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5th grade · Math · Unit 10 of 14

Parentheses & Expressions

Brackets first!

What your child practices

Evaluating expressions with parentheses and brackets, writing an expression from words, and reading an expression without calculating it.

Maine Learning Results learning standard: 5.OA.A.1; 5.OA.A.2 · writing and evaluating numerical expressions with parentheses, and interpreting expressions

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Do what is inside parentheses ( ) first, then brackets [ ].
  2. Then multiply and divide, left to right.
  3. Then add and subtract, left to right.

Example: What is 3 × [2 + (4 × 5)]? 4 × 5 = 20. 2 + 20 = 22. 3 × 22 = 66. Answer: 66

Parentheses & Expressions in Maine

In the Maine Learning Results, this is unit 10 of 14 in 5th grade Math, after Converting Units and before Coordinate Grid.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: Maine Department of Education

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    What is (7 + 8) × 6?

    (7 + 8) × 6 = ?

    • 90
    • 96
    • 55
    • 88
    • 89

  2. Question 2

    Which expression means “add 8 and 9, then multiply by 4”?

    • 8 + 9 × 4
    • 4 × 8 + 9
    • (4 + 8) × 9
    • 4 × (8 + 9)

  3. Question 3

    Without calculating: 3 × (7221 + 783) is how many times as large as 7221 + 783?

    • 783
    • 3
    • 4
    • 7221

  4. Question 4

    What is 4 × [4 + (2 × 8)]?

    • 32
    • 78
    • 80
    • 84
    • 144

  5. Question 5

    Where do the parentheses go to make 3 + 3 × 6 = 36?

    • 3 + (3 × 6)
    • 3 + 3 × 6 (no parentheses)
    • (3 + 3) × 6

  6. Question 6

    Without calculating: 5 × (2091 + 755) is how many times as large as 2091 + 755?

    • 755
    • 2091
    • 6
    • 5

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