Abstract
In the transition from arithmetic to algebra, it is important to create a learning environment which develops the way in which students view mathematical expressions. This paper reports how students may develop their views through an expression constructing activity. We first constructed the activity from a viewpoint of substantial learning environment, next implemented the teaching experiment in a 7th grade class, and analysed the students' actual activities from a perspective of semiotic chaining. As the result of our analysis in terms of semiotic chaining, we identified four states of sign combinations and chaining for students' progress in their view of mathematical expressions, and discussed the important role of the use of brackets in viewing an expression structurally.
