis is 480 miles, how long will it take us to get there? (Or make the problem a little harder by saying the distance is 450 miles.)

Tomatoes cost 85 cents each. How much will 6 tomatoes cost?

We bought 5 pizzas and the total bill was $42. How much did each pizza cost?

The recipe we’re using for cookies uses 2 1/2 cups of flour. If we want to make 4 times as many cookies, how much flour do we need? If we want to make only half of a recipe, how much flour do we need?

• Let your child help plan projects around the house that require some math. For example, if you are going to paint a room, let her figure out the surface area that you’re going to paint and calculate how many gallons you’ll need.
• Most of the topics in sixth grade are unfamiliar to many adults, so making up real-world problems to challenge your eighth grader at home would be difficult. But your child probably needs your support to get his homework done, and you may be able to help with math questions at this age. Ask your child to show you what he is doing and explain how he does it. Always indicate to your child that he can understand and do well in math if he keeps trying, does all his homework, and asks questions at school.

Overall strategies for school success
 

• Meet your child's teacher as soon as the new school year starts.
• Ask the teacher about the process for regular communication between home and school.
• Read what comes home from school and keep in touch with your child's teacher, especially when you have concerns.
• Attend parent-teacher conferences.
• Establish a consistent routine to make sure your child gets homework done. Show an interest in your child's work.
• Always talk about school and the teacher in a positive way, even if you have concerns. It is important for children to see home and school as united.
• Establish regular routines for morning, after school, homework and bedtime.
• Make sure your child is getting enough sleep, so he can focus at school.
• Talk to your child daily about school and how she feels it is going. This shows the value of education.
• Monitor and limit your child's use of technology (TV, computer, internet, video-games, phone and social media).
• Encourage healthy eating and exercise habits.
• Celebrate your child's school success at home.