TUON Online Academy

It would have been wonderful to see you during the last school holidays. Even though we didn't get the chance, we're so happy to know you received our simple gift. It's our small way of saying thank you and letting you know how grateful we are to have been part of your learning journey over the years.

Wishing you all the very best in your year 6 this year, and we hope to see you again someday, Atarah!

✨ Smiles, sunshine, and new beginnings!

Our young learners are ready to take on Term Three with curiosity and courage. Let’s make this term full of growth, laughter, and learning together at TUON Online Academy! 💜🎓📚

How would you introduce algebra to a Year 6 student in a fun, relatable way?

This was part of our 30-minute online session this morning. 😊

Instead of starting with a worksheet, I asked her, "If you were getting breakfast at McDonald's, what would you order?"

She quickly answered, a pancake and a hot chocolate.

Since we had introduced variables last week, I followed up with, "How could we write your order as an algebraic expression?"

She said, "x for the pancake... and 5 for the hot chocolate."

I paused and asked, "But wait... do we actually know the price of the hot chocolate yet?"

"I guess!" she laughed.

Exactly! Since we didn't know either price, we agreed to use variables for both.

Pancake = x
Hot chocolate = a

So her order became:

x + a

A perfect example of an expression because it has no equal sign.

Next came the fun part—finding the actual prices!

We explored the McDonald's Australia website together. It took us a while because the website kept trying to make us place an order when all we wanted was to see the prices. 😅

Eventually, we found them:

- Pancake = A$7.45
- Hot chocolate = A$5.40

She calculated the total herself.

Then I challenged her:

"I wonder... are these cheaper in New Zealand?"

Off we went searching again! We tried Gore, Invercargill, and even searched by postcode. By then, breakfast had finished in New Zealand, so the menu had disappeared. 😂

In the end, Google came to the rescue!

She compared the Australian and New Zealand prices and confidently announced,

"Australia is cheaper!"

But then I asked,

"Wait a minute... are Australian dollars and New Zealand dollars worth the same?"

That sparked another great discussion.

We looked up the exchange rate, and she realised that A$1 is worth about NZ$1.20.

She suggested multiplying the Australian total by 1.20 to convert it into New Zealand dollars.

To solve it, she used grid multiplication, I demonstrated the standard algorithm (long multiplication), and together we checked the answer using partitioning (splitting a factor).

Finally, after comparing both totals, she concluded:

"It's still cheaper in Australia... but only by about 40 cents!"

Her biggest takeaway wasn't just algebra or multiplication—it was understanding how currency exchange affects prices between countries.

That realisation will probably stay with her much longer than simply memorising formulas or following steps in a textbook.

Although this wasn't the main focus of today's lesson, it's a great reminder that real-life learning sticks.

The worksheet became her homework after we completed one example together.

Another enjoyable learning session—and another reminder that mathematics is everywhere when we take the time to explore it. 💚🌱

Same goal.
Different test experience.
Ano bang mas bagay sayo?
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