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5th grade · Math · Unit 8 of 15

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.

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) teks student expectation: 5.4(E); 5.4(F) · parentheses and brackets, and simplifying numerical 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 Texas

In the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), this is unit 8 of 15 in 5th grade Math, after Patterns & Equations and before Volume of Boxes.

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: Texas Education Agency (TEA)

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

    Where do the parentheses go to make 6 + 2 × 2 = 16?

    • (6 + 2) × 2
    • 6 + (2 × 2)
    • 6 + 2 × 2 (no parentheses)

  2. Question 2

    What is (3 + 4) × 6?

    (3 + 4) × 6 = ?

    • 45
    • 27
    • 48
    • 39
    • 42

  3. Question 3

    Without calculating: 9 × (4965 + 479) is how many times as large as 4965 + 479?

    • 479
    • 9
    • 10
    • 4965

  4. Question 4

    What is 2 × [6 + (2 × 7)]?

    • 39
    • 40
    • 98
    • 42
    • 26

  5. Question 5

    Which expression means “multiply 7 by 4, then add 7”?

    • (7 + 7) × 4
    • 7 × 4 + 7
    • 7 × (4 + 7)
    • 7 + 4 × 7

  6. Question 6

    Which expression means “subtract 3 from 13, then divide by 2”?

    • 13 − 3 ÷ 2
    • 3 − 13 ÷ 2
    • (3 − 13) ÷ 2
    • (13 − 3) ÷ 2

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