Grade 6 math in BC is a big step. Your child meets ratios, percents, mixed numbers and multiplying and dividing decimals. This guide explains the BC curriculum for Grade 6 in plain words, so you know what to expect and how to help.
What Grade 6 math covers in BC
Each grade in the BC math curriculum has five big ideas, one for each of the same five areas. Here is what each area means for Grade 6.[1]
| Group | What your child learns |
|---|---|
| Number | Place value from thousandths to billions. Factors, multiples, prime and composite numbers. Improper fractions and mixed numbers. Introductory ratios, whole-number percents and percentage discounts. |
| Computational fluency | Multiplication and division facts to 100. Multiplying and dividing decimals, such as 0.125 x 3 or 7.2 ÷ 9. Order of operations with brackets. Quotients that can be decimals or fractions. |
| Patterning | Increasing and decreasing patterns shown with expressions, tables and graphs. One-step equations such as 3x = 12 and x + 5 = 11. |
| Geometry and measurement | Perimeter of complex shapes. Area of triangles, parallelograms and trapezoids. Angles: straight, acute, right, obtuse and reflex. Volume and capacity. Types of triangles. Plotting points on a Cartesian plane and combining slides, flips and turns. |
| Data and probability | Creating and reading line graphs. Single-outcome probability: listing outcomes, and comparing experiment results with what you expect. |
| Money | Informed choices about saving and buying, simple budgeting and consumer math. |
What Grade 6 reading and writing cover
Grade 6 ELA in BC has two parts. One is understanding what you read, hear and view. The other is creating and sharing your own ideas in writing, speaking and pictures.[2]
- Kinds of text. Narrative, exposition and report forms, and categories such as fantasy, humour, adventure and biography.
- Story parts. Narrative structure, characterization and setting. Sensory detail, sound devices, simile and metaphor.
- Persuasion. How writers use emotional and logical appeals to persuade.
- Reading strategies. Context clues, visualizing, questioning, predicting, summarizing and making inferences.
- Writing. Paragraphs with unity, development and coherence. Varied sentences, pronouns, transition words, and spotting run-ons and fragments. All standard punctuation and Canadian spelling.
- Language and presentation. Regional dialects, Canadian versus American English, formal versus informal language (such as texting versus an essay), and choosing the right medium for the audience.
These items come from the Grade 6 ELA content.[2]
Grade 6 math practice questions
These example questions match the Grade 6 topics above. Cover the answers, let your child try, then check together.
- Which is larger, 0.45 or 0.405? Answer: 0.45.
- Work out 3 + 4 x (8 - 2). Answer: 27.
- List all the factors of 18. Answer: 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 18.
- Write 11/4 as a mixed number. Answer: 2 3/4.
- A class has 10 boys and 15 girls. What is the ratio of boys to girls in simplest form? Answer: 2 : 3.
- A $50 shirt is 20% off. What is the sale price? Answer: $40.
- Multiply 0.125 x 3, then divide 7.2 by 9. Answer: 0.375 and 0.8.
- A triangle has a base of 10 cm and a height of 6 cm. What is its area? Answer: 30 square centimetres.
Reading practice ideas
- Find an ad or a short opinion piece. Ask: what is the writer trying to make you feel, and what reasons do they give?
- Rewrite a text message as a polite email to a teacher. Talk about what changed.
- Ask your child to write two paragraphs that argue for something they care about.
Where Grade 6 can feel hard
Every child is different, but these are good places to look if homework feels like a struggle.
- Ratios. A ratio compares amounts. Use real objects, such as 2 red counters for every 3 blue ones.
- Percents. Link them to 100 and to fractions: 50% is half, 25% is a quarter.
- Decimal operations. Estimate first, so a misplaced decimal point looks wrong.
- Area formulas. Rather than memorize, ask how a parallelogram can turn into a rectangle.
Find the weak spot, tell the teacher, and practise a little each day.
How to help at home
- Use percents and ratios in daily life. Work out a sale price, a tip or a recipe made bigger.
- Check estimates. Ask: should the answer be bigger or smaller than 10? This catches slips.
- Draw it. A fraction strip, a 10 x 10 grid or a sketch of a shape makes a hard idea clear.
- Keep facts sharp. A few minutes of multiplication and division facts helps with factors, ratios and decimals.
- Talk about what they read. Ask what the author wants you to think, and whether you agree.
If your child is behind or ahead
Start with the teacher. Ask what your child does well, where they struggle, and how you can help at home.
If your child is behind, check fractions, decimals and multiplication facts first, because Grade 6 topics build on them. If your child is ahead, look for problems that connect ideas, such as a percent problem that also uses a ratio. Wide reading and writing about it keep them stretched.
Unica Learning makes personalized math and reading workbooks for ages 6-12 and mails them home. The books follow the BC curriculum at your child’s level, not just their grade.
A free placement assessment on paper finds your child’s level and gaps.