Mega

Math
Fun
Mega Fun Math Skill Builders: Grades 6-8 © Richard Porteus, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Builders
Skill by Richard Porteus
grades 6
-8

S C H O L A S T I C

PROFESSIONALBOOKS
New York • Toronto • London • Auckland • Sydney
Mexico City • New Delhi • Hong Kong
Mega Fun Math Skill Builders: Grades 6-8 © Richard Porteus, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Scholastic Inc. grants teachers permission to photocopy the reproducible pages from this book for
classroom use. No other part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in
a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without permission of the publisher. For information
regarding permission, write to Scholastic Professional Books, 555 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.

Cover design by Daniel Moreton

Cover illustration and interior illustration by Richard Porteus
Interior design by Richard Porteus and Vincent Ceci

Copyright © 1999 by Richard Porteus. All rights reserved.

ISBN 0-439-04495-2

Printed in the U.S.A.

2
 Table of Contents

Introduction

Number Sense
Number User (Using numbers) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Number Stumper (Choosing operations) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Sensible Chooser (Understanding estimates) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Best Estimator (Making estimates) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Patterns and Relationships

Mega Fun Math Skill Builders: Grades 6-8 © Richard Porteus, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Number Jumper (Continuing patterns) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Pattern Finder (Finding patterns) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication & Division

Truth Sleuth (Multiplying 1- and 2-digit numbers) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Swell Helper (Multiplying 2- and 3-digit numbers) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Rate Creator (Multiplying 1- and 2-digit numbers) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Neat Eater (Adding and subtracting) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Smart Archer (Adding 2-digit numbers) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Digit Fitter (Multiplying and dividing to complete math sentences) . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Crossdigit Wiz (Addition, subtraction, multiplication & division) . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Sure Tourist (Multiplying and dividing) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Division Man (Dividing with remainders) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Fractions, Decimals & Percents

Fraction Tracker (Finding equivalent fractions) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Jolly Joker (Adding decimals) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Match Maker (Rewriting fractions as decimals) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Convertor Clerk (Finding fraction/decimal/percent equivalents) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Percent Presenter (Understanding percentages) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Able Surveyor (Determining fractions, decimals & percents) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Worthy Earthling (Working with mixed numbers). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Geometry and Measurement

Shape Chaser (Exploring solid shapes) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Shape Gaper (Understanding solid shapes) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Great Decorator (Computing area) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Alert Convertor (Converting units) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Measure User (Understanding metric measurement). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

3
 Smiling Miler (Converting units) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Meter Leader (Determining meters per second) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Shape Finder (Exploring polygons) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Probability
Number Chum (Using the Fundamental Counting Principle) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Event Inventor (Determining probability) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Charts and Graphs

Mega Fun Math Skill Builders: Grades 6-8 © Richard Porteus, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Graph Drafter (Reading circle graphs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Decibel Tester (Reading a bar graph) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Money
Quiet Buyer (Finding unit prices) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Reliable Buyer (Determining discounts) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Real Dealer (Determining discounts) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Refined Diner (Spending money) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Problem Solving
Answer Fancier (Solving word problems) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Puzzle Guzzler (Solving puzzles) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Answer Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

4
 Introduction

This is the book for your students!

It contains a one-of-a-kind collection of activities that reinforce

basic math skills. I have thoughtfully selected activities to
stimulate, fascinate, and challenge students to be active learners.
These activities provide students with practice problems requiring
logical thinking as well as computation application.

Do your students think that math is just adding, subtracting,

Mega Fun Math Skill Builders: Grades 6-8 © Richard Porteus, Scholastic Teaching Resources

multiplying, and dividing? These pages offer a variety of math

activities that do not involve those operations and many that do.

There is no particular sequence required for presenting the

activities in this book. When you wish to teach or reinforce a
specific topic, simply look it up in the table of contents. The
contents page is arranged in a sequence appearing in most sixth,
seventh, and eighth grade math textbooks.

I want students to enjoy math. That is why every page is

designed differently, many featuring cartoon drawings and
characters. Every topic is a name for the student doing the math.
So it is, that the student using numbers on page 6 is a Number
User. The student solving the problems on page 17 is a Digit
Fitter, and so on.

I am a retired teacher (kindergarten through high school) and

author of a variety of educational books for children. I hope that
you and your students enjoy this book as much as I have enjoyed
writing and illustrating it.

Richard Porteus

5
 Number Sense

Name______________________________________________ Date _________________

Number User
Mega Fun Math Skill Builders: Grades 6-8 © Richard Porteus, Scholastic Teaching Resources

6
 Number Sense

Name______________________________________________ Date _________________

Number Stumper
Mega Fun Math Skill Builders: Grades 6-8 © Richard Porteus, Scholastic Teaching Resources

7
 Number Sense

Name______________________________________________ Date _________________

Sensible Chooser
Mega Fun Math Skill Builders: Grades 6-8 © Richard Porteus, Scholastic Teaching Resources

8
 Number Sense

Name______________________________________________ Date _________________

Best Estimator
Mega Fun Math Skill Builders: Grades 6-8 © Richard Porteus, Scholastic Teaching Resources

9
 Patterns and Relationships

Name______________________________________________ Date _________________

Number Jumper
Mega Fun Math Skill Builders: Grades 6-8 © Richard Porteus, Scholastic Teaching Resources

10
 Patterns and Relationships

Name______________________________________________ Date _________________

Pattern Finder
Mega Fun Math Skill Builders: Grades 6-8 © Richard Porteus, Scholastic Teaching Resources

11
 Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication & Division

Name______________________________________________ Date _________________

Truth Sleuth
Mega Fun Math Skill Builders: Grades 6-8 © Richard Porteus, Scholastic Teaching Resources

12
 Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication & Division

Name______________________________________________ Date _________________

Swell Helper
Mega Fun Math Skill Builders: Grades 6-8 © Richard Porteus, Scholastic Teaching Resources

13
 Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication & Division

Name______________________________________________ Date _________________

Rate Creator
Mega Fun Math Skill Builders: Grades 6-8 © Richard Porteus, Scholastic Teaching Resources

14
 Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication & Division

Name______________________________________________ Date _________________

Neat Eater
Mega Fun Math Skill Builders: Grades 6-8 © Richard Porteus, Scholastic Teaching Resources

15
 Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication & Division

Name______________________________________________ Date _________________

Smart Archer
Mega Fun Math Skill Builders: Grades 6-8 © Richard Porteus, Scholastic Teaching Resources

16
 Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication & Division

Name______________________________________________ Date _________________

Digit Fitter
Mega Fun Math Skill Builders: Grades 6-8 © Richard Porteus, Scholastic Teaching Resources

17
 Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication & Division

Name______________________________________________ Date _________________

Crossdigit Wiz
Mega Fun Math Skill Builders: Grades 6-8 © Richard Porteus, Scholastic Teaching Resources

18
 Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication & Division

Name______________________________________________ Date _________________

Sure Tourist
Mega Fun Math Skill Builders: Grades 6-8 © Richard Porteus, Scholastic Teaching Resources

19
 Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication & Division

Name______________________________________________ Date _________________

Division Man
Mega Fun Math Skill Builders: Grades 6-8 © Richard Porteus, Scholastic Teaching Resources

20
 Fractions, Decimals & Percents

Name______________________________________________ Date _________________

Fraction Tracker
Mega Fun Math Skill Builders: Grades 6-8 © Richard Porteus, Scholastic Teaching Resources

21
 Fractions, Decimals & Percents

Name______________________________________________ Date _________________

Jolly Joker
Mega Fun Math Skill Builders: Grades 6-8 © Richard Porteus, Scholastic Teaching Resources

22
 Fractions, Decimals & Percents

Name______________________________________________ Date _________________

Match Maker
Mega Fun Math Skill Builders: Grades 6-8 © Richard Porteus, Scholastic Teaching Resources

23
 Fractions, Decimals & Percents

Name______________________________________________ Date _________________

Convertor Clerk
Mega Fun Math Skill Builders: Grades 6-8 © Richard Porteus, Scholastic Teaching Resources

24
 Fractions, Decimals & Percents

Name______________________________________________ Date _________________

Percent Presenter
Mega Fun Math Skill Builders: Grades 6-8 © Richard Porteus, Scholastic Teaching Resources

25
 Fractions, Decimals & Percents

Name______________________________________________ Date _________________

Able Surveyor
Mega Fun Math Skill Builders: Grades 6-8 © Richard Porteus, Scholastic Teaching Resources

26
 Fractions, Decimals & Percents

Name______________________________________________ Date _________________

Worthy Earthling
Mega Fun Math Skill Builders: Grades 6-8 © Richard Porteus, Scholastic Teaching Resources

27
 Geometry and Measurement

Name______________________________________________ Date _________________

Shape Chaser
Mega Fun Math Skill Builders: Grades 6-8 © Richard Porteus, Scholastic Teaching Resources

28
 Geometry and Measurement

Name______________________________________________ Date _________________

Shape Gaper
Mega Fun Math Skill Builders: Grades 6-8 © Richard Porteus, Scholastic Teaching Resources

29
 Geometry and Measurement

Name______________________________________________ Date _________________

Great Decorator
Mega Fun Math Skill Builders: Grades 6-8 © Richard Porteus, Scholastic Teaching Resources

30
 Geometry and Measurement

Name______________________________________________ Date _________________

Alert Convertor
Mega Fun Math Skill Builders: Grades 6-8 © Richard Porteus, Scholastic Teaching Resources

31
 Geometry and Measurement

Name______________________________________________ Date _________________

Measure User
Mega Fun Math Skill Builders: Grades 6-8 © Richard Porteus, Scholastic Teaching Resources

32
 Geometry and Measurement

Name______________________________________________ Date _________________

Smiling Miler
Mega Fun Math Skill Builders: Grades 6-8 © Richard Porteus, Scholastic Teaching Resources

33
 Geometry and Measurement

Name______________________________________________ Date _________________

Meter Leader
Mega Fun Math Skill Builders: Grades 6-8 © Richard Porteus, Scholastic Teaching Resources

34
 Geometry and Measurement

Name______________________________________________ Date _________________

Shape Finder
Mega Fun Math Skill Builders: Grades 6-8 © Richard Porteus, Scholastic Teaching Resources

35
 Probability

Name______________________________________________ Date _________________

Number Chum
Mega Fun Math Skill Builders: Grades 6-8 © Richard Porteus, Scholastic Teaching Resources

36
 Probability

Name______________________________________________ Date _________________

Event Inventor
Mega Fun Math Skill Builders: Grades 6-8 © Richard Porteus, Scholastic Teaching Resources

37
 Charts and Graphs

Name______________________________________________ Date _________________

Graph Drafter
Mega Fun Math Skill Builders: Grades 6-8 © Richard Porteus, Scholastic Teaching Resources

38
 Charts and Graphs

Name______________________________________________ Date _________________

Decibel Tester
Mega Fun Math Skill Builders: Grades 6-8 © Richard Porteus, Scholastic Teaching Resources

39
 Money

Name______________________________________________ Date _________________

Quiet Buyer
Mega Fun Math Skill Builders: Grades 6-8 © Richard Porteus, Scholastic Teaching Resources

40
 Money

Name______________________________________________ Date _________________

Reliable Buyer
Mega Fun Math Skill Builders: Grades 6-8 © Richard Porteus, Scholastic Teaching Resources

41
 Money

Name______________________________________________ Date _________________

Real Dealer
Mega Fun Math Skill Builders: Grades 6-8 © Richard Porteus, Scholastic Teaching Resources

42
 Money

Name______________________________________________ Date _________________

Refined Diner

Menu
Soups
Hot and Sour $2.50
Wonton 2.75
Mega Fun Math Skill Builders: Grades 6-8 © Richard Porteus, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Egg Drop 2.25

Seafood 3.00

Appetizers
Egg Roll 2.00
Spring Roll 1.75
Port Strips 3.25
Chicken Fingers 2.95
Crab Rangoon 2.75
Peking Ravioli 2.95
French Fries 1.50
Onion Rings 2.75

House Specials
Sesame Chicken 8.95
Yu Hsiang Scallops 9.00
Orange Chicken 8.95
Ginger Lobster 10.15
Seafood Supreme 11.25
Kung Pao 10.55
Hon Sue Gai 6.50
Thai Red Beef 8.95
Dragon & Phoenix 10.65
Gai Poo Lo Mein 12.95
Har Loan Kew 7.25
Chung King Pork 6.75
Pepper Steak 7.35
Pu Pu Platter 6.50

Plus 5% tax

43
 Problem Solving

Name______________________________________________ Date _________________

Answer Fancier
Mega Fun Math Skill Builders: Grades 6-8 © Richard Porteus, Scholastic Teaching Resources

44
 Problem Solving

Name______________________________________________ Date _________________

Puzzle Guzzler
Mega Fun Math Skill Builders: Grades 6-8 © Richard Porteus, Scholastic Teaching Resources

45
 Answers

Page 6 Page 10 9. $8, $12, $16, $20, $24

1. 24, 35, 48 2. 89, 121, 185 10. 720; 1,440; 2,880; 5,760;
3. 8, 4, 2 4. 36, 25, 16 11, 520
5. 79, 75, 71 6. 512, 2048, 8192
7. 42, 35, 27 8. 18, 15, 12 Page 15
9. 36, 44, 52 10. 9, 11, 13
11. 19, 26, 34 12. 5/6, 6/7, 7/8
13. 18, 27, 38 14. 13, 21, 34
15. 20, 24, 28 16. 10/11, 12/13,
14/15 17. 243, 729, 2187
18. 16, 22, 29

Page 11
1. Answers will vary; if you add
Mega Fun Math Skill Builders: Grades 6-8 © Richard Porteus, Scholastic Teaching Resources

the sum of the digits, they equal

nine.
2. All are evenly divisible by 3.
3. 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020,
Page 7 2024, 2028, 2032, and 2034
4. 165; 1999; 802
5. Answers will vary. Page 16

Page 12

Page 8
1. Exact answer 2. Exact answer
3. Estimate 4. Estimate 5. Exact Page 13
answer 6. $1.75 7. 120 8. $3.75 1. 10,752 2. 22,464
9. 10 10. $25,000 3. 66,300 4. 17,112 Page 17
5. 68,688 6. 22,661
Page 9 7. 63,460 8. 32,035
9. 24,102 10. 9,542

Page 14
1. 168, 252, 336, 420, 504
2. 110, 165, 330, 550, 825
3. 100, 150, 200, 250, 300
4. $5.50, $8.25, $11.00, $13.75,
$16.50
5. 175; 350; 525; 1,050; 2,100
6. $13.00, $19.50, $26.00,
$39.00, $52.00
7. 84, 126, 210, 420, 630
8. 54¢, $1.44, $2.16, $2.52,$2.88

46
 Answers

Page 18 Page 24 Page 28

1. D 2. B 3. A 4. E 5. C
6. H 7. J 8. I 9. G 10. F

Page 29
A.
1. A 2. B 3. B 4. D 5. C 6. B
7. C 8. C 9. E 10. E 11. E
B
1. B 2. E 3. A 4. C 5. E 6. C
7. D 8. A 9. D 10. B 11. C

C
1. A 2. E. 3. B 4. C 5. E 6. D
7. E 8. C 9. A 10. C 11. C
Mega Fun Math Skill Builders: Grades 6-8 © Richard Porteus, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Page 19
1. 9 hours; .0059; $26.67 Page 25 Page 30
2. 26 hours; .040; $52.76 1. 111 2. 66 3. 231 4. 63 1. $540 2. $170.88
3. 56 hours; .045; $139.28 5. 49 6. 40 7. 114 3. $49.50 4. $22.50
4. 41 hours; .043; $88.58 5. $276.48 6. $90.00
5. 21 hours; .052; $54.34 Page 26 7. $246 8. $199.80
6. 22 hours; .042; $46.96
Page 31
Page 20 1. 11 feet
1. 5R39 2. 8R25 3. 5R5 2. 37.5 gallons
4. 11R21 5. 12R12 6. 923R7 3. 15 cups
7. 23R3 8. 88R1 9. 89R1 4. 24 hours
10. 43R19 11. 63R3 5. 6 gallons
6. 6549 weeks
Page 21 7. 50 yards
Equivalent fractions are in boxes: 8. 74 feet
1, 2, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 13, 16, 17, 9. 89 dozen
19, 22, and 24. 10. 198 pounds
11. 2,000 pounds
Page 22 12. 230 feet
O. 26.55 C. 10.38 Y. 8.46
A. 27.34 G. 5.09 T. 16.16 Page 32
L. 20.20 U. 30.75 P. 29.55 1. 45 cu ft 2. 3.7 ft
N. 30.13 E. 17.97 S. 25.55 3. 40 L 4. 318 m
5. 10 yd 6. 1 mm
You can go to sleep. Page 27 7. 7 sq in 8. 5.8 m
2. 8/9 of 96 = 8 x 96 = 768 9. 1.2 m 10. 105 sq ft
Page 23 ÷ 9 = 85.3 lbs. 11. 5 mL 12. 20 sq ft
1. .25 2. .25 3. .23 4. .75 3. 6/16 of 96 = 6 x 96 = 576 13. 50 cm 14. 11 mm
5. .06 6. .6 7. .22 8. .44 ÷ 16 = 36 lbs. 15. 0.24 ft 16. 12 cu ft
9. .88 10. .75 11. .67 4. 21/8 of 96 = 21 x 96 = 2016 17. 8 oz
12. .45 13. .75 14. 4.6 ÷ 8 = 252 lbs.
15. .63 16. .44 17. .88 5. 17/16 of 96 = 17 x 96 = 1632 Page 33
18. .35 19. 1.13 ÷ 16 = 102 lbs. 1. 7,920
20. 1.25 6. 9/8 of 96 = 9 x 96 = 864 2. 528
÷ 8 = 108 lbs. 3. 7,040
7. 1/25 of 96 = 1 x 96 = 96 4. 10,560
÷ 25 = 3.8 lbs. 5. 480

47
 Answers

6. 1,056 8. 1/4 x 32 = 8 6. .40 .38

7. 21,120 9. 1/8 x 40 = 5 7. .49 .31
8. 440 8. .37 .30
9. 3,520 Page 38
10. 12,672 Pizza Shop Choices Page 43
11. 2,640 1. 55 2. 80 1. $26.15
12. 5,280 3. 55 4. 30 2. $19.20
5. 20 6. 10 3. $10.25
4. $5.13
Page 34 Video Store Rentals 5. $9.60
1. bird 300 / plane 271 1. 184 2. 126 6. $1.31
2. runner 139.5 / cheetah 159 3. 79 4. 37 7. $27.46
3. sound 332 / light 299.792 5. 47 6. 16 8. $2.54
4. skier 385 / greyhound 27 7. 11 8. 26
Mega Fun Math Skill Builders: Grades 6-8 © Richard Porteus, Scholastic Teaching Resources

5. sound 1.992 /spacecraft 21.816

6. tennis ball 14.4 / Page 39 9. Spring roll, chicken fingers, and
hockey puck 10.6 1. 30 dB French fries; or spring roll, Peking
7. roller blader 4.4 / 2. 30 dB Ravioli, and French fries.
bicyclist 2.48 3. 20 dB
8. hockey puck 31.8 / 4. 20 dB Page 44
bowling ball 42 5. 40 dB 1. $30.00
9. swimmer 66 6. Jet Plane Take Off 2. 2 days
Olympic runner 90 7. 120 dB 3. 5
4. 80 feet
Page 35 Page 40 5. 37
1. Y
2. X Page 45
3. Y
4. X
5. X
6. Y
7. X
8. X
9. Y

Page 41
1. $8.10; $9.90
Page 36 2. $12.00; $48.00
2. 1,000,000 3. $5.74; $5.06
3. 10,000 4. $10.00; $40.00
4. 10,000,000 5. $2.70; $24.30
5. 100,000 6. $5.92; $10.08
6. 2,600 7. $4.95: $10.05
7. 11,881,376 8. $2.00; $6.00
8. 100,000,000 9. $24.00; $56.00

Page 37 Page 42
1. 1/4 x 60 = 15 Hanlon's Murray's
2. 4/12 x 24 = 8 1. $1.40 $ .92
3. 1/2 x 500 = 250 2. .31 .38
4. 2/3 x 24 = 16 3. .61 .83
5. 1/6 x 96 = 16 4. .55 .58
7. 2/4 x 50 = 25 5. .57 .44

48