This unit address the following pieces of the Common Core learning standards:
- MATH.CONTENT.8.EE.A.1
Know and apply the properties of integer exponents to generate equivalent numerical expressions. For example, 3^(2) × 3^(-5) = 3^(-3) = ⅓^(3) = 1/27.
- MATH.CONTENT.8.EE.A.3
Use numbers expressed in the form of a single digit times an integer power of 10 to estimate very large or very small quantities, and to express how many times as much one is than the other. For example, estimate the population of the United States as 3 times 10^(8) and the population of the world as 7 times 10^(9), and determine that the world population is more than 20 times larger.
- MATH.CONTENT.8.EE.A.4
Perform operations with numbers expressed in scientific notation, including problems where both decimal and scientific notation are used. Use scientific notation and choose units of appropriate size for measurements of very large or very small quantities (e.g., use millimeters per year for seafloor spreading). Interpret scientific notation that has been generated by technology
This unit goes in depth into skills practice with integer exponents and scientific notation, for there are many different operations within the Common Core standards (see my learning goals section) that students must master. Although there is only one standard for exponents and two for scientific notation, the unit focuses more on exponents because the exponent rules are the foundation for scientific notation. Students will use a discovery-based jigsaw format to make the abstract exponent rules more concrete for themselves and their peers. This level of understanding achieved through the jigsaw, and the subsequent skill practice, will then allow students to transfer that understanding to operations with scientific notation. This, in turn, will let students compare different real-world quantities and interpret their significance in a given context.