The Truth about PEMDAS?

RSS Mini Conference

2013-2014

Candyce Tracy

Reflection

What do we know about the Orders of Operations and how do we facilitate that learning to our students?

What do you want out of this learning opportunity?

Outcomes

• Learn something NEW

• Leave curious about new content

Are you looking in the mirror or out the window?

• Pausing• Paraphrasing• Probing for

specificity• Putting ideas on the

table

• Paying attention to self and others

• Presuming positive intentions

• Promoting a Spirit of Inquiry

Seven Norms of Collaboration

DuFour, Richard, et. al. Learning by Doing. Bloomington: Solution Tree, 2006. (p. 104)

PEMDAS

• Parenthesis• Exponents• Multiplication • Division• Addition• Subtraction• Left to Right

In the past year we have determined that implementing the CCRS demands for students to develop conceptual understanding of the mathematics they are engaging. Students only exhibit Mathematical Practice Standards when they reason about the math they know, understand, and are able to do.

Discuss with a partner what we know about The Order of Operations and if that understanding is conceptual or procedural.

2 + 3 x 5 + 7 + 4 x (3 + 2 x 5 + 1) + 10 + 2 x 3 – 2

Let’s begin our journey to understanding the order of

operations!!!

3 x 20 + 2 x 5 + 8 + 7 x 25 =

I have three $20 bills, two $5 bills, eight $1 bills, and seven quarters. How

much money do I have?

He put 7 acorns in a hole under the beech tree, followed by 2 piles of 6

acorns each in a split in the old cottonwood tree. He proudly told his wife that he was hard at work. She asked, “How many acorns have you

stored?”

Which expression most

accurately represents the

time sequence of events and the exact way that

Rocky stored the acorns?

Please solve the expression

Draw a representation of the situation

Let’s solve this expression

Draw a representation of the situation

2 + 12 4 + 5 + 7 ÷

Rocky buried 3 acorns, his son ate 2, Rocky hid 7 more acorns, the neighbor

stole 1, his wife ate 2. How many acorns had Rocky stored?

Rocky buried 3 acorns, his son ate 2, Rocky hid 7 more acorns, the neighbor stole 1, his wife ate 2 times as many as

his son ate. How many acorns did Rocky have at the end of the day?

30 x ½ x 15 x ⅓ x 4

What about those parentheses and

brackets?

2 x (3 + 4 x 5) + 1 + 8 + 6 x 2

Rocky wanted to make a new walkway consisting of 3 large

squares, with each square being 4 paving stones across? How

many paving stones will Rocky need to buy for his new walk?

Represent the story with and expression

2 + 3 x 5 + 7 + 4 x (3 + 2 x 5 + 1) + 10 + 2 x 3 – 2

2 + 3 x 5 + 7 + 4 x (3 + 2 x 5 + 1) + 10 + 2 x 3 – 217+ 3 x 5 + 4 x (3 + 2 x 5 + 1) + 2 x 3

17 + 15 + 4 x (3 + 2 x 5 + 1) + 638 + 4 x (3 + 2 x 5 + 1)

38 + 4 x (4 + 2 x 5)38 + 4 x (4 + 10)

38 + 4 x 1438 + 56

94

The ORDER OF OPERATIONS is an important prealgebra concept that requires understanding rather than

mindless mimicry (Jerry Ameis)

Reflection of Session

Please use an index card1) Something I learned

2) A Question I still have3) How can I better

facilitate your learning?