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.