Max Maths, Year 5, Learn together, Mixed operations with a pair of brackets (1)

In a maths lesson for Year 5, students are introduced to mixed operations involving a pair of brackets. The focus is to understand how to correctly apply the order of operations to solve problems. A practical example is used to illustrate the concept: students are asked to calculate the total number of pieces of fruit on three plates, with each plate containing 5 bananas and 3 apples. To find the total, students must first determine the number of pieces of fruit on one plate, which is 8 (5 bananas + 3 apples), and then multiply this by the number of plates, which is 3.

The correct calculation is shown as 8 pieces of fruit per plate multiplied by 3 plates, which equals 24 pieces of fruit in total. However, two characters, Toby and Tya, arrive at different answers due to incorrect calculations. Toby's working is shown as 3 × 3 + 5, which incorrectly gives 14 pieces of fruit, and Tya's as 3 × 5 + 3, resulting in 18 pieces of fruit. These examples serve to demonstrate common mistakes when the order of operations is not followed, emphasising the importance of understanding and applying mathematical rules correctly to reach the right answer.