Debbie Heranandez

Differentiated Unit: Algebra/8th Grade

Math Concept: Exponents
CCSS.Math.Content.8.EE.1 Know and apply the properties of integer exponents to
generate equivalent numerical expressions.

Big Idea: Exponents represent repeated multiplication of the same number by itself.
Lesson Goal #1: Activate students interest in exponents
Open Question: At the end of a month, what do you think is the better deal: getting paid
$1000 a week or starting at $0.01 a day and then doubling that amount every day?
Expected Responses:
$1000/week would be way higher
a penny a day is nothing
theres no comparison, obviously $1000/week is better
Spend some time talking about this at your table. Find a way to prove to the class which
is better.
Management:
Students discuss together at their tables, start trying out ideas.
Teacher circulates and asks questions. How can you organize what youve done
so someone else can understand it?
Vocabulary/Academic Language Check:
Doubling
Sum
Product
Total
Expand
Shrink
Debrief: Have groups share ideas with the whole class.
Possible Sentence Frames:
To find the total for $1000 a week, I ________________________.
When I doubled the $0.01 every day for 30 days. _______________________.
When I compared the two amounts, I found _________________________.
Summarize: Summarize your findings in your journal. Then read it to the partner on
your left.
Have several share aloud with the class. Could collect as an exit ticket.

Lesson Goal #2:. Students experience a concrete example of

exponential growth.
Lesson: (This will take multiple days. There are several exit ticket ideas of where the
lesson might break.)
VOCABULARY/ACADEMIC LANGUAGE REVIEW
Doubling
Sum
Product
Total
Expand
Shrink
Beverage
Rule
Exponent (see #1 below)
1. Introduce the term exponent: repeated multiplication of the same number by itself.
Relate it to the problem yesterday with doubling. Show how we could write that process
with an exponent.
2. Read excerpt from Alice in Wonderland that describes her getting bigger when she
drank from a little bottle and shrank when she ate the cake. If concerned about ELs
comprehending the story, could show the clip from the Disney movie. Regardless, have a
discussion to make sure all have understood whats going on in the scene.
3. With adding machine tape, each student makes an Alice. To illustrate the doubling, the
student makes another Alice that is double in height of the first one. Then make another
that is double the height of that one and so forth.
4. Discuss in table groups and come up with a statement that compares Alices starting
height to her final height. Write your statement in your math journal.
Teacher circulates. If necessary, ask, By how much has her height been multiplied?
Share out with the class.
Possible Exit ticket: Describe to me in several sentences what is happening to Alice.
4.Once everyone seems to have a general idea, begin to guide them to a more specific
understanding. Give each group the following information.
Assume that for every ounce of cake Alice eats, her height doubles.

What happens to Alices height if she eats 2 ounces of cake? What if she eats 5
ounces?
Find a rule for what happens to Alices height when she eats C ounces of cake.
Explain your rule.
(Depending upon class could break this into 2 sessions: 1 for the cake and 1 for the
beverage. If dividing it into 2 days, then use exit ticket #1 below for first day and exit
ticket question #2 for second day.)
Assume that for every ounce of beverage Alice drinks, her height is cut in half.
What happens to Alices height is she drinks 4 ounces of beverage? What if she
drinks 6 ounces?
Find a rule for what happens to Alices height when she drinks B ounces of
beverage. Explain your rule.
Teacher circulates. If theyre stuck ask, What if Alice eats 7 ounces of cake? or What
if Alice drinks 3 ounces of beverage. Help them think of more examples for themselves.
Encourage them to organize their information somehow perhaps a function table. Help
them write the rule they come up with in exponent notation.
5. Debrief as a class.
The rule we found when Alice eats cake is __________________________.
The rule we found when Alice drinks the beverage is __________________.
We had a different idea, we thought ________________________________.
I agree with what ___________ said, but we wrote the rule as ___________.
6. As they present their findings, have them explain how the notation they used describes
the doubling and shrinking that Alice experienced.
Summarize - Write in your math journal the rules we discovered. Explain what the rule
means to the partner on your right. Randomly chose several students to share with the
class.
(Can use the same sentence starters as above.)
Formative assessment - EXIT TICKET
1. What happens if Alice eats 4 ounces of cake? Show the work proving your answer.
2. What happens if Alice drinks 3 ounces of beverage? Show the work proving your
answer.

Next day:
Parallel Tasks: Students choose which task they prefer.
1. Write a story problem about Alice in which she gets in a situation where she
needs to grow and/or shrink in order to escape some sort of threat or danger.
Be specific about how much cake or beverage she has and how much she
grows or shrinks.
2. Draw a picture puzzle for another student to solve. Include a picture of the
original Alice and a picture of the altered Alice. Make sure the size of your
Alices accurately show the rule of doubling or halving.
Trade with another student and solve his/her story or picture problem. Explain with
numbers and words the solution to the problem.
Academic Language Check: Does your problem make sense?
Debrief:
Have some students explain the problem they solved. Have other students actively listen
and make suggestions or agree with the solution.
(Can use the same sentence frames as earlier.)
Formative Assessment:
Take anecdotal notes on how they did with writing or drawing problems and how they
did solving them. Note what method they used for solving. Did it show understanding of
exponents?