Exponent rules 4-in-a-row

Learning target: students can apply exponent rules.

This activity comes from http://busynessgirl.com/exponent-block-and-factor-pair-block/

It was a very engaging way to practice exponent rules, which can be a very dry topic.

Two students playing one another.

 A veiw of some sample calculations, scratch paper is a must for this activity.

What I liked about this is none of my students picked up their calculator. 

Exponent rules

Learning target: students can apply exponent rules


to try to shake up the way we take notes on this we make a little booklet of all the exponent rules.  I saves the last page for Logarithms and the second to last for examples of solving.

questions to address: if 2^5/2^3=2^2 than what does 2^3/2^5 equal?  If all the twos on top cancel out whats left on top?  Zero?

how do you expand (3x^2)^3 with the power to a power rule?  We need to talk more about making 3=3^1

after which I gave out this A-B sheet stolen from f(t)

Row-game exponent rules

Exponents with Tarsia tiles

Learning target: students can calculate numbers involving exponents.

This was a great introduction into exponent rules.  Students worked together to try to complete this Tarsia Puzzle

link to the image

This was a good activity to get students back in the exponent mindset and clear up any calculator skills questions.  Some students would use the ^2 key on their calculator and  then go back and change the 2.  Some students quickly figured out how to use the parenthesis effectively.  I had just about 100% engagement for the whole activity, and I had students of mixed ability levels working well with each other.

My 4th hour class trying to figure it out.^

Not all students finished but the ones that did took great pride in figuring it all out.  Some of them even asked if they could take a picture of their finished puzzle with their phones.