= Sign

Most helpful understanding?

A. "=" means that you should write on the right the answer to the calculation on the left.

This is the same as the (mis) understanding that "=" means the answer comes next.

No, this habit will produce the correct answer for arithmetic problems, but will trip students up, and make it harder for them to learn when they encounter pre-algebra and algebra topics in middle school.  One of the big goals in reforming elementary education is to make the transition to algebra easier, so we need to learn ways to correct this misunderstanding.

Try Again


B. "=" means that the two sides are the same

C. "=" means that you should do all of the calculations that are anywhere in the number sentence.