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Join for free resources →Evaluating Expressions Chain Activity | Order of Operations, PEMDAS
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If you want your middle school students to master the order of operations with PEMDAS, this Printable PDF Evaluating Expressions Chain Activity is perfect for you. Designed for 4th to 6th graders, it’s a fun and engaging way to simplify expressions while adhering to CCSS standards 6.EE.A.1 and 5.OA.A.1. The chain activity format keeps students on their toes as they tackle one expression after another, reinforcing their understanding in an interactive way. Grab this resource and watch your students excel at evaluating expressions!
- Standards: CCSS 5.OA.A.1, CCSS 6.EE.A.1
- Grades: 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade
- Unit: 5th Grade → Unit 3: Numerical Expressions & Patterns
Why you'll love this
Looking for a fun way to practice using order of operations/PEMDAS to simplify expressions? You've found it.
Chain Reaction is a zero-prep activity where students work to find the solution to the current problem — which reveals the next problem on the chain. Students continue solving all the problems to reach the end of the chain. A small self check is built in per level — if their math is correct, the ending number should match their last solution.
This activity includes four difficulty levels so that you can differentiate students, or play back-to-back to practice. None of the questions overlap.
What's included?
There's 8 pages included:
4 levels (4 pages) of evaluating expressions using order of operations.
Level 1: Positive integers only (9 problems)
Level 2: Positive and negative integers (9 problems)
Level 3: Positive Decimals (9 problems)
Level 4: Positive Decimals - longer (4 longer problems)
answer key (4 pages)
Note: all four levels include exponents!