How to use this sheet

  • Have the child choose the method first: substitution if a variable is already alone, elimination if a variable will cancel.
  • Solve for one variable, then put it back to find the other. Two numbers make the answer.
  • Check the pair in both equations, not only the one used last.

Common mistakes

  • Stopping after finding x. A solution is a pair, x and y.
  • In elimination, multiplying only one side of an equation, or only some terms.
  • Reading the intersection point from a graph without checking its scale.

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