Lesson Plan Template

Name: Tucker Atwood Program: Course: Algebra 1

Secondary/Middle
Education

Lesson Topic/Title: Properties of Exponents

Lesson Date: 2/27/17, Lesson Length: 2 class periods Grade/Age:

2/28/17 of 55 minutes each Freshman/Sophomore
Learning Objectives (Targets):

-Students will know the basic properties of exponents: the product rule, the power of a power
rule, and the quotient rule.
-Students will be able to apply the properties of exponents to simplify expressions involving
variables and/or numerical values.
-Students will know the special properties of exponents: the zero power rule, the negative
exponent rule, and the identity exponent rule.

Standards: Standards Alignment & Justification:

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.8.EE.A.1
Know and apply the properties of integer
exponents to generate equivalent numerical
expressions.
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.HSA.SSE.A.1.A
Interpret parts of an expression, such as
terms, factors, and coefficients.
Assessment:
This lesson is centered around an
introduction into exponents, which is
reflected in both the objectives and the
standards. Exponent properties also push
students to think about how exponents apply
to different types of expressions, which will
give them clues to simplifying those
expressions.
Assessment (Data & Student Feedback):

Pre/Student-self: Students will answer three
or four questions on Google Classroom at the
beginning of the lesson.
Formative: Students will compete in an
engaging, interactive quiz on Kahoot.
Formative: Students will answer a few
questions on an Exit Ticket at the end of the
lesson.
-Google Classroom will be used to get a sense
of how much experience students have had
individually with the upcoming material, so
that I can plan accordingly. The questions
will not only be about solving and
simplifying, but also about students
explaining what they are struggling with or
feeling confident about. For this reason, this

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 is also a student self-assessment.
-Though Kahoot does not necessarily give me
information on each individual student, it
does let me know when the majority of the
class is struggling with a certain type of
question.
-For the exit tickets, there will be at least one
question which involves solving an equation
or simplifying an expression, and at least one
question which involves explaining a process
or defining a term. Depending on the
responses, these will be used at the beginning
of the next day's class period as a resource
for review or corrections.
Instructional Strategies to Differentiate Whole Class Instruction:

As a hook to this lesson, students will be guided through an activity with folding paper. They
will have a page of blank paper to start off, and will be asked how many sections there are on
the paper. They may be confused at first, but eventually a student will probably mention that
there is only one section on a blank paper. Next, students will be asked to fold the paper.
Once they unfold it, they will be asked the same questions. This time, students will catch on
and say that there are two section. Theyll be asked to fold it again, and theyll notice that
there are four sections. As they continue, they will notice a pattern: 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, and so on.
This will help them understand how exponents work and how an exponential pattern creates
larger numbers at a larger and larger rate.

The note-taking process during this lesson will be slightly different from the typical
lecture-based notes. As notes are being explained verbally, they will also be written down
with pencil and paper at the teachers desk. However, thanks to the Point-2-View camera that
connects to the projector, students will be able to follow along with the notes while taking
their own if they wish. If they would rather focus on learning the material instead of copying
it down, however, then there is another option to get a set of the pre-made notes on the same
material.

For practice with the material, students will be given a worksheet with content-related
exercises. At first, students will not be able to complete all of the exercises, but over the
course of this lesson and the next lesson, they will learn how to. Students will have the option
to work on the worksheet in pairs, small groups, or individually. This will give an opportunity
for students to get more individualized and personal connections to the material. These
worksheets will also be used to provide exercises to the Problem Presentations assessment in
the next lesson, so even students who are not presenting the problems will already have
experience with them.

Modifications / Accommodations / Extensions For Individual Students with Identified Needs:

-Pre-made notes on exponent properties will be available to students who would rather listen
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and view notes instead of focusing on copying them down.
-Some students are unable to access Classroom for a variety of reasons; these students will be
provided with a hard copy of the same questions.
-Students who are unable to access Kahoot for any reason will have scrap paper where they
will write down their answer and show it to me before the correct answer is revealed.

The following modifications and accommodations are provided during every lesson in
conjunction with individual students I.E.P.s and 504s:
-One student will be allowed to listen to music to relieve stress, as long as the music is not
distracting from the lesson. This student will also be given cool-down time when he is upset.
If consequences for his behavior need to be given, they will not be given in front of the entire
class (they will be addressed later, one-on-one). This student will also receive frequent checks
for understanding. The hands-on and visual portion of this lesson, I believe, will be a benefit
to this student and will help him get involved.
-One student will be allowed up to two extra days to complete an assignment, if necessary. In
this lesson, there are no assignments of homework, so this will probably not be necessary.
-One student will be allowed to leave the room at any time for medical reasons. This student
will also receive shorter assignments if necessary.
-One student will be allowed to listen to music to focus attention, as long as the music is not
distracting from the lesson. This student will also be provided a copy of the notes (which will
not be required for this lesson) and will be given concise oral directions limited to no more
than 2 steps. This student will also receive frequent checks for understanding.

Technology Integration: (if appropriate)

Projector: The classroom projector will be used to display the video at the beginning of the
lesson. It will also be used to display the note-taking through the Point-2-View camera.
Point-2-View Camera: This camera will allow notes to be taken by pencil and paper at the
teachers desk while students can follow along by viewing the notes on the projector.
Google Classroom: Students will answer three or four questions on Google Classroom at the
beginning of the lesson.

Materials and Resources for Lesson Plan Development

-Graph paper to be used for the paper folding activity; there will need to be enough graph
paper so that each student gets a page.
-Pre-made notes on exponent properties will be available to students who would rather listen
and view notes instead of focusing on copying them down.
-Worksheets with content-related exercises. Students will have the option to work on the
worksheet in pairs, small groups, or individually. These worksheets will also be used to
provide exercises to the Problem Presentations assessment in the next lesson.
-Exit tickets for students to complete at the conclusion of the lesson to gauge comprehension.
-Ted-Ed video to get students interested in thinking mathematically to solve problems given
particular variables.
-Kahoot quiz for students to compete in while engaging in meaningful learning.
-Google Classroom for students to show comprehension while answering questions unrelated
to the content (for example, to provide feedback to the teacher).
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Teaching & Learning Sequence:

Day 1:
1. Video (5 min) This video from Ted-Ed will be shown. It is not related to this lessons
content; it is intended to engage students in meaningful mathematical thought.
2. Hook (5 min) Students will be led through the paper folding activity described in the
Instructional Strategies section.
3. Pass back (5 min) Graded papers, quizzes, and other assessments will be passed back to
students with feedback that they can use for future assessments.
4. Google Classroom entries (15 min) Students will answer three or four questions on Google
Classroom. Students without access to Google Classroom will have the option to answer the
same questions on a hard copy.
5. Notes (20 min) An introduction to exponents will be given through notes taken by pencil
and paper at the teachers desk while students are following along by viewing the notes on
the projector via the Point-2-View camera.
6. Wrap up (5 min) At the conclusion of class, students will remind themselves what they
learned, how it connected to previous material, and how it will connect to future material.

Day 2:
1. Example worksheet (20 min) Students will be given a worksheet that includes exercises
involving exponents as well as the next lessons content (fractional exponents). The exercises
on this worksheet will be presented during the next lesson. For now, students will work on
them in small groups or pairs, giving opportunities to learn in a more personal setting.
2. Kahoot (20 min) Students will compete in an engaging, competitive quiz on Kahoot. This
quiz will cover exponent properties, with time given between questions to go over anything
that students may find confusing or frustrating.
3. Exit ticket (15 min) Before leaving class, students will show whether or not they have
learned material thus far by completing an exit ticket.

Content Knowledge Notes: (if applicable/instructor discretion)

Basic exponent properties:

x a * x b = x a+b
(x a ) b = x ab
xa
xb
= x ab
x a = x1a
x0 =1
x1 =x

Common Core Teacher Standards (CCTS) Alignment & Justification: (Field/Student Teaching
Only)

Standard #2: Learning Differences

In the sections Modifications / Accommodations / Extensions For Individual Students with Identified
Needs and Instructional Strategies to Differentiate Whole Class Instruction, I have demonstrated my
understanding that students have specific and unique learning styles, and I have accommodated my
lesson in order to account for that. The note-taking process allows students to follow along with the
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notes, to see notes in front of them, or hear me lecture as I create the notes. I have allowed students to
work individually or in small groups, which gives me an opportunity to address students individual
learning needs without holding the rest of the class back at all.

Standard #9: Reflection and Continuous Growth

In the section Post-Lesson Reflection, I have demonstrated that I am able to break down my lesson
once it has been implemented and understand what went wrong, how it could have been better, and
what I would change if I were to do the lesson again. I gave specific examples of moments in the lesson
that stood out as opportunities for growth, and showed exactly how the growth would happen. I also
took a look at sections of the lesson that worked well and how I could use that to enhance future
lessons. This skill will allow me to recognize when a lesson does not go well, address the problem, and
become a more successful educator in the future because of it.

Post-Lesson Reflection:

I think I might have gone too fast with the introduction into exponents, because halfway
through the lesson I was still getting students who were thinking that x 2 was the same thing
as 2x . I corrected this by bringing the class back to the beginning of the lesson a couple times.
This was important because I wanted to focus mainly on students understanding exponents
in a general sense, rather than just memorizing the exponent properties. It all started to click
when I had students start writing out exactly what each exponent meant, and using that to
prove why a certain exponent property worked. For example, I had students write out
x 2 * x 4 as (x * x) * (x * x * x * x) . As long as students had the general idea of what exponents
were all about, they were able to recognize that they could just count the number of x s there
are and summarize that by using exponents. So, for example, students could see something
like (x * x) * (x * x * x * x) and recognize that as x 6 . Students would then realize that 6 is just
4+2, so they understood why an exponent property worked the way it did.

If I was to do this lesson again, I would definitely continue using the hook that involved
folding paper. In fact, I will be bringing back the paper folding in the next lesson, when I
moved on from whole number exponents to their fractional equivalents. I would also use
more activities in future versions of this lesson; students were engaged in the hook, but then
became distracted and uninterested during the note-taking and the worksheet part. Im not
sure what activities I would incorporate into this, but I would try to find something.

The exit tickets gave me a good idea of how much students learned throughout the lesson.
Some students understood exponents pretty well, while others were still confused by the end
of the lesson. Since the next lesson continues the exponent trend, I believe I will have enough
opportunities to correct misconceptions while moving ahead with the material.

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