I used to teach 5th grade and a student once said to me, “I’m nervous for 6th grade math. They do algebra!!” This student wasn’t confident with his own math skills and didn’t realize that he’d come in contact with algebra before. I think this a common concern for math students, especially those who struggle.
It’s good to remember that when we teach students how to write and evaluate expressions that include exponents, there’s a lot going on for them and students can get overwhelmed.
Teaching order of operations can be a frustrating task because of a few different obstacles. You might have students who can’t remember PEMDAS, even though it is written on the board for them. There’s always a few students who do everything correctly, but make one small mathematical error and then their final answer is wrong. You could even have students who are still struggling with math vocabulary.
Even though these standards can be difficult (for both students and teachers!) they’re important to master. These skills are an essential foundation for their math education as they continue through school. Now is not the time to give up and we’re here to help you! Read on for 10 fantastic resources for you to use and help your students become expression experts!
Activities:
- Order of Operations with Exponents Digital Escape Room
- Exponent Notation Knockout Game
- Order of Operations with Exponents Maze
- Order of Operations with Exponents Riddle
- Exponents and Expressions Task Cards
- Exponent Reference
- Exponent Worksheet #1 and #2
- Order of Operations Game
- Shmoop Sidebar: Exponents
- Otter Rush Exponent Expressions
Order of Operations with Exponents Digital Escape Room
Our digital order of operations with exponents escape room is always a great option to give your students the opportunity to practice! Your students are given the task to solve three different puzzles to find the answer to a mystery. Each expression has exponents in addition to two operations to solve.
This activity has the possibility of being used in a variety of ways. You could incorporate it into rotations and have students work independently, in pairs, or groups. It could be an early finisher option for students who are finishing assignments very quickly. I like the idea of using this as an ongoing morning work. Students would be very motivated to get as much done in the given time to solve the mystery.
However you want to use the order of operations escape room in your classroom, you’re going to have great data. Each puzzle has a code that is your answer key. If a lot of students are all getting one portion wrong, you can look back and see what you need to review.
Have you tried a digital math escape room yet? Teachers & students rave about them! To see what all the fuss is about, click the link below, drop your email, and we’ll send you this FREE digital math escape room!
This escape room is built in Google Slides and has 3 puzzles- one for combining like terms, one for distributive property, and the final one for solving 2-step equations. Grab yours today!
Exponent Notation Knockout Game
In my experience, knockout games are always a student favorite. The Exponent Notation Knockout Game focuses on understanding what exponents represent and how to solve them. This game would be great to use as a review before a test or an end of the week activity. If you have competitive students, they’re going to be excited!
I would recommend using this exponent notation game after spending some time on just exponents. Although exponents are incorporated with expressions, your students are learning new vocabulary and are going to need more time to understand. Exponents can come easy to some students and make absolutely no sense to others, so this game is a fun way to engage everyone.
Order of Operations with Exponents Maze
If you know Math Idea Galaxy, then you know how much we love math mazes! The Order of Operations with Exponents Maze is just what it sounds like. Students have to solve an expression that involves an exponent. Each maze is different so you can differentiate or use them to build up to more difficult problems.
The first maze only has one operation in each problem, for example 4 + 83. This is a great resource for students who need practice solving exponents with other operations around them. The second maze has expressions with one and two operations, for example 27 – 3 x 52. I would give this to students first who have a strong understanding of exponents. The last maze is very similar to the second, there are a variety of one and two operation problems.
Order of Operations with Exponents Riddle
Anything that can be used on paper or digitally is always going to win me over. The Order of Operations with Exponents Riddle is a resource you’re going to love having in your teacher toolkit. The combination of math and riddles is a simple way to help motivate all types of students to put in their best effort.
“What is harder to catch the faster you run?” and ‘I am the part of the bird that doesn’t fly. I can swim in the ocean, and yet remain dry. What am I?” first had me stumped and maybe even you?! Riddles can be used in so many different ways but my favorites are exit tickets or independent practice. When I want to see what my students can truly do on their own, I need them to try their absolute best.
Exponents and Expressions Task Cards
Your brain is tired. You can’t think of any more problems on the spot. You’re experiencing a version of (math) writer’s block. Does this sound familiar? We’ve all been there and it can become very frustrating. Task cards are a great tool to give yourself a break from working so hard.
The Exponents and Expressions Task Cards are so helpful. With certain topics, you can easily come up with a problem off the top of your head. When you’re working with exponents, that isn’t always as easy, especially if you’re putting them in an expression. I like to have a few of these cards on hand so I can practice with small groups or individual students.
If you like using the exponents and expressions task cards for student led activities, you can use the same problems. Whenever I do this, there’s always at least one student who will say, “We’ve already solved this.” And my response is always, “That’s alright, you can do it again!” There’s nothing wrong with repeated practice, after all practice makes perfect!
Exponent Reference
I’m always on the hunt for resources for students who struggle with math. I really like the exponent reference freebie in this post from Count on Tricia because you can shrink it down for an individual student’s desk or put it on your board. There’s even a color by number page with exponents. This could be too easy for some students, so use it as you see best for your class!
When I taught 4th and even 5th grade, I had to give my students a skip counting page. There were so many students who didn’t know their math facts and it became an issue as they tried to do more complex math. If you find that a lot of students can’t solve expressions because they don’t understand exponents, this could be used in a similar way. I would recommend giving this resource to everyone and let your students use it for a specific period of time. After that amount of time, a few weeks, collect all of the papers. This way everyone is being treated the same and you’re helping build confidence in those who need it the most.
Exponent Worksheet #1 and #2
Exponents have a lot to do with patterns. To help your students understand and see those patterns, these worksheets are a great resource. Exponent Worksheet #1 has 20 exponents to be solved. The answer key is on the second page of the document.
I like to split up big worksheets with the entire class, make about four groups and give them specific problems to solve together. Once everyone is done, everyone can share their answers so the entire worksheet is filled out. Use these questions to lead a discussion or for an exit ticket.
- What do you notice about the answers?
- What patterns do you see?
- Give an example of when you don’t have to use any math to find the answer to an exponent.
Exponents Worksheet #2 has students do the opposite of the previous worksheet. Students are given the task of writing the problem with an exponent, for example 3 x 3 x 3 = 33. This worksheet has 10 problems and I would recommend having all students answer all 10. As an extension activity, have students then solve each written exponent.
Order of Operations Game
Math Playground’s Make a Number game is a fun way for students to practice their knowledge of operations. Students can choose to practice or to play and if they want three or four number cards. The goal is to use the number cards and operations to create the target number.
Let me walk you through an example that you can use to explain the game to your class! The target number is 18 and your number cards are 3, 1, 5, and 3. You can use addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division to turn those four numbers into 18. I know that 5 x 3 = 15 and that’s close to 18. Now I have 3 and 1 left. 15 + 3 = 18 and 18 x 1 = 18.
I love this order of operations game because students have to think outside the box to create a specific number. Although they’re not using order of operations or exponents, they’re strengthening their understanding of number relationships.
Shmoop Sidebar: Exponents
This quirky exponents video does a great job of talking about exponents in a different and funny manner. It’s only two minutes long, but it’s going to stick with your students. With any type of math video, it’s always useful to have some type of discussion either before, during, or after. You can use these questions to help engage your students.
- Before Video
- What do you know about exponents?
- Where have you seen exponents?
- What vocabulary is associated with exponents?
- During Video
- What did exponent 2 do to his buddy 5?
- Squared him
- Turned him into 25
- What exponent cubes a base?
- 3
- Which exponent friend didn’t get a lot of work?
- 38
- How would you describe an exponent of 1?
- Useless
- Doesn’t change the base number
- What does the exponent 0 turn numbers into?
- One
- Zombies
- What did exponent 2 do to his buddy 5?
- After Video
- Explain how exponents work.
- Why can exponents be tricky?
- Write down 1 question you still have.
Otter Rush Exponent Expressions
My students are ALWAYS asking to play games on hoodamath.com. The Otter Rush Exponent Expressions game is a free resource everyone is going to love! The objective of the game is to answer exponent questions as your otter races other otters. The faster you answer correctly, the faster you progress in the race. It reminds me of practicing math facts on flash cards.
In younger grades, I often let students practice math facts with each other and my students got really good at them. I recommend having this game as a resource in your classroom to help develop fluency in exponents. Knowing automatically that 71=7 is foundational knowledge that your students will carry throughout math.
You could pair up students and have them compete against each other in the same game. With timed math games, I try my best to have some version of leveled groups. I don’t want students thinking they’re not good at something because they’re not as fast as the kid next to them. However you use this game in class, I’m confident your students will ask to play it again and again!
Experts in Exponents and Expressions
Our ultimate goal is to help teachers find some strong resources they can use to help their students and reduce your preparation time. Every school is different and each group of students is unique, but I hope you’ve found at least one or two activities that you can apply to your unit.
Let us know which resource you use for reviewing exponents and expressions with your students- we always love to hear about what you’re doing in your classroom!
