Find the Error

This order of operations worksheet challenges students to analyze worked five-step expressions and determine whether each solution is correct. Learners identify mistakes, explain what went wrong, and rewrite the solution using the correct steps, strengthening reasoning and attention to detail.

Instructional Objectives

• Skill Focus (Grades 6-8): Evaluate five-step numerical expressions and verify correct use of the order of operations.
• Conceptual Understanding (Grades 6-8): Recognize common multi-step errors involving parentheses, multiplication/division, and addition/subtraction.
• Algebraic Reasoning (Grades 7-8): Justify corrections by explaining why a solution is incorrect and how to fix it step by step.
• Curriculum Alignment (Grades 6-8): Supports error analysis, multi-step expression evaluation, and critical thinking standards.

By examining both correct and incorrect solutions, students engage in metacognitive thinking and strengthen their ability to critique mathematical reasoning. Rewriting correct steps reinforces proper procedures and builds lasting understanding.

Learning Benefits

• Sharpens error-detection and justification skills
• Reinforces disciplined, step-by-step computation
• Encourages careful analysis and explanation
• Effective for discussion-based lessons, review, or assessment

This printable worksheet provides powerful practice with identifying and correcting errors in five-step expressions, helping students develop confidence and mastery with the order of operations.

This worksheet is part of our 5-Step Order of Operations Worksheets collection.