Sort the following steps to get the recommended strategy for solving equations

Explanation

You wont' always have to use all four steps to solve a given equation.  You can skip a step if it does not apply

1. Simplify each side of the equation: Use the distributive property to remove parentheses, and then combine like terms on each side.
2. Isolate the variable term on one side: Add (or subtract) to get the variable term on one side of the equation and a number on the other using the addition (or subtraction) property of equality.
3. Isolate the variable: Multiply (or divide) to isolate the variable using the multiplication (or division) property of equality.
4. Check the result: Substitute the possible solution for the variable in the original equation to see if a true statement results