Am I the only teacher who gets excited when students begin solving more complex problems? I’m sure you feel the same way as me, otherwise why would you be looking for fantastic resources for your students?!
Inequalities is showing the relationship between numbers and variables using greater than, less than, and equal to symbols. Students have been using inequalities for years and should have a strong understanding of the basic signs. In 6th grade, your students will be working with variables in one-step inequalities.
In my experience, students who don’t enjoy math or struggle generally become frustrated when they start to see letters in math. Scaffolding is going to play a large role in how you help confused students become masters in inequalities. We don’t want vocabulary or symbols to be an obstacle in the way of our students learning new things!
In 6th grade, students will work with one-step inequalities and then work up to two-step inequalities. When introducing and teaching one-step inequalities, it’s really important to make sure you help your students master this standard. This math concept is a foundation that will be built upon as they progress through school.
So let’s dive in! Here are 10 engaging, low-prep activities to get students learning and practicing all things one-step (then two-step) inequalities:
- One-Step Inequalities Maze
- Writing One-Step Inequalities Maze
- Graphing Inequalities on a Number Line Tic Tac Toe
- Writing, Solving, and Graphing Inequalities Task Cards
- Writing, Solving, and Graphing Inequalities Escape Room
- Math Game: One Step Inequalities
- Shmoop Video: Inequalities
- Inequality Memory
- Create Inequalities
- Inequalities Worksheet Generator
One-Step Inequalities Maze
This maze provides students with the opportunity to practice one-step inequalities in a fun and exciting way. Our resource has three separate mazes that can be used in a variety of ways: bell work, independent practice, quiz, exit ticket, homework, etc. If you haven’t tried our mazes before, you’ll be amazed with how much your students enjoy it!
In these mazes, students begin at the start box and have to solve a one-step inequality. They then pick between two options and continue the same steps until they get to the finish box. For example, solve 4x < 12. Is it x < 8 or x < 3? This activity doesn’t take a lot of time for students and all you have to do is copy enough for your class! (Plus, if you’re looking for an online activity, these mazes comes in fully digital versions built in Google SlidesTM )
Writing One-Step Inequalities Maze
Are your students mastering one-step inequalities? Challenge them with a maze that requires them to pick an inequality based on a sentence. This resource comes with three different mazes. Students will read a sentence and pick the correct inequality, and continue this process until they get to the end of the maze.
I like this resource for students who have mastered one-step inequalities before the rest of the class. I can give a copy to students who don’t need to do group practice anymore. You can also use this as an early finisher option or even an extra credit opportunity. Plus, there’s an interactive digital version included (created in Google SlidesTM ) to use online. There are lots of different ways to use this resource!
Graphing Inequalities on a Number Line Tic Tac Toe
Tic Tac Toe is a universal game that almost every child knows how to play. The graphing inequalities tic tac toe is a great activity for students to review what they know while also using strategy. In pairs, a student will pick a problem to solve, but both students work on it separately to compare answers. If the original student answered correctly, they get to mark that spot with their symbol. First to get three in a row wins!
This resource comes with two different versions of graphing inequalities on a number line, and an answer key is available for each game. This could be used as a refresher after a long weekend, a quick review before a quiz, or even a station during rotations. Tic Tac Toe is also great because students get to use strategy when picking which problem to solve.
Writing, Solving, and Graphing Inequalities Task Cards
Students need to be able to write, solve, and graph with inequalities. This set of digital and paper task cards combines all three skills into one activity. Task cards are great because you can use them however you want in your classroom. Every school and class has different expectations, so having options is something I’m always looking for.
On the first four cards, students have to answer yes or no to a question. The next four cards have students answer yes or no to four different options in an inequality. Students then have to graph an inequality on the following four cards. Then students write an inequality based on a shown graph on four more cards. Another four cards have scenarios written where students have to write an inequality based on the situation. The last four cards require students to solve an inequality and then graph it on a number line.
Writing, Solving, and Graphing Inequalities Escape Room
The Inequalities Escape Room is a great resource to add to your teacher toolkit because students love how creative and different it is. Students will solve three puzzles to find out what was stolen, who the thief was, and where the theft took place. The escape room is a digital resource, which saves you copying time and paper!
The first puzzle requires students to either write an inequality based on a number line or scenario. There are six problems total to solve before the decoder can be used. Next, students have to match the number line graphs to the correct inequality. If they’re matched correctly, students will have the second passcode to enter. Finally, students will solve six inequality problems. Once all six have been answered correctly, those cards should be put in order from least to greatest to receive the last passcode.
Have you tried a digital math escape room yet? Teachers & students rave about them! To see what all the fuss is about, click the link below, drop your email, and we’ll send you this FREE digital math escape room!
This escape room is built in Google Slides and has 3 puzzles- one for combining like terms, one for distributive property, and the final one for solving 2-step equations. Grab yours today!
Math Game: One-Step Inequalities
Mathgames.com is a great website because it has so many free games that are all student friendly. The one-step inequalities game has one level with 10 questions. Students solve an inequality question with four choices to pick from. Every time students play, new questions are presented in the game.
I would recommend using this game as an assessment because you can walk around and quickly see where everyone is based on their score. If a student performs well in the game, they can move onto two-step inequalities. There are a lot of different ways for this game to be used to help all levels of learners.
Shmoop Video: Inequalities
This two-minute video goes over inequalities in a fun and “out of this world” way. This is a resource that could be used before students begin working with one-step inequalities. Students who don’t have a strong foundation in math are going to need a review of greater than, less than, and equal to. You’re also going to be providing an opportunity for any ELL students to understand inequalities with visuals.
I like to give my students a few questions to answer when I show a video. Here are a few questions you could use with your students:
- What do the Shmooples eat?
- Space Starbursts
- Which is greater, a Shmoople with 3 arms or a Shmooples with 8 arms?
- 8 arms
- How can you write in math terms that 4 is less than 20?
- 4 < 20
- Are these two statements true or false? Explain.
- 6 > 4 and 4 < 6; both statements are correct because they are read six is greater than four and four is less than six
- What is your flavor of Starburst?
Inequality Memory
Middle School Math Man has a free inequality memory game available on his blog. This game has 12 inequalities and 12 graphed inequalities on a number line. Students have to match the written inequality to the correct number line. I love giving my students a classic game combined with a math skill, because they’re not having to learn how to play a new game; the focus is just on the standard.
I love this resource because it saves math teachers so much time! You can print off several copies of the game and give a few students a set and have them play together. This would also be a great resource to see how well students understand inequalities graphed on a number line.
Create One-Step Inequalities
I am a huge fan of letting students create their own problems to be solved by their peers. This provides students with the opportunity to show that they really understand a skill and they love playing the role of a teacher.
Give each student a white board and a greater than, less than, and equal to card. You can create the cards yourself or give your students a few minutes to quickly make them.
To play, player 1 will write a number on their board and player 2 will write a letter. Player 1 will also pick which symbol card will go between the two boards. Player 2 then has to explain what value the variable could be. The process is then repeated but the players complete the opposite steps from before.
This game is simple in approach but I like to use it to help build confidence in my students. Building confidence in a math classroom is a simple thing that can make a huge difference in the way your students approach new standards.
Inequalities Worksheet Generator
If you’ve never used math-aids.com before, you’re about to fall in love! This website allows you to create worksheets based on what you want your students to practice. You’ll choose the types of inequalities students see, the types of numbers used, and how students show you what they know with a number line.
Once you pick your preferences for the worksheet, you’ll be given a PDF with an answer key attached. This is a fantastic resource because you can make different versions based on what you’re needing to reinforce for specific students. I’ve created worksheets before and then taken screenshots of problems to be used in different activities.Plus, worksheets like this are great to use for problems when playing a whole class game like whiteboard football.
Excited Teachers = Excited Students
I hope you’ve found a few resources that have made you excited! Our goal is to provide you with creative and different activities that you can use in your classroom. Your priority as a teacher is to help your students learn and grow, and I hope at least one of these resources and ideas can do that for your 6th grade students!
