📚 Unit Plans → 🌍 Y7/8 Introduction to Algebra — Te Tātai Tauira → 📄 Practice: Translating Words to Algebra
Years 7–10 Pāngarau / Mathematics

Practice: Translating Words to Algebra

Turn these everyday phrases into the language of algebra. Use 'x' for the unknown number.

Part 1: Expressions

  1. The sum of x and 12: _________________
  2. The difference between 20 and x: _________________
  3. The product of 7 and x: _________________
  4. A number x divided by 10: _________________
  5. 8 more than x: _________________
  6. 15 less than x: _________________

Part 2: Equations

  1. A number x increased by 5 is 18: _________________
  2. When a number x is doubled, the result is 24: _________________
  3. If you subtract 9 from x, you get 7: _________________
  4. A number x shared among 5 people is 6: _________________

Challenge: Two-Step Translations

  1. 3 more than twice a number x: _________________
  2. 5 less than a number x divided by 2: _________________
  3. When you multiply x by 4 and add 1, the answer is 21: _________________

Curriculum alignment

  • Algebra — Practices: - Forming and solving one- and two-step linear equations with integer solutions (e.g. t + 7 = 12, 5s + 3 = 18) - Checking the truth of and completing number sentences involvin…
  • Number — Practices: - Multiplying whole numbers by fractions, including by improper fractions, by mixed numbers, and by first converting to an improper fraction - Multiplying fractions and repres…
  • Measurement — Practices: - Multiplying whole numbers by fractions, including by improper fractions, by mixed numbers, and by first converting to an improper fraction - Multiplying fractions and repres…
  • Statistics — Practices: - Multiplying whole numbers by fractions, including by improper fractions, by mixed numbers, and by first converting to an improper fraction - Multiplying fractions and repres…
  • Algebra — Practices: - Multiplying whole numbers by fractions, including by improper fractions, by mixed numbers, and by first converting to an improper fraction - Multiplying fractions and repres…

📋 Teacher Planning Snapshot

Ngā Whāinga Ako — Learning Intentions

Students will develop algebraic thinking and pattern recognition (tātai tauira) through te ao Māori contexts, connecting mathematical reasoning to cultural and real-world problem-solving in Aotearoa.

Ngā Paearu Angitū — Success Criteria

  • ✅ Students can identify, describe, and extend patterns using algebraic notation.
  • ✅ Students can explain their mathematical reasoning and connect it to real-world contexts.

Differentiation & Inclusion

Scaffold support: Provide concrete materials and visual representations before moving to abstract notation. Offer entry-level tasks using number patterns, and extension challenges involving proof or generalisation for capable learners.

ELL / ESOL: Pre-teach key mathematical vocabulary (variable, expression, equation, pattern). Allow diagrams and tables as alternate representations. Bilingual glossaries recommended.

Inclusion: Neurodiverse learners benefit from structured step-by-step templates and multiple representations (visual, numeric, algebraic). Avoid time pressure on procedural tasks.

🌿 Mātauranga Māori Lens

Tātai (to reckon, count, calculate) reflects the deep mathematical tradition within te ao Māori — from whakapapa genealogy structures to wharenui proportional geometry, navigation, and seasonal calendars. Mātauranga Māori holds rich pattern-based thinking: tukutuku panel sequences, kōwhaiwhai scroll patterns, and fishing seasonal cycles all encode algebraic relationships. Algebra taught through these lenses makes abstract thinking visible and culturally grounded.