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But this time, I decided to go with ‘bugs’ as well. This is the second worksheet I’ve given my son to kickstart his thinking about algebra for the coming school year.

Read each of the two problems carefully and follow the directions to convert the word problems into algebraic expressions.

Jill has locked more zombies in rooms. Every room has zombies with the same number of limbs.

1. In one room, she locked one zombie with ‘x’ number of limbs.
2. In a second room, she locked three more zombies with ‘x’ number of limbs.
3. In a third room she locked two zombies with ‘y’ number of limbs.

Write an equation to express the total number of zombies’ limbs ‘z’:

Simplify this equation by ‘combining terms’ – to do this, imagine that you combine the two rooms of zombies with ‘x’ limbs into one bigger room:

 

If x = 2 and y = 3, solve for z:

Bobby, in the second grade, doesn’t even know zombies are attacking. He’s doing a project with spiders and insects.

1. He put four grasshoppers in one box.
2. He put two big spiders in another box.
3. He put one small spider in the last box.

Write an equation to express the total number of legs ‘z’:

 

Simplify this equation by ‘combining terms’ – just like above, but combining the two boxes of spiders:

 

How many legs do grasshoppers have? X =

How many legs do big spiders have? Y =

How many legs do small spiders have? Y =

Given what you know about spiders and grasshoppers, solve for z: