What should fourth graders know about order of operations?

Fourth graders should understand that mathematical expressions must be evaluated in a specific order to get a consistent answer. While the full PEMDAS rules are typically formalized in fifth grade, fourth graders learn to evaluate expressions involving parentheses and the four basic operations. Per CCSS 4.OA.A.3, they should use parentheses to indicate which operations to perform first and understand that expressions with parentheses can have different values than the same expressions without parentheses. For example, 3 times (4 plus 2) equals 18, but 3 times 4 plus 2 equals 14. Worksheets that present pairs of expressions with and without parentheses and ask students to evaluate both help children see why order matters in mathematics.

How do you teach parentheses to fourth graders?

Start with a story context: "You buy 3 bags of apples. Each bag has 4 red and 2 green apples. How many apples total?" Show that the answer is 3 times (4 plus 2) equals 3 times 6 equals 18. Then compare to 3 times 4 plus 2 equals 14, which represents buying 3 bags of 4 apples and then adding 2 more. This shows that parentheses change the meaning and the answer. Practice with simple expressions first, using only addition and multiplication. Worksheets that ask students to place parentheses to make an equation true (like inserting parentheses into 2 plus 3 times 4 equals 20) develop critical thinking about expression structure. Always connect to real-world scenarios so students understand that order of operations reflects how problems are structured.

What mistakes do fourth graders make with order of operations?

The most common error is evaluating left to right without respecting operation hierarchy: solving 3 plus 4 times 2 as 7 times 2 equals 14 instead of 3 plus 8 equals 11. Another frequent mistake is forgetting to complete the operation inside parentheses before proceeding. Some children also apply operations to the wrong numbers when an expression has multiple steps. Worksheets that require students to show their work step by step, circling or underlining the operation performed at each step, help prevent these errors. Providing expressions that have been solved incorrectly and asking students to find the mistake builds error-detection skills. Practice with a mix of expressions, some requiring left-to-right evaluation and others requiring parentheses-first evaluation, builds flexible and accurate computation habits.

4th Grade · Math · 4.OA.A.3

Order of Operations Lesson Plan for 4th Grade

A ready-to-teach order of operations lesson for 4th Grade. Everything below is classroom-tested structure: an objective, a 45-minute sequence, a way to check who got it, and 6 printable practice pages.

Approximately 45 minutes

Learning objective

Solve expressions by evaluating parentheses first
Apply order of operations to addition and subtraction
Recognize how parentheses change the value of an expression

Materials

Add / subtract with parenthesis
Add / subtract with parenthesis (6 terms)
Add / subtract / multiply
Add / subtract / multiply (6 terms)
Add / subtract / multiply / divide
Add / subtract / multiply / divide (6 terms)
Pencils, and whiteboard space for the modeled examples

Lesson steps

1. Warm up together (5 min)
Open with a quick count-around or number talk that touches order of operations. Ask students where they have seen order of operations outside of math class. You are listening for who already has the vocabulary and who does not, so keep it light and let several students answer.
2. Model it (I do) (10 min)
Work two examples of order of operations on the board, thinking out loud the whole way. Say the quiet parts: what you notice first, which step you do next, and why. Deliberately make one small error on the second example and let the class catch it.
3. Practice together (we do) (10 min)
Work three more problems as a class. Ask a different student to supply each step rather than the whole answer. If a step stalls, drop back to concrete objects or a drawing before moving on.
4. Independent practice (you do) (15 min)
Hand out "Add / subtract with parenthesis". Students work independently while you circulate. Note who is fluent, who is counting on fingers, and who has not started, because that grouping drives tomorrow's small group.
5. Close the loop (5 min)
Pull the class back. Ask one student to explain a problem they got right and one to name something that is still confusing. End on the confusion, not the success, so students learn that naming a gap is normal.

Check for understanding

Collect the practice pages and sort them into three piles: fluent, developing, and not yet. Any student in the third pile needs order of operations retaught in a small group before the class moves on.

Differentiation

Extra support. Students who stall: pull them into a small group and rebuild order of operations with concrete materials or a simpler text before asking for the written work again. Do not send the page home as homework, it will just rehearse the misunderstanding.

Extension. Students who finish early: ask them to write their own order of operations problem for a partner to solve, then check the partner's work. Creating a problem is harder than solving one and it surfaces whether they really understand order of operations.

Skills covered in this lesson

Add / subtract with parenthesis · Add / subtract with parenthesis (6 terms) · Add / subtract / multiply · Add / subtract / multiply (6 terms) · Add / subtract / multiply / divide · Add / subtract / multiply / divide (6 terms)

Practice pages for this lesson

6 items, 6 printable pages that match the independent-practice step.

Questions teachers ask about teaching order of operations

What should fourth graders know about order of operations?: Fourth graders should understand that mathematical expressions must be evaluated in a specific order to get a consistent answer. While the full PEMDAS rules are typically formalized in fifth grade, fourth graders learn to evaluate expressions involving parentheses and the four basic operations. Per CCSS 4.OA.A.3, they should use parentheses to indicate which operations to perform first and understand that expressions with parentheses can have different values than the same expressions without parentheses. For example, 3 times (4 plus 2) equals 18, but 3 times 4 plus 2 equals 14. Worksheets that present pairs of expressions with and without parentheses and ask students to evaluate both help children see why order matters in mathematics.
How do you teach parentheses to fourth graders?: Start with a story context: "You buy 3 bags of apples. Each bag has 4 red and 2 green apples. How many apples total?" Show that the answer is 3 times (4 plus 2) equals 3 times 6 equals 18. Then compare to 3 times 4 plus 2 equals 14, which represents buying 3 bags of 4 apples and then adding 2 more. This shows that parentheses change the meaning and the answer. Practice with simple expressions first, using only addition and multiplication. Worksheets that ask students to place parentheses to make an equation true (like inserting parentheses into 2 plus 3 times 4 equals 20) develop critical thinking about expression structure. Always connect to real-world scenarios so students understand that order of operations reflects how problems are structured.
What mistakes do fourth graders make with order of operations?: The most common error is evaluating left to right without respecting operation hierarchy: solving 3 plus 4 times 2 as 7 times 2 equals 14 instead of 3 plus 8 equals 11. Another frequent mistake is forgetting to complete the operation inside parentheses before proceeding. Some children also apply operations to the wrong numbers when an expression has multiple steps. Worksheets that require students to show their work step by step, circling or underlining the operation performed at each step, help prevent these errors. Providing expressions that have been solved incorrectly and asking students to find the mistake builds error-detection skills. Practice with a mix of expressions, some requiring left-to-right evaluation and others requiring parentheses-first evaluation, builds flexible and accurate computation habits.

More math lesson plans for 4th Grade

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