Parets 1

Finalized Lesson Plan

Teacher: Taryn Parets
School: Webber Middle School
Title:

th

Grade Level: 6 (CM2XL)

Understanding Exponents

Date: 11/06/14
Content Area: Math
Lesson #:_1_ of _1_

Content Standard(s) addressed by this lesson: (Write Content Standards directly from the standard)
(8th grade standard)
Standard: 1. Number Sense, Properties, and Operations
Concept: 1. In the real number system, rational and irrational numbers are in one to one
correspondence to points on the number line.
Evidence Outcome: d. Students can apply the properties of integer exponents to generate
equivalent numerical expressions. (CCSS: 8.EE.1)
Understandings: (Big Ideas)
Students will understand that prior knowledge is a building block for learning new
concepts.
Inquiry Questions: (Essential questions relating knowledge at end of the unit of instruction, select
applicable questions from standard)
When were learning something new, what tools do we have to help us understand it?
What is prior / background knowledge?
What do we know about the relationship between addition and multiplication?
Evidence Outcomes: (Learning Targets)
Every student will be able to: (Create your own lesson objectives from the standard, follow the ABCD
format, using student voice)
I can: interpret expressions that include exponents using prior learning about multiplication.
This means: I can take notes about exponents in my Journal, then work with my table group to apply my
knowledge to practice problems on a worksheet and an Around the World activity.
List of Assessments: (Write the number of the learning target associated with each assessment)
Students will be assessed using thumbs up/thumbs down formative assessments throughout the class
period and an exit ticket question.

Parets 2

Planned Lesson Activities

Name and Purpose of Lesson
Should be a creative title for you and the
students to associate with the activity.
Think of the purpose as the minirationale for what you are trying to
accomplish through this lesson.

Approx. Time and Materials

How long do you expect the activity to
last and what materials will you need?

Anticipatory Set
The hook to grab students attention.
These are actions and statements by the
teacher to relate the experiences of the
students to the objectives of the lesson,
To put students into a receptive frame
of mind.
To focus student attention on
the lesson.
To create an organizing
framework for the ideas,
principles, or information that is
to follow (advanced organizers)
An anticipatory set is used any time a
different activity or new concept is to be
introduced.

How do you intend to engage your

students in thinking during the
Anticipatory Set?
Why are you using it at this point in
your lesson?

Procedures
(Include a play-by-play account of what
students and teacher will do from the
minute they arrive to the minute they
leave your classroom. Indicate the

Title: Understanding Exponents

Purpose: To teach students about how to interpret and
simplify expressions which include integer exponents, as a
building block for using them in equations.
This lesson will take the entire class period (minus time to
pack up), about 75 minutes. Students will need pencils, their
journals, extra colors if they want them for taking notes,
scratch paper, and the worksheets I will provide.
Work through this progression, as a sort of investigation.
(problems on SMARTboard, I stand at front and guide,
students write answers on scratch paper, answer out loud to
the class)
What is 3 + 3?
What is 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3?
How did you solve this? Is there another way we could write
this? 3 x 12
What is 3 x 3?
What is 3 x 3 x 3 x 3 x 3 x 3 x 3 x 3 x 3 x 3 x 3 x 3?
How did you solve this?
What about trying to multiply 3 x 3 x 400 times?
Is there another way we could write this? Well
Has anyone seen something like this before? (32)
Then ask what they know, have students answer
(1 minute introduction, 5 minutes for questions, 1 minute
transition: 7:50-7:57)
Everyone will be completing the problems at the same time,
working together. Ill have them do something to show me
theyve completed the step (stand up, finger on nose, etc.)
As the questions get more challenging, theyll be working
together trying to solve it and realizing how frustrating it is to
do without more information! Im using it here to lead into
the idea for the day, learning about what exponents are
through multiplication.
Have a student read the learning targets out loud, talk about
the vocab we already know and what were going to learn. (1
minute, 1 minute transition into Journals: 7:57-7:59)
Next, take notes on exponents. I will write on a paper using

Parets 3
length of each segment of the lesson.
List actual minutes.)
Indicate whether each is:
-teacher input
-modeling
-questioning strategies
-guided/unguided:
-whole-class practice
-group practice
-individual practice
-check for understanding
-other

the document camera and students will follow along, copying

notes into their Journals. When I get to examples Ill have
them choose the numbers they want to use. (15 minutes,
8:00-8:15)
Next, students will work with their table groups to complete
the Exponents Worksheet that I will hand out to them (See
Below). There are questions relating to all the different
things covered by the notes. Once a whole table group is
finished, if they finish early, they can start looking at the
Challenge Problems on the back of the worksheet. I will walk
around and help students who have questions and challenge
those who are getting it quickly by asking follow-up
questions. (20 minutes, 8:15-8:35)
When students have completed the worksheet we will have a
quick catch and release to talk about how exponents are
plugged into a calculator. (3 minutes, 8:35-8:38)
Then students will have a few minutes to check their answers
using the calculators (2 minutes, 8:38-8:40)
Finally, we will have some students share out their answers
to the class, and allow time for questions if anyone still has
them. (5 minutes, 8:40-8:45)
Around the World: Next, students will get an opportunity to
practice through a different method, an Around the World
activity. There will be signs around the room that have an
answer and a problem on them that do not match. Students
can start at any sign, solve the problem, then find the sign
that has the matching answer. Students are done when they
make it back to their first sign. Students will work with their
table groups and must stick together. I will have directions
on the SMARTboard and again be walking around helping,
and putting sticky notes on their chairs. (15 minutes, 8:459:00)
Ticket Out The Door detailed in Closure section. (5 minutes,
9:00-9:05)
Time to pack up, put away journals, and clean up the room.
(4 minutes, 9:05-9:09)

How do you intend to engage your

students in thinking during the
PROCEDURE?

At any point in the lesson, if students finish early they can

work on their maths mates, and if they dont finish then the
rest will become homework.
Students should be engaged the entire time, at least
physically. They are never just sitting around, they are always
doing something. However, to engage them mentally I will
be asking them questions, as well as making sure they are

Parets 4
Why are you using it at this point in
your lesson?

Closure
Those actions or statements by a
teacher that are designed to bring a
lesson presentation to an appropriate
conclusion. Used to help students bring
things together in their own minds, to
make sense out of what has just been
taught. Any Questions? No. OK, lets
move on is not closure. Closure is used:
To cue students to the fact that
they have arrived at an
important point in the lesson or
the end of a lesson.
To help organize student
learning
To help form a coherent picture and to
consolidate.
How do you intend to engage your
students in thinking during CLOSURE?
Why are you using it at this point in
your lesson?

Differentiation
To modify: If the activity is too advanced
for a child, how will you modify it so
that they can be successful?
To extend: If the activity is too easy for a
child, how will you extend it to develop
their emerging skills?

working with their group members. The notes are at this part
in the lesson to get the students the information they need.
Then the worksheet and the activity are for practice, to get
the ideas solidified in their minds.
The Ticket Out The Door will be to write on a sticky note the
answer to three questions:
How did our prior knowledge about multiplication help us
understand exponents?
Write your own expression or equation that includes
exponents and solve it.
What other prior knowledge did you use today?
Then they will leave the sticky notes on the SMARTboard on
their way out.

The first closure question should ideally be pretty

straightforward, since they have already answered it and
been talking about it in class. This question will be the key to
knowing if theyve grasped the Understanding of the lesson
yet or not. The second one is at a higher level of thinking,
since they have to create their own. The third question really
ties into the Understanding and gets them thinking outside of
the box.
If the activity is too advanced, I will refer the student back to
their notes, or to a friend who is understanding the work. If
they find that these resources are not enough help, I will
work with them one on one. There are a lot of problems, so
if a student doesnt finish them all but I can tell they are
understanding the concepts, then thats fine.
If the activity is too easy, students will be challenged by the
Challenge Problems on the back of the worksheet. Since this
class is accelerated and has many students with ALPs, I
expect many of them to get to the Challenge Problems.
These are problems they wont know all of the answers to, so
they will have to think critically and do some educated
guessing. If they are really getting into it, I can explain to
them some of the answers.
Also, if a student finishes early but doesnt want to try the
Challenge Problems, then they will need to work on their

Parets 5
maths mates or another activity, theres no opting out.
There are no IEPs in this class, so differentiation will be based
only on how well they are grasping the concepts, not really
any specific outside concerns.

Assessment
How will you know if students met the
learning targets? Write a description of
what you were looking for in each
assessment.

I will know students have met the learning target based on

their answers when we check the worksheet together, their
ticket out the door answers, and the informal thumbs
up/thumbs down questions throughout the lesson.
Hopefully they will have correct answers on the worksheet,
lots of thumbs up, and creative answers on the exit tickets.
The exit tickets especially will show whether they are
anywhere close to getting the Understanding yet or not.

Parets 6

Exponent Notes

Parets 7
CM2XLNov. 6th

Name: __________________________

Exponents Worksheet
1) Complete the table.
Multiplication
Base
Form

Exponent Exponential How do you say it?

Form

Answer

1.
5x5x5

2.
62

Six squared

3.
4

64

4.
Three to the fourth
power
5.
2x2x2x2x2

2) Solve for the variable.

1. x2 = 49
4. 103 = a

7. -41 = t

x=

a=

t=

2. 170 = z

5. 3x = 27

8. b5 = 32

z=

x=

b=

3. -82 = s

6. 110 = m

9. 6x = 36

s=

m=

x=

3) Answer the question in complete sentences.

How does what we know about multiplication help us understand exponents?

__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________

Parets 8
CM2XLNov. 6th

Exponents: Challenge Problems

1) Can you simplify the expression x3 * x5 ?

2) Can you simplify the expression x3 + x5 ?

3) How might you represent x2 geometrically?

4)

What could x1/2 mean? How could we simplify it?

5) What could x-2 mean? How could we simplify it?

6) Simplify: x12 * x342

Parets 9
Post Lesson Reflection
1. To what extent were lesson objectives achieved? (Utilize assessment data to justify
your level of achievement)
I think the lesson went really well. For the most part the students seemed to stay engaged
throughout the class, and the learning targets for the day were met. From the exit ticket, I can
tell that the majority of the students understood the exponent rules, and could apply them to a
problem they created themselves. Looking at the bigger picture, it was cool to see how the
students answers revealed different levels of understanding. Some answered the first
question spot on, using the wording that Id been using in class, while others drew simpler
conclusions from the practice. These conclusions were not what I was aiming for, but they
were still correct, and they helped me see a slight error in the way I was wording my questions.
Overall I believe the lesson objectives were achieved, so the lesson was a success.

2. What changes, omissions, or additions to the lesson would you make if you were to
teach again?
Now that I know better where their level of knowledge was, I would have spent less time taking
notes on and practicing things they knew, and a little more time looking at the Challenge
Problems as a class and pushing them to discover new things. As I delivered them, I found a
small things in the notes I gave that I might change. I also would have allowed more time for
the Around the World activity to ensure they would have time to finish, and maybe have found
a way to better check that they worked with their entire table group. Finally, I would like to
work in a better way to go back to the learning targets at the end of class and address as a
group whether we think wed accomplished them or not.

3. What do you envision for the next lesson? (Continued practice, reteach content, etc.)
The students have a good handle on basic exponentsthey had more prior knowledge than I
was aware of! Because of this, they are ready to move on in the next lesson. We will continue
to practice these basic exponent rules, but we will also start to look at the Challenge Problems
and make those concepts more concrete. It was encouraging when I taught the Period 2/3 class
because they were eagerly asking questions about these harder concepts, even when we were
still taking notes about the basicsthey are eager to ask questions and investigate and learn.