Max Maths, Year 5, Learn together, Mixed operations with a pair of brackets (2)

In the Max Maths Year 5 curriculum, students are introduced to the concept of using brackets in mathematical operations to clarify the order in which calculations should be performed. Toby and Tya demonstrate this concept with the example of mixed operations involving both addition and multiplication. The rule of thumb is to always solve the operation inside the brackets first. For instance, in the expressions 3 × (5 + 3) or 3 × (3 + 5), the addition within the brackets is completed before the multiplication, leading to the same result of 24 in both cases, as the order of addition does not affect the outcome.

The lesson continues with exercises that allow students to practice finding the total number of items using brackets to structure their calculations. For example, in the expression 3 × (4 + 2), students first add the numbers inside the brackets to get 6, and then multiply by 3 to find the total of 18. Similarly, with (2 + 7) × 4, they would add 2 and 7 to get 9, and then multiply by 4 to reach a total of 36. These exercises help students understand the importance of brackets in directing the order of operations and ensure they are confident in applying this rule to various mathematical problems.