Browse topics

Curriculum

Explore all 1,590 open curriculum concepts.

Advanced filters
MathematicsMultiplication & DivisionAges 10–13

Order of operations

Understand and apply the conventional order of operations (PEMDAS/BODMAS) to carry out calculations involving the four operations

Entire curriculum

1858 concepts · 9 subjects

Loading map…
Continue learning
Share and support
Compare teaching approaches

Teaching approaches

Gakuva’s recommended starting approach is selected. You can still compare every option.

1 approach

Selected Default Gakuva

Use brackets, powers and the two equal-priority operation pairs to calculate and explain an expression.

Use brackets, powers and the two equal-priority operation pairs to calculate and explain an expression.

Family records and proof options

Keep a record of your learning

Save photos, notes, and attendance. Export a proof packet for compliance or portfolio reviews.

Learning resources

Extra practice links — they do not replace Gakuva’s teaching approach.

Illustrative Mathematics · Practice link — not the full lesson

Why Do We Need an Order of Operations?

Open practice (new tab)
Before you open · source notes

Discussing order of operations supports reliable multi-operation evaluation. Not every calculus limit.

Free, no sign-in. A teacher solution is on the same page, so use the student view with your child.

Before you open

Ask the learner to explain why two operations need a shared order and evaluate one expression.

Opening this link does not save learning or assess mastery.

Source, access and review notes

Public Illustrative Mathematics task page. The .html address responds HTTP 308 to this URL. An anonymous GET of this URL on 2026-11-12 returned HTTP 200 with no login or payment prompt. Where a teacher solution is present, it is on the same page as the student task; this check did not find a separate locked student view. An adult can use the student view section and should not read a solution aloud. Advertising was not observed in the fetched HTML text; that is not a browser, device, or ad-free guarantee. This is a paper or discussion task, not an automatically marked interactive game. Opening the link does not save practice or assess mastery. Diagrams on the page use missing or filename-only alt text, so they are not an accessible image equivalent. Accessibility still depends on an adult describing the picture.

Illustrative Mathematics. “Why Do We Need an Order of Operations?.” Licensed CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. External task; Gakuva does not copy, host, embed, or redistribute it.

CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — link only

Check understanding

  • Explain why 8 + 2 × 5 = 18 (not 50) by referencing multiplication before addition
  • Evaluate a multi-step expression like 12 ÷ 3 + 4 × 2 correctly as 12
  • State the correct order: brackets, then orders/exponents, then multiplication/division (L→R), then addition/subtraction (L→R)
“If your child sees '8 + 4 × 3', do they get 20 — not 36 — because they know to do the multiplication before the addition?”

Curriculum record

Type
Conceptual
Subject
Mathematics
Domain
Multiplication & Division
Age range
Ages 10–13

Standards

acara-v9:AC9M6A02the-ontario-curriculum-mathematics-2020:ON-MATH-2020-G5-C2.2the-ontario-curriculum-mathematics-2020:ON-MATH-2020-G6-C2.2the-ontario-curriculum-mathematics-2020:ON-MATH-2020-G7-B2.1the-ontario-curriculum-mathematics-2020:ON-MATH-2020-G7-C2.2uk-nc-2013:Ma6/2.2f