3rd Grade · Math · 3.OA.B.5, 3.OA.D.8

Order of Operations Lesson Plan for 3rd Grade

A ready-to-teach order of operations lesson for 3rd 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 three-number expressions using parentheses correctly
Apply addition and subtraction inside parentheses first
Recognize how parentheses change the value of an expression

Materials

Order of Operations (add, subtract, multiply) - Search
Add, subtract and multiply (with parentheses) - Checklist
Add / subtract with parenthesis - three numbers
Add / subtract with parenthesis - four numbers
Add / subtract with parenthesis - five numbers
Add / subtract with parenthesis - six numbers
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 "Order of Operations (add, subtract, multiply) - Search". 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 - three numbers · Add / subtract with parenthesis - four numbers · Add / subtract with parenthesis - five numbers · Add / subtract with parenthesis - six numbers · Add / subtract / multiply with no parenthesis · Add / subtract / multiply with parenthesis · Add / subtract / multiply with parenthesis: five numbers · Add / subtract / multiply with parenthesis: six numbers · Order of operations · Mixed operations

Questions teachers ask about teaching order of operations

Is order of operations taught in third grade?

Third grade introduces the concept that multiplication and division are performed before addition and subtraction in an expression without parentheses (CCSS 3.OA). This is a precursor to the full order of operations (PEMDAS) formalized in fifth grade (5.OA.A.1). Third graders work with simple two-operation expressions to develop this foundational understanding.

How do you introduce order of operations to third graders?

Use concrete examples to show that order matters: 2 + 3 × 4 can equal 20 or 14 depending on which operation is done first. Show that 14 (multiply first) is the mathematically agreed-upon convention. Keep expressions simple - avoid parentheses and exponents at this level. Worksheets with step-by-step guided solutions showing which operation to solve first model the reasoning process.

Why does order of operations matter for third graders?

Without consistent order of operations, the same expression could have different values for different people - making mathematical communication impossible. Third graders encounter this implicitly whenever they evaluate two-step word problems. Explicit instruction on the convention prepares students for the full PEMDAS rule in fifth grade and algebraic thinking in middle school.