Translate Calculation Instructions into an Expression
Read the stated calculation instructions in order.
About 20 minutes, plus any extended practice
Supplied materials
- Paper and a pencil; drawing and spoken explanations are welcome. An adult may read directions and options aloud.
- Supplied worked-case record: The instruction add eight and four, then multiply the total by five is 5×(8+4).
- All quantities and shape descriptions are supplied in the worked example and questions; no purchase or personal information is needed.
Learn the idea
Writing an expression records a calculation before doing it. Pay attention to the order and scope of phrases such as add first, then multiply. Parentheses preserve the intended combined quantity. A correct expression can be identified from its structure without calculating every large number in it.
Read the stated calculation instructions in order. Write a group for an initial sum or difference that a later operation uses as a whole. Explain how each expression part corresponds to an instruction.
Identify what quantity the later operation uses. A multiplier after a total needs grouping around the total. Underline each instruction and match it to an expression part.
- Underline each instruction and match it to an expression part.
- Follow the worked example. Point to each number or shape feature and say what it tells you.
- Read the stated calculation instructions in order.
- Try the question and then the three practice questions. Check your answers and explain any change you make.
See the method in action
The instruction add eight and four, then multiply the total by five is 5×(8+4). Writing 5×8+4 would multiply only eight before adding four, so it does not match the total-times-five instruction. The grouped expression records the method before evaluation. Identify what quantity the later operation uses. A multiplier after a total needs grouping around the total. Underline each instruction and match it to an expression part.
Check your reasoning
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Helpful tips
- Identify what quantity the later operation uses.
- A multiplier after a total needs grouping around the total.
See the answer and explanation
3×(4+7)
The total is the grouped sum, so the multiplier applies to the whole group.
Take it further
Write subtract six from twenty, then divide that result by two. Expected: (20−6)÷2.
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More practice: try new cases
Choose an answer for each problem. Explain your method on paper, then use the feedback to decide what to revisit.
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Check the subject sources
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