Skip to main content
Minnesota Standards

Minnesota 6th Grade Math Standards

All 34 Minnesota math standards for 6th grade, each explained in plain English. The official wording is in Minnesota Department of Education's document, linked at the end of this page.

34 standards

Data and Probability

8 standards
6.1.1.1
Recognize a statistical question as one whose answers vary, like how tall are sixth graders, that calls for number or category data and allows for that spread.
6.1.1.2
Plan and run surveys or experiments to answer a statistical question, mindful of varied cultural views and the spread in results, and explain which variables you chose.
6.1.1.3
Find and explain mean, median, range, interquartile range and mean absolute deviation to describe a data set's center and spread and answer a question.
6.1.1.4
Make a display, like a dot plot, stem-and-leaf plot, histogram, box plot or table, that shows patterns and shape in data to help answer a question.
6.1.1.5
Compare and share different explanations for a trend in data, weighing other reasonable views, cultural ones included, given how results vary.
6.1.2.1
List all possible outcomes of an experiment, its sample space, using a tree diagram, table or picture, like flipping a coin and rolling a die.
6.1.2.2
Find the probability of an event as favorable outcomes over all outcomes, like 2/6 for rolling a 1 or 2, as a fraction, decimal or percent from 0 to 1.
6.1.2.3
Find probabilities from trial results, compare them to the expected chance, and use results to predict when the true chance is unknown, as a fraction, decimal or percent.

Spatial Reasoning

8 standards
6.2.3.1
Find the surface area of rectangular and triangular prisms in square units and explain the formula by unfolding nets or breaking shapes apart.
6.2.3.2
Find the volume of any prism, including triangular ones, in cubic units and explain the formula by breaking the shape into parts or using models.
6.2.3.3
Convert time, weight, capacity, length and area within one measurement system to solve real problems, like square feet to square yards.
6.2.3.4
Estimate times, weights, capacities, lengths and money amounts using familiar benchmarks, like a paper clip weighs about 1 gram.
6.2.3.5
Find the area of trapezoids, kites and other polygons by combining them into rectangles or cutting them into triangles, including in real problems.
6.2.4.1
Find a missing angle in a triangle using the fact that the three angles add to 180 degrees, and show why with a model, like tearing off the corners.
6.2.4.2
Split polygons into triangles to discover what their inside angles add up to, like 360 degrees for a quadrilateral.
6.2.4.3
Draw polygons on a coordinate grid from vertex points and use coordinates to find the length of horizontal or vertical sides, including in real problems.

Patterns and Relationships

18 standards
6.3.5.1
Use positive and negative numbers for opposite amounts, like money in and out, temperature, elevation or electric charge, and explain what 0 means in each.
6.3.5.2
Place positive and negative fractions and decimals on a number line and plot points with negative coordinates in all four quadrants.
6.3.5.3
Read a comparison with <, > or = as telling which number lies farther right on a number line, including negative fractions and decimals, like -3 < -1.
6.3.5.4
Find factors of whole numbers, write a number as a product of primes with exponents, like 72 = 2³ × 3², and know a prime above 1 has only 1 and itself as factors.
6.3.5.5
Find the greatest common factor of two numbers up to 100 and least common multiple of two up to 12, and factor sums, like 36 + 8 as 4 times the sum of 9 and 2.
6.3.5.6
Explain absolute value as a number's distance from 0 on a number line, and use it as size in context, like a $30 debt has a size of 30.
6.3.5.7
Make a rough guess for answers involving whole numbers, fractions or decimals, like 4.9 × 21 is near 100, and check that a worked result is sensible in the story.
6.3.5.8
Multiply and divide fractions and mixed numbers using drawings that model the problem, building toward general methods that always work.
6.3.5.9
Solve problems with all four operations on decimals, fractions and mixed numbers, explaining each step and what a quotient means in the story.
6.3.5.10
Use unit rates to solve problems, like miles per hour at a steady speed or price per ounce to pick the better buy.
6.3.5.11
Solve percent problems with ratio tables, tape diagrams or double number lines, like tips, discounts, markups and commission, finding a part or the percent.
6.3.6.1
Write equal expressions with positive fractions and decimals in different forms, like 1/2 × 8 and 8 ÷ 2, and explain why they match.
6.3.6.2
Convert between fractions, decimals and percents that name the same amount, like 3/5 = 0.6 = 60%.
6.3.6.3
Write expressions, equations and inequalities with variables and positive fractions or decimals to show a situation, like n + 2.5 = 10.
6.3.6.4
Solve one-step equations like x + 2.5 = 7 or 3x = 4.5 with positive numbers by keeping both sides equal, and check the answer fits the story.
6.3.6.5
Use ratios to compare amounts and see that saying 3 times as many is a different comparison from saying 10 more.
6.3.6.6
Solve ratio and rate problems, including mixtures and concentrations like juice to water, using ratio tables, tape diagrams, double number lines or equations.
6.3.7.1
Use variables for two quantities that change together, write an equation for the dependent one, like d = 50t, and connect it to a table and graph.

The official Minnesota documents

The plain-English lines on this page are EMStudio's own explanations of Minnesota's standards, not the official wording, which Minnesota Department of Education publishes in the documents above. Codes and strand names identify each standard.