Grade 5: Order of Operations

Warm up with a quick recall on the board. Teach the agreed order (brackets, then × and ÷ left to right, then + and - left to right) and why it removes ambiguity, with worked contrasts.

When a calculation mixes operations (3 + 4 × 2), everyone must agree on the order, or the same expression gives different answers. The convention: brackets first, then multiplication and division (left to right), then addition and subtraction (left to right). Known as BODMAS, BIDMAS or PEMDAS depending on where you teach. Model the method clearly, thinking aloud:

• Motivate it with the ambiguity: ask the class to work out 3 + 4 × 2 and let both 14 and 11 appear, then explain why we need a rule (the answer is 11).
• Teach multiplication/division as ONE level worked left to right, and addition/subtraction as one level, not four separate steps.
• Show how brackets change meaning: (3 + 4) × 2 = 14 versus 3 + 4 × 2 = 11.
• Work multi-step examples slowly, rewriting the whole line after each single step.
• Let students invent expressions that trap a calculator-style left-to-right reader.

Do the first few questions of the practice worksheet together, one child explaining each step. Check for understanding before releasing the class to work alone.

Students complete the worksheet independently. Hand out the three difficulty levels below so every child works at the right stretch.

Circulate and look for these, they are the usual sticking points:

• Doing all multiplication before any division (8 ÷ 2 × 4 is 16, not 1), same level, left to right.
• Treating the mnemonic's letter order as strict order (the A before S in BODMAS doesn't mean addition first).
• Ignoring brackets that 'look finished' inside a longer expression.
• Skipping the rewrite: doing two steps at once is where slips happen.
• Working strictly left to right and doing addition before multiplication.

Pull the class back together. Ask one child to explain order of operations in their own words, pose a single check question everyone answers on a mini whiteboard, and name what you will build on next lesson.

Use the independent worksheet as the evidence. A child who can complete it accurately and explain one answer has met the objective; anyone who cannot needs the easier level and a short reteach next session.