An equation represents the quantitative relationships in a problem, using numbers, operation symbols, and a letter or symbol for an unknown; the unknown may be the result, a starting quantity, a change, a group size, or the number of groups. The learner connects addition and subtraction, and multiplication and division, to the situation’s structure rather than choosing an operation from isolated words, and understands that the equals sign asserts that two quantities have the same value.
An equation shows how the quantities in a problem are related. First, decide what the unknown represents. Use a letter, such as , for that unknown.
Example:
Mia had some stickers. She gave away stickers and now has stickers. How many stickers did she have at the start?
Name the unknown.
The starting number of stickers is unknown, so let represent it.
Describe what happened.
Mia started with stickers and gave away . Giving away means subtracting:
Check the situation:
Mia had stickers at the start. The equation matches the story because it shows the starting amount, the change, and the amount left.
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