Simplify expressions, including expressions with brackets
Evaluate expressions at given values
Follow the order of operations when evaluating
Handle a negative sign or a number in front of a bracket
Solve multi-step word problems that combine simplifying and evaluating
This free printable PDF takes Grade 6 children through three skills in one place: simplifying expressions, evaluating them with given values, and solving multi-step word problems. Print it for a full algebra workout in a single sitting.
Simplify an algebraic expression by opening brackets first, then grouping like terms and combining their coefficients, until no bracket and no repeated like term is left. A negative sign in front of a bracket flips every sign inside it, so check signs before you combine anything.
Brackets at this level come in three kinds, and I teach all three. A number in front of a bracket multiplies every term inside it. A minus sign in front flips every sign inside it. A bracket inside a bracket opens from the inside out.
Children who name the kind before they start rarely open a bracket wrong.
Evaluate an expression by replacing every letter with its given value, then working through the arithmetic in order, with brackets first and multiplication before addition and subtraction. Write each substitution step down, because most evaluation errors come from skipping steps, not from hard sums.
Most drills use one letter, so I stretch strong students with two. When x = 4 and y = 2, the expression 2x + 3y needs two substitutions tracked at once.
Children who write both substitutions down first get it right far more often than children who work in their heads.
This is a 4-page printable PDF. It moves from simplifying expressions, including expressions with brackets, to evaluating expressions with given values, and finishes with multi-step word problems.
The three skills sit on one page, so children practise the full chain: simplify, evaluate, solve.
Opening a bracket without changing every sign inside it. Substituting only the first letter and forgetting the second. Working left to right instead of following the order of operations.
I ask children to write the order above each evaluation: brackets, multiply, add.
What is the difference between simplifying and evaluating?
Simplifying rewrites an expression in shorter form. Evaluating replaces letters with values and works out the number.
Why do brackets cause so many errors?
Because a sign or number in front of a bracket changes every term inside it. Open brackets first, then combine.
What order do you work in when evaluating?
Brackets first, then multiplication and division, then addition and subtraction. Write each step down.
What makes a problem "multi-step"?
It needs more than one skill: build the expression, simplify it, then evaluate it.
This worksheet aligns with Standard 6.EE.A.2.
For more Grade 6 practice, visit the Grade 6 hub.
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