Go Math! Grade 5, Chapter 1: Place Value Multiplication and Expressions
In this unit, your child starts the year with place value, multiplication, and expressions. They see how a digit's value grows ten times from one place to the next, use powers of 10, multiply multi-digit numbers on paper, and write and evaluate expressions with parentheses and brackets. These skills feed straight into dividing whole numbers, which comes next.
By Robert “Bobby” BarnettMath teacher, parent, and founder of Bobby’s Math Club
What is my child learning in Chapter 1?
- Evaluating expressions with parentheses and brackets, like 20 − [3 × (2 + 1)] = 11, from the innermost group out. Learn more: Solving number sentences with parentheses
- Writing expressions for words like “double the sum of 8 and 7” as 2 × (8 + 7), and explaining what they mean. Learn more: Turning words into number sentences
- Recognizing that the 5 in 500 is worth ten times the 5 in 50, and one tenth of the 5 in 5,000. Learn more: What each digit is worth, including decimals
- Using exponents to write powers of 10, like 10⁴ = 10,000, and multiplying whole numbers by them. Learn more: Multiplying and dividing by 10, 100, and 1,000
- Multiplying three-digit by two-digit numbers on paper, like 236 × 14 = 3,304, and checking with an estimate. Learn more: Multiplying big numbers, like 213 × 32
Sample questions to try together
These are real questions from our practice. Tap the speaker to hear one read aloud, or the light bulb for a hint, and talk about the answer together.
Question 1 of 3
Work out (25 - 5) × 3.
- 10
- 70
- 60
How you can help
- Write 3 × (4 + 5) on a napkin and ask your child to work it out, 27. Then remove the parentheses and ask why 3 × 4 + 5 is only 17.
- Ask how many seconds are in an hour together, then in a day. Let your child multiply 60 × 60 = 3,600, then 3,600 × 24 = 86,400.
- Write a big number, like 5,555, and point to two of the 5s. Ask your child how many times greater the left one is, and how they know.
Where kids can get stuck
- Working straight left to right and ignoring the brackets, so 20 − [3 × (2 + 1)] gives 35 instead of 11.
- Forgetting the placeholder zero, so 236 × 14 becomes 944 + 236 = 1,180 instead of 3,304.
- Counting the zeros in a power of 10 wrong, writing 10⁴ as 1,000 instead of 10,000.
Practice makes perfect
Bobby's Math Club has practice problems that adapt to your child’s level, each with a detailed explanation and an easy-to-follow video, so your child can build confidence in these skills one step at a time.
Words your child will hear
- place value
- How much a digit is worth based on its place, like ones, tens, or tenths.
- power of 10
- A number made only of 10s multiplied together, like 10, 100 (10 × 10), or 1,000 (10 × 10 × 10).
- exponent
- The little number up high that counts how many 10s are multiplied, as in 10².
- base
- In volume, the flat face a solid sits on; in 10³, the 10 being multiplied.
- product
- The answer to a multiplication problem, like 24 in 6 × 4 = 24.
- factor
- A number you multiply by another number to get a product.
- expression
- A math phrase with numbers and signs, but no equal sign.
- parentheses
- The curved symbols ( ) that tell you to do the math inside them first.
- brackets
- The square symbols [ ] that group part of an expression, often around parentheses.
Want to help your child master place value and multiplication?
In Bobby's Math Club, your child practices these skills at just the right level, with a hint when they need one, a clear explanation after every question, and kid-friendly videos. Unlimited practice is free.
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Written by Robert “Bobby” Barnett
Bobby is an award-winning math teacher, the author of Meet Every Learner’s Needs, and the father of two elementary-school math learners. He uses Bobby’s Math Club with his own kids a few times every week. Learn more or contact Bobby.
Which math standards does Go Math! Grade 5 Chapter 1 cover?
Go Math! Grade 5 Chapter 1 covers these math standards. Each one links to what it means, sample questions, and teaching strategies.
- 5.OA.A.1: Solve problems with parentheses and brackets, working inside first.
- 5.OA.A.2: Turn words into calculations like (5 + 7) × 3, and explain them.
- 5.NBT.A.1: Understand place value with decimals, like 0.09 is 1/10 of 0.9.
- 5.NBT.A.2: Multiply and divide by 10, 100, and 1,000, and see how the digits shift.
- 5.NBT.B.5: Fluently multiply larger numbers, like 213 × 32.
For teachers: Unit names and order vary between editions and districts, so your school’s own materials have the exact sequence. Learn how Bobby's Math Club can help your students grow.