EdPlace's Upper Key Stage 2 home learning maths lesson: BIDMAS

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Now...onto the lesson!

Key Stage 2 Statutory Requirements for Maths

Year 5 and 6 students should be taught to use their knowledge of the order of operations to carry out calculations involving the four operations.

What's it all about?

Think the answer to 6 + 4 x 5 is 50? Think again!

There is a particular order in which we answer problems like this one and all we need to remember is:

BIDMAS

This article will teach you the order of operations to correctly answer problems.

We're confident that if you follow this step-by-step approach together, your child will be able to:

1) Understand what BIDMAS is.

2) Apply this to independent work.

3) Explain to you how they completed their work if they've really cracked it!

Step 1 - Terminology

Your child will need a basic understanding of the four operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

Indices (plural) – the index (singular) of a number shows how many times it is multiplied by itself, e.g. 52 = 5 x 5 = 25 53 = 5 x 5 x 5 = 125

Step 2 - Prior Understanding

Your child will have learnt how to add, subtract, multiply and divide with increasingly larger numbers. When they get given questions involving the order of operations, the numbers are usually smaller. Fast recall of times tables and other number facts (such as number bonds) will be useful to your child.

Step 3 - Introducing New Skill

The main thing you need to remember is: BIDMAS (or BODMAS)

Brackets

Indices. In BODMAS, the O stands for Orders, which is

Division. the same as Indices.

Multiplication

Addition This is the order in which to complete the four

Subtraction operations questions.

It’s actually shaped like a pyramid:

Addition and subtraction have equal importance – so only those are done from left to right.

Division and multiplication can be done in any order – you will get the same answer either way:

5 x 4 ÷ 2 = 20 ÷ 2 = 10 5 x 4 ÷ 2 = 5 x 2 = 10

Examples:

A) 5 + 2 x 4 = 13

Multiplication comes before addition, so 2 x 4 = 8. Then we do 5 + 8 = 13.

B) 64 – 10 ÷ 2 = 59

Division comes before subtraction, so 10 ÷ 2 = 5. Then, 64 – 5 = 59.

C) 3 + (5² x 2) ÷ 10 = 8

Order: brackets, indices, division, addition.

25 x 2 = 50. Then 50 ÷ 10 = 5. Then 8 + 5 = 8

Step 4 - Putting it into Practice

Now have a go at these examples together:

A) 6 + 4 x 5

B) 4³ + 15 ÷ 3

C) 7 + 48 ÷ (18 – 16)

D) 22 – 4 + 10

Challenge questions:

Fill in the missing number

A) (26 – 10) ÷ _____ = 4

B) 4 x _____ - 25 = 23

Put the brackets in to make the answers correct

C) 8 x 9 – 5 – 6 = 26

Step 5 - Give it a go...

Why not test your child's understanding and see if they can tackle these activities?

All activities are created by teachers and automatically marked. Plus, with an EdPlace subscription, we can automatically progress your child at a level that's right for them. Sending you progress reports along the way so you can track and measure progress, together - brilliant!

Warm-up activity – complete the operations in order

Activity 1 – Mental Calculations (2)

Main Activities:

Activity 2 – Understand and Apply BODMAS Skills

Activity 3 – Using BIDMAS: Order of Operations in Calculations

Extension activities – use your four operations knowledge to answer these word problems

Activity 4 – Understand and Apply Problem Solving Skills 1

Activity 5 – Understand and Apply Problem Solving Skills 2

Answers:

A) 26

4 x 5 = 20 6 + 20 = 26

B) 69