Add This Bingo Set to Your Order of Operations Games!

Working with expressions involving multiple operations and groupings can be tricky for students! If your students need additional practice evaluating expressions and remembering the correct order or operations, this resource will help them practice this skill with a fun Bingo game.

While some of us may have grown up using the family acronym, PEMDAS, this game uses a different acronym that has been used lately within the elementary/middle school classroom. The acronym GEMDAS helps students remember the order in which to solve expressions first. But what does GEMDAS actually mean?

• Grouping
• Exponents
• Multiply/Divide
• Add/Subtract

As you can see, it is very similar to PEMDAS, but this method also includes grouping symbols such as brackets and braces.

To play, each student needs a Bingo card and something to mark their spaces, such as counters or beads. The teacher will show a Bingo card. Students see if their card has a match. You can play multiple types of Bingo, such as 5 in a row, 4 corners, cover all, etc. When a student has Bingo, the teacher can compare what they have covered with their answer key to ensure the students are correct. 

Through this activity, students will describe the meaning of and use parentheses, brackets, or braces in numerical expressions and evaluate expressions with these symbols.

Tips for Differentiation + Scaffolding 

A team of dedicated, experienced educators created this resource to support your math lessons. 

In addition to individual student work time, use this order of operations game to enhance learning through guided math groups or whole class lessons.

If you have a mixture of above and below-level learners, check out these suggestions for keeping students on track with the concepts: 

🆘 Support Struggling Students

If there are students who may need a bit of support, consider providing multiplication charts to assist with some of the calculations. Additionally, invite students to reference previous lessons, assignments, or anchor charts.

➕ Challenge Fast Finishers

For students who need a bit of a challenge, consider playing the style of Bingo where they must cover all of the squares on their card. This would require more expressions to be solved. Additionally, students could create their own Bingo game of order of operations questions. 

Easily Prepare This Resource for Your Students

Use the dropdown icon on the Download button to choose between the PDF or editable Google Slides version of this resource. 

Print on cardstock for added durability and longevity. Place all pieces in a folder or large envelope for easy access. 

This resource was created by Lorin Davies, a teacher in Texas and Teach Starter Collaborator.