Inverse Operations & Inserting Brackets Mastery
An interactive lesson on screen. Your child works through worked examples, practises on their own, then tests themselves with questions that get harder as they go.
About this lesson
By the end of this lesson your child can turn an exam's wording into a calculation, work backwards from an answer to the number that started it, and drop brackets into a calculation so it lands on a given total. These three skills sit underneath half a paper, because a question that reads "the product of 5 and the sum of 3 and 4" is only hard until you know where the brackets go.
Topics covered:
- Calculation words, what sum, difference, product, quotient, twice, squared and square root each tell you to do
- Words into calculations, turning a written phrase into a calculation with the brackets in the right place, for example the product of 5 and the sum of 3 and 4 becomes 5 × (3 + 4)
- Working backwards, one and two step function machines, starting at the answer and undoing the last step first
- Longer chains, three steps at once including squares, cubes and roots
- Inserting brackets, putting one pair into a calculation so it reaches a given answer
- Two pairs and longer groups, for the calculations where one pair is not enough
Your child drives three interactive tools, clicks each line of a worked example open one step at a time, tries the practice questions on paper, then clicks to check the answer.
How it's structured:
- Each unit opens with worked examples your child clicks through line by line, then 10 practice questions on a five-level ladder that climbs from a single word up to a two-pair bracket puzzle
- 92 questions in total, each with a click-to-reveal answer and a reveal-all option, plus a New Questions button that deals a fresh set whenever your child wants more
- A final 20-question mixed challenge pulling from all 6 units, mixing every level the way a real exam paper does
Three tools carry the concepts a worksheet can only describe. The word machine puts a symbol, a meaning and an example behind three cards so your child says what a word means before checking. The function machine runs forwards in orange and backwards in blue, so the inverse is something they watch happen rather than a rule they memorise. The bracket placer lets them drop a pair anywhere in a calculation and see the answer move.
Use this if:
- Your child is in Year 4 to Year 11 and freezes on questions written in words rather than numbers
- You're preparing for the 11+, where "I think of a number" questions appear on nearly every paper
- Your child is doing GCSE Foundation and loses marks reversing a calculation or placing brackets
- You want a resource your child can check their own work with, not one more thing on your to-do list
Built by an experienced maths teacher with over 3,000 hours of one-to-one tutoring experience and a Master's in Education.
Format: Interactive digital lesson, link sent by email straight after purchase.
Suitable for: Year 4 to Year 11, 11+, KS2, KS3, KS4, GCSE Foundation.
Who this is for
Built for students who want to practise independently, at their own pace, with clear examples and instant feedback rather than a static worksheet.
What's included
Worked examples
See the method explained step by step before trying it yourself.
Guided practice
Work through questions with answers hidden until you're ready to check.
Exam-style questions
Split easy to hard, so your child is always working at the right level.
How it works
Buy the lesson
Complete checkout securely through Shopify.
Get your link by email
Your lesson link lands in your inbox straight after payment.
Work through it on screen
Open the link on any device and start straight away.
FAQs
How do I access the lesson?
You'll get an email with your lesson link as soon as payment goes through. Click it to open the lesson in any browser, no login and no app to install.
How does the marking work?
There's no typing answers into a box. Your child works it out on paper, then clicks to reveal the correct answer and checks their own work. Full working is shown too, not just the final answer, so mistakes are easy to spot.
Does it work on a phone or tablet?
It works best on a tablet or laptop, where there's more room to read the examples and questions. It'll open on a phone too, but the text and diagrams can feel quite small on a smaller screen.
Can I use the lesson more than once?
Yes. There's no limit on how many times you open the link, so it's there for revision right up to the exam.
What if I lose the link or don't get the email?
Email info@shlc-tutor.co.uk and we'll resend it straight away.
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