For this equation, I'm going to start by defining the variables I'll use. You can choose any letters you'd like for this, but I often use the first letter of the word it stands for, so I have an easier time remembering which variable is which. Both of these variables stand for the number of stickers Elaina has of each type.
flowers = f
hearts = h
Since Elaina has 35 flower stickers, f = 35.
We know that the 35 flower stickers Elaina has is 13 more than the number of heart stickers Elaina has. The first step here is to think which direction you need to go in. Does Elaina have more heart stickers or more flower stickers?
She has more flower stickers. So the number of heart stickers she has must be less than 35, which will be helpful to know when we check our work. Remember, we need to write this as an ADDITION equation.
This first equation uses both variables. The '13 more' is translated into math as '+ 13'. We have to make sure to add this to the correct type of stickers though.
f = h + 13
We can rearrange to solve for the unknown, h. To do this, subtract 13 from both sides of the equation. We can then switch the right and left sides of the equation (which we're not doing any math for because it's still the same equation, just written in a way you may find it easier to solve).
h = f - 13
You can then plug in the number of flower stickers Elaina has (35) for the variable f.
h = 35 - 13
h = 22
To check this math, we see that Elaina has 22 heart stickers and 35 flower stickers. So she has more flower stickers than heart stickers, which is what we expected. Specifically, that is 13 more flower stickers than heart stickers.
