Order of operations – Grade 5 math lesson
US version. US grades, US spelling and dollars ($). · UK version (Year 6)
A complete 45-minute lesson for grade 5 (ages 10–11) that runs on this page – at school or at home. Every answer is graded right away, with a worked explanation.
- Time
- 45 minutes + 20 min homework
- Grade
- Grade 5 (ages 10–11)
- You need
- Paper, a pencil and this page
- Graded
- Instantly, with explanations
For parents: how to use this lesson
You don't need to know this topic yourself. The lesson explains each step on screen, the way Mr Euclid, our Head of Math, likes it: one tidy step at a time. Every answer is graded straight away with a worked explanation, so you never have to grade anything.
- Read what your child will learn together.
- Press Start the lesson below and sit with your child for the teaching and the worked examples (about 19 minutes).
- Let them do the practice on their own. They choose Getting started, On track or Challenge – start on On track and move up after a few right in a row.
- Finish with the exit ticket and the talk question: “Where would you put parentheses in 2 + 3 × 4 to get 20?”
- Later that day or the next day: the homework (20 minutes), then a practice test.
Watch out for
- Working left to right whatever the operation. Underline the × and ÷ parts before starting and do them first.
- Ignoring the parentheses. Circle the parentheses and work them out first.
Miss Hypatia's tip for home: Make up a calculation with a calculator and see whether it follows the order of operations.
What your child will learn
Learning goal: use the order of operations.
Success looks like
- I can do parentheses first.
- I can do × and ÷ before + and −.
- I can explain why the order matters.
Key words
- operation
- add, subtract, multiply or divide
- parentheses
- show which part to do first
- order of operations
- the agreed order: parentheses, then × and ÷, then + and −
What to have ready
- Paper and a pencil
- This page on a computer, tablet or phone
- For the hands-on part: Give pairs the same digits and operations; they place parentheses in different places to make the biggest and smallest answers. No mini whiteboards? Use paper.
The lesson, step by step
| Part | Time | How it is checked |
|---|---|---|
| Starter: quick recall | 5 min | Graded by Classfern |
| Teaching input | 10 min | Not assessed, self-checked |
| Worked examples and guided practice | 9 min | Not assessed, graded by Classfern |
| Independent practice | 15 min | Graded by Classfern |
| Closure and exit ticket | 6 min | Graded by Classfern, self-checked |
Starter, "your turn", practice and exit ticket are graded by Classfern. Worked examples and teaching are not assessed. The hands-on task and the reflection are self-assessed. Explanations in talk are judged by the parent and not recorded.
The lesson
It runs here on the page. No sign-up and no names – progress is kept only in this browser.
Homework and practice at home
20 minutes: 10 practice questions, 3 multiple-choice questions and 2 to remember from earlier work, then a short reflection. New questions every time, all graded instantly.
More practice
More Grade 5 math lessons
Curriculum
Common Core State Standards: 5.OA.A.1
Our lessons and questions are our own. They are not written or endorsed by any government department, testing agency or exam board.