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Order of Operations: Climb the Priority Tower with Ordo

Order of Operations: Climb the Priority Tower with Ordo

Learn the order of operations: brackets, then multiply and divide, then add and subtract. Solve calculations step by step with Ordo the robot.

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What you'll learn

  • Why calculations need an agreed order of operations
  • Multiply and divide before adding and subtracting
  • Work left to right when operations have equal priority
  • Work out the part in brackets first
  • Add brackets to make a calculation give a target answer
  • Spot the common mistake of working straight left to right

Chapter by chapter

  1. Why order matters: multiply and divide first Free to try

    Year 6 maths · 1

  2. Multiply and divide first: step-by-step calculations

    Year 6 maths · 1

  3. Equal priority: working left to right

    Year 6 maths · 1

  4. Brackets first: (2 + 1) × 3 = 9

    Year 6 maths · 1

  5. All four operations with brackets

    Year 6 maths · 1

  6. Order of operations challenge (10 questions)

What the chapters cover in the national curriculum in England:

  1. Year 6 maths: Use their knowledge of the order of operations to carry out calculations involving the 4 operations

About this adventure

The Priority Tower is an interactive order of operations game that teaches children aged 10–11 (Year 6) to work out calculations with all four operations and brackets in the right order.

Players climb a tower whose floors show the order: brackets at the top, multiplication and division in the middle, addition and subtraction at the bottom. They tap the operation that goes first, type each step on a keypad and watch the calculation shrink. Everyday scenes show why the rules matter, such as counting coins in bags to see that 2 + 3 × 4 is 14, not 20.

Along the way they learn that operations with equal priority are worked from left to right, that BODMAS does not mean division always comes before multiplication, and how moving brackets changes an answer: 2 + 1 × 3 = 5, but (2 + 1) × 3 = 9.

Questions and answers

What is the order of operations in maths?

The order of operations is the agreed order for working out a calculation: brackets first, then multiplication and division, then addition and subtraction. Following it means everyone gets the same answer, so 2 + 1 × 3 is 5, not 9.

Does division come before multiplication in BODMAS?

No, division and multiplication have equal priority, even though D comes before M in the word BODMAS. When both appear, you work from left to right, so 12 ÷ 3 × 2 = 8. Addition and subtraction work the same way.

What do brackets do in a calculation?

Brackets show which part of a calculation to work out first, before anything else. They can change the answer completely: 2 + 1 × 3 = 5, but (2 + 1) × 3 = 9 because the addition inside the brackets is done first.

What age is this order of operations game for?

The game is designed for children aged 10 to 11, matching Year 6 maths in the national curriculum in England, where pupils first learn the order of operations. Older pupils revising for the KS2 arithmetic paper can use it too.

What does the order of operations game include and how long does it take?

It has an optional warm-up on the four operations, five chapters and a ten-question challenge, taking about 40 minutes in total. Children tap operations, type answers on a keypad and place brackets, with spoken narration throughout.

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