Simple Algebra for Elementary School Kids

When I was in high school, I wanted to go to college, so I took Algebra I. I didn't understand what the teacher was teaching us at all! If someone could just help me a little, I might pass. My teacher couldn't get it through to me, but the kid sitting behind me did. Something he said-just one sentence-triggered it. I had no difficulty getting "A" for the course after that.

Concept

If you've ever watched the movie starring Patty Duke as Helen Keller, you will understand how facts cannot be learned without grasping a concept. When Annie spelled sign-language letters in her hand, Little Helen could duplicate the motions her teacher demonstrated, but she did not grasp what the spellings or words referred to. They meant the objects Annie was having her feel, their names. Then suddenly one day-she got it! Water! All at once she knew what it all meant. She grasped the concept. She went everywhere spelling like mad, being told, Yes, that's what this is! Yes, that is what that is. So, too, with concepts even average persons must learn, such as algebra.

Kids Already Use Algebra

Kids aren't aware of it, but they already use algebra all the time. Imagine they are told that an apple costs a nickel, but an orange costs twice as much. They do the math in their head, since they are familiar with the "times table." Two times a nickel is a dime. They know an orange costs a dime.

Let's Begin

Let's begin, then by writing down this process, our first algebra problem. We've already established, an orange costs twice as much as an apple, or

Cost of Orange = 2 x Cost of Apple

Let's abbreviate and say,

Orange = 2 x Apple, or

O = 2(A) where the parentheses means the 2 is "times" the A.

Instead of using the letters O and A for Orange and Apple, let's replace them with Y and X,

Y = 2(X)

We know the orange was a dime and the apple a nickel, so does this "equation" work?

10 = 2(5)

It's right!

Inflation

Using the same equation, Y = 2(X), imagine the price of an apple increases to 7 cents, then how much does an orange cost?

Y = 2(7) = 14 cents. An orange now costs 14 cents.

One More Time

Let's try one more example before moving on...

Say a banana costs 3 times as much as an apple. Then, remembering apples have gone up to 7 cents each,

B = 3(A)

Changing to Y and X, this becomes

Y = 3(X)

Y = 3(7) = 21 cents

A banana costs 21 cents.