Victoria Coburn

Lincoln Cohort
March 21, 2015
Differentiated Unit -- Algebra

BIG IDEA: How can you use exponents to write numbers??

Lesson 1 Goal: Using Exponent Notation
I am using ideas generated from Engage New York 8th grade Module 1 Lesson 1

OPENING QUESTION: If I asked: How are 5^3 and 3^5 alike and different. What
would you suggest?
Expected Responses:
One is more than 200, one is less
One has 3 fives in it, the other has 5 threes
One is a multiple of 5
Both are odd
Both have three digits
Both are between 100 1000
Both equal 15 [Theres always going to be one that still thinks this is the answer!]
Management:
Students are discussing in their cooperative groups of four.
The teacher may help them generated ideas by seeing if they remember HOW to
solve before comparing the values of the two numbers.
This is a good exercise to see how much back tracking the teacher will need to do
before proceeding with the lesson.
ACTIVITY: Partner work. Imagine the cube below has $3.00 is each of its small cubes.
Write a single power that represents the total amount of money in the large cube!

EVALUATE THE POWER TO FIND THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF MONEY IN THE

LARGE CUBE.
Management
Students are working in teams of 3 -4 and generating a response to the prompt.
Teacher will go around to each group asking groups questions to probe their
thinking. If you just look at one face of the cube, how could you write an
exponent to show that?
Academic Language Check:
The expression 3^5 is called a power. The base is 3. The exponent is 5.

Remind students that exponents do not have to be whole numbers. They can be fractions
or negative.
Exponents: A quantity representing the power to which a given number or expression is
to be raised, usually expressed as a raised symbol beside the number or expression.
Partner work:
The students will copy and complete the following table.
Repeated Multiplication
Form

Power
(-3)^1
(-3)^2
(-3)^3
(-3)^4
(-3)^5

-3
(-3) x (-3)

Value

-3
9

(-3)^6
(-3)^7
Tiered Lesson: Walking around noticing groups who are having trouble with the
multiplication. I would do a quick mini lesson going over the rules of multiplying
positive and negative numbers.
Another group may have forgotten that these examples mean 3 multiplied by itself 1, 2, 3,
4, 5, 6, and 7 times. I would take out a big bag of pennies and have them model with the
pennies what is happening.

After students have completed the partner work, I will put a graph under the document
camera and we will go over the responses whole group, having partners come up and
explain how they arrived at their repeated multiplication form and value.
Debrief:
Write the following in your math journal and fill in the missing information:
The expression 3^7 is called a ________________________.
The base is ______________.
The exponent is ________________.
Exit Ticket:
Option 1:
Describe what is meant by the expression (-3)^n. How can you find the value of (-3)^n?
Option 2: Substitute five different values for n and solve: (-3)^n.

Lesson 2 Goal: Writing Expressions Using Exponents and

Evaluating Expressions
Opening Question: Suppose I asked you to write 2 as a factor one million times for
homework. How long do you think that would take?
Expected Response:

That would be VERY time consuming

That sounds like a tedious task
Couldnt we use exponents?
If I had to go by 2s maybe one million minutes

Management
The expectation is that students see that exponential notation is an easier way to
write a number as a product of many factors.
The teacher notices one student has worked out 2^8 on his paper and is only at
256.
Academic Language Check:
KEY VOCABULARY
Power - the product of repeated factors
Base the common factor of a power
Exponent indicated the number of times the base is used as a factor

Tiered Lesson:
Students will write each a product using exponents. The first group will
have problems similar to the example. Each team of four in group 1 will get
a different number. We will use the document camera to go over the

responses and give the groups a chance to explain their thinking. The
groups will point out the power, base, and exponent in each situation.
Example
Group 1: (-7) x (-7) x (-7)
Group two students will also be given a chance to share their thinking. Their
problems for writing expressions and using exponents are a little more
challenging in that I may give them symbols, fractions, or decimals.
Example
Group 2: (-4) x (-4) x (-4) x t x t
Each group will also be given a chance to work together and share their
thinking on the document camera with problems evaluating expressions.
Again, each team in group 1 will be given different problems and each team
in group 2 will be given different problems from the others.
Example
Group 1: (-2)^4 Write as repeated multiplication. Simplify.
Example
Group 2: ()^6 Write as repeated multiplication. Simplify.
Debrief: Go over the vocabulary words we used in todays lesson.
Summarize what we have learned: In the math journals write the
following paragraph and fill in the missing words with vocabulary used in
todays lesson:
A _____________________is a product of repeated factors. The ________
of a power is the common factor. The _______________of a power
indicates the number of times the base is used as a factor.
Exit Ticket: Error Analysis. On a 3x5 card, describe and correct the error
in evaluating the expression:

6^3 = 6 x 3 = 18