1. **State the problem:** Jesse earns 6 dollars per hour babysitting. Last week, he received 71 dollars total, which includes his babysitting money plus a 20 dollar allowance from his mom. We need to find out how many hours Jesse babysat. 2. **Set up the equation:** Let $h$ be the number of hours Jesse babysat. The total money he earned from babysitting is $6h$. Adding the 20 dollar allowance, the total money is $6h + 20$. 3. **Write the equation:** $$6h + 20 = 71$$ 4. **Solve for $h$:** Subtract 20 from both sides: $$6h + \cancel{20} - \cancel{20} = 71 - 20$$ $$6h = 51$$ Divide both sides by 6: $$\frac{6h}{\cancel{6}} = \frac{51}{6}$$ $$h = \frac{51}{6}$$ 5. **Simplify the fraction:** $$h = \frac{51}{6} = 8.5$$ 6. **Interpret the result:** Jesse babysat for 8.5 hours last week. **Final answer:** Jesse babysat for **8.5 hours**.