FreeMathWorksheet
Free · Grade 3 · Lesson Plans

Free Grade 3 Forming Equations Lesson Plans

Free Grade 3 lesson plans for Forming Equations: 12 real questions with a full answer key and worked solutions. An equation is a balance. Do the same thing to both sides until the letter is on its own, then check by substituting back.

Price

Free

Difficulty

Stretch

Estimated time

15 min

Total marks

24

Learning objectives

Every objective is checkable, and each one maps to an activity and an assessment.

  • UnderstandExplain forming equations

    Explain forming equations accurately in a familiar context.

    Assessed by: Exit ticket of four short items

  • ApplyCalculate forming equations

    Calculate forming equations accurately in a familiar context.

    Assessed by: Exit ticket of four short items

  • AnalyseCompare forming equations

    Compare forming equations accurately in a familiar context.

    Assessed by: Exit ticket of four short items

  • EvaluateJustify forming equations

    Justify forming equations accurately in a familiar context.

    Assessed by: Exit ticket of four short items

Prerequisites

Close these gaps first — each has its own free lesson, worksheet and quiz.

How Forming Equations works

An equation is a balance. Do the same thing to both sides until the letter is on its own, then check by substituting back.

Key wordsequationsolveinversebalance

12 practice questions

Easy to hard, 24 marks in total. Try them first, then open the answers.

  1. 1.Solve x + 19 = 29.[1]
  2. 2.Solve x + 19 = 24.[1]
  3. 3.Solve x + 17 = 22.[1]
  4. 4.Solve x + 5 = 9.[1]
  5. 5.Solve 5x + 14 = 19.[2]
  6. 6.Solve 9x + 14 = -22.[2]
  7. 7.Solve 7x + 10 = -11.[2]
  8. 8.Solve 8x + 12 = 28.[2]
  9. 9.Solve 6x + 16 = 3x + -5.[3]
  10. 10.Solve 2x + 8 = 1x + 15.[3]
  11. 11.Solve 3x + 1 = 1x + 15.[3]
  12. 12.Solve 8x + 3 = 1x + 3.[3]
Show answers and working
  1. 1. x = 10

    Subtract 19 from both sides: x = 10. Check: 1 × 10 + 19 = 29.

  2. 2. x = 5

    Subtract 19 from both sides: x = 5. Check: 1 × 5 + 19 = 24.

  3. 3. x = 5

    Subtract 17 from both sides: x = 5. Check: 1 × 5 + 17 = 22.

  4. 4. x = 4

    Subtract 5 from both sides: x = 4. Check: 1 × 4 + 5 = 9.

  5. 5. x = 1

    Subtract 14 from both sides: 5x = 5. Divide by 5: x = 1. Check: 5 × 1 + 14 = 19.

  6. 6. x = -4

    Subtract 14 from both sides: 9x = -36. Divide by 9: x = -4. Check: 9 × -4 + 14 = -22.

  7. 7. x = -3

    Subtract 10 from both sides: 7x = -21. Divide by 7: x = -3. Check: 7 × -3 + 10 = -11.

  8. 8. x = 2

    Subtract 12 from both sides: 8x = 16. Divide by 8: x = 2. Check: 8 × 2 + 12 = 28.

  9. 9. x = -7

    Subtract 3x from both sides: 3x + 16 = -5. Subtract 16: 3x = -21. Divide by 3: x = -7.

  10. 10. x = 7

    Subtract 1x from both sides: 1x + 8 = 15. Subtract 8: 1x = 7. Divide by 1: x = 7.

  11. 11. x = 7

    Subtract 1x from both sides: 2x + 1 = 15. Subtract 1: 2x = 14. Divide by 2: x = 7.

  12. 12. x = 0

    Subtract 1x from both sides: 7x + 3 = 3. Subtract 3: 7x = 0. Divide by 7: x = 0.

Worked examples

Easy example

Solve x + 20 = 22.

  1. Subtract 20 from both sides: x = 2.
  2. Check: 1 × 2 + 20 = 22.
  3. Answer: x = 2
Medium example

Solve 8x + 18 = 58.

  1. Subtract 18 from both sides: 8x = 40.
  2. Divide by 8: x = 5.
  3. Check: 8 × 5 + 18 = 58.
  4. Answer: x = 5
Hard example

Solve 7x + 20 = 6x + 17.

  1. Subtract 6x from both sides: 1x + 20 = 17.
  2. Subtract 20: 1x = -3.
  3. Divide by 1: x = -3.
  4. Answer: x = -3

Interactive practice

Free, no account required — answer on screen or print it.

Common mistakes

What learners typically get wrong, and how to fix it.

  • Does an operation to only one side.

    Correction: Keep the balance — both sides, every time.

  • Uses the wrong inverse (subtracts to undo multiplying).

    Correction: Undo × with ÷ and + with −.

Teacher tips

  • · Always ask pupils to substitute their answer back in.

Parent tips

  • · 'I think of a number' puzzles at dinner.

Real-life applications

  • · Working out an unknown price or time from a total.

Assessment objectives

How mastery is evidenced, and which standards it maps to.

NATIONAL-CURRICULUM NAT-545.1 — Mapped statement covering Forming Equations.IB IB-372.2 — Mapped statement covering Forming Equations.

Every free resource for Forming Equations

One concept, one ecosystem — all of it free.

Goes deeper

The entities below this one, each with the same complete free resource set.

Sibling concepts

Related concepts

Lateral links, including across subjects.

Next topics

All free formats for this concept

Every kind below is a real page, generated from this entity.

Frequently asked

Is this Grade 3 Forming Equations lesson plan really free?
Yes. Every lesson plans on FreeMathWorksheet is free to use, print and share — no account, no paywall and no watermark.
What should a learner already know before this?
Start with Equations with Unknowns Both Sides, Equations with Brackets, Algebraic Expressions. Each one has its own free lesson, worksheet and quiz.
How is the lesson plan sequenced?
Recognition first, then understanding, application, reasoning and finally mastery — the same ladder used across every free resource on the platform.
What comes next after Forming Equations?
Move on to Algebraic Expressions, Inequalities, Sequences, Quadratics, which build directly on this idea.

Related resources

Free AI Tutor

Stuck on Forming Equations? The AI Tutor already knows this page, its prerequisites and its common mistakes.

Open the free AI Tutor