Strip Diagram: Comparison [TEKS Tools Grade 6]

This post specifically looks at how comparison strip diagrams can be used to solve a variety of problems. Read more about TEKS Tools and their rationale here.

Strip Diagram

Strip diagrams account for around 5% of each 6th grade STAAR test. Within this tool are many variations: part-whole, equal groups, and comparison. First introduced in 3rd grade, their usefulness diminishes as the numbers and operations increase in complexity.

The main function of a strip diagram is to show the relationship between the quantities in the problem situation. When the relationship is evident, students can select the correct operations and perform accurate calculations.

One thing to note about strip diagrams is that the total can be shown in a variety of ways and positions. I vary how I represent the total to match the various representations seen on STAAR.

Comparison

Comparative relationships are used to solve problems involving all four operations.

6.12C - summarize numeric data with numerical summaries, including the mean and median (measures of center) and the range and interquartile range (IQR) (measures of spread), and use these summaries to describe the center, spread, and shape of the data distribution

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2025-19: a data set was given, students had to find the range

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6.14H - compare the annual salary of several occupations requiring various levels of post-secondary education or vocational training and calculate the effects of the different annual salaries on lifetime income

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2025-26: the two quantities were given, students had to compare five groups of each