Unit 6, Lesson 12
Meaning of Exponents
Grade 6
Preparation
Lesson Narrative
In a previous unit, students were introduced to the term exponent in the context of area and volume. At that time, they worked with expressions in which a number was squared or cubed. This lesson extends that work by defining exponent more generally and considering exponent notation for any positive whole-number exponent.
In the Warm-up, students first consider a dot pattern where the number of dots is repeatedly multiplied by 3 in each successive level. Students next consider a situation involving grains of rice that repeatedly doubles, and connect the repeated calculations to expressions involving exponents (MP8). Students then make use of the new shorthand notation to write expressions with exponents that have particular values.
- Describe (orally and in writing) a pattern that could be expressed using repeated multiplication.
- Generate and evaluate numerical expressions involving whole-number exponents.
- Interpret expressions with exponents greater than 3, and comprehend the phrase “to the power” or “to the” (in spoken language).
Let’s see how exponents show repeated multiplication.
Required Preparation
For the digital version of the activity, acquire devices that can run the applet.