Max Maths, Year 5, Learn together, Mixed operations with a pair of brackets (3)

In a Year 5 maths lesson focused on mixed operations involving brackets, students are taught how to simplify expressions and calculate totals correctly. For instance, to find out how many cookies remain after 3 are taken from each of the 6 plates that initially have 8 cookies each, students are shown to perform the operation inside the brackets first. By subtracting the number of cookies taken (3) from the total on each plate (8), and then multiplying by the number of plates (6), the calculation is as follows: (8 − 3) × 6 equals (5) × 6, which results in a total of 30 cookies remaining.

Further reinforcing the concept, students are given additional examples to practice using brackets in calculations. Example (a) shows that by subtracting 2 from 4, and then multiplying by 5, the result is 10: (4 − 2) × 5 equals (2) × 5 equals 10. Example (b) demonstrates how to handle division within brackets, where 2 is subtracted from 26 before dividing by 4, yielding a result of 6: (26 − 2) ÷ 4 equals 24 ÷ 4 equals 6. The key takeaway for students is the importance of completing the operation inside the brackets before moving on to the rest of the calculation, ensuring accuracy in their mathematical work.