Add order to things…

The plan for today is a warm-up, review homework, fill out the order of operations section of the expression graphic organizer or foldable, practice problems in class, and then assign homework.

I find that students always struggle with realizing that the multiplication/division and addition/subtraction steps always go together from left to right (like you read a book). Every year someone tells me that you do all the multiplication and then after that do the division. Sometimes it can be challenging to break that mindset.  I always write PEMDAS with the M and D circled with an arrow over it like this:

The key to order of operations is to take it step by step. I tell them to ask themselves “Do I have parentheses? Do I have exponents? ect…” and take it slow. Write every step and don't try to do it all in your head.