Solving One-Step Inequalities

Inside the case file

One step inequalities for 6th grade and 7th grade, each cleared in a single move. Students solve each inequality on the crime sheet, then match the solution to a suspect and cross that name off until one is left, so an algebra topic arrives as math worksheets and math activities your class will finish. Five CSI Mini Mystery Detective math case files for inequalities 6th grade work in the unit itself, then test prep, math centers, early finishers, homework, morning work, sub plans and spiral review, any month of the year. Print and go CSI math, with detective activities and full answer keys.

Five one step inequality cases, each solved in a single move, for the first week of the unit. Every solution a student works out takes one suspect off the lineup, so they keep going for the culprit and check their own work along the way. One case suits a period, which makes the five a straightforward week of test prep.

The Cases

1. Family Heirloom - a treasure the family cannot replace
2. Art Museum - a painting walks out of the museum
3. School Mascot - the costume vanishes before the game
4. Jewelry Store Theft - the store is cleaned out overnight
5. The Bank Vault - the vault has been cracked open

What's Inside

• Five case files, each with a crime sheet and its own lineup of suspects
• One step inequalities, solved for the variable in a single move
• Inequalities across all four operations, including dividing by a negative
• Each answer matches one suspect and no other, so the page checks itself
• A full answer key for every case
• Print and go: no cutting, no laminating, nothing to prepare

What Is a CSI Mini Mystery Detective?

A CSI Mini Mystery Detective is one printed page carrying one crime and one lineup. Each suspect has a number, the crime sheet produces those numbers, and a correct answer removes that suspect until a single name is left. Nothing is laminated, charged or bought, so the math does the whole job, and that is the difference between these detective activities and a page of math worksheets.

When to Use This Resource

Use this at the start of the inequalities unit, once one step equations are secure and students are meeting the inequality sign for the first time. Then bring it back before two step inequalities, when the sign flip has to be automatic. A solution on the wrong side of the sign crosses off the wrong suspect, so the rule gets learned on the page rather than in a correction from you.

It works for test prep, homework, math centers, morning work, early finishers, sub plans and homeschool lessons, with a class, a small group or one student alone.

Grade Levels

Written for 6th grade and 7th grade, where one step inequalities sit in the standards. Fifth graders take it once they are solving one step equations, and 8th graders use it as a refresher before compound inequalities.

Why Teachers Love These Cases

• The natural step between one step equations and two step inequalities
• Students learn the sign flip when the wrong suspect comes off
• No prep, and the answer keys make grading quick
• Works with a whole class, a small group, partners, or one student alone

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