Lesson Plan Template

Name: Tucker Atwood Program: Course: Algebra 1

Secondary/Middle
Education

Lesson Topic/Title: Properties of Fractional Exponents

Lesson Date: 3/1/17, 3/2/17, Lesson Length: 3 class periods Grade/Age:

3/3/17 of 55 minutes each Freshman/Sophomore
Learning Objectives (Targets):

-Students will be able to find the value of a perfect square or cube being raised to the one-half
or one-third power, respectively.
-Students will know and be able to demonstrate the relationship between exponents and
square roots.
-Students will understand that rational exponents are the same things as square roots, cube
roots, etc.

Standards: Standards Alignment & Justification:

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.8.EE.A.2 This lesson takes exponent properties that

Use square root and cube root symbols to were learned in the previous lesson and
represent solutions to equations of the form applies them to rational exponents. The basis
x2 = p and x3 = p, where p is a positive rational of the lesson is understanding that rational
number. Evaluate square roots of small exponents are the same thing as square roots
perfect squares and cube roots of small and cube roots, which is targeted in the
perfect cubes. objectives as well as the standards. Finding
values and simplifying expressions involving
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.HSN.RN.A.1
Explain how the definition of the meaning of rational exponents directly follows the
rational exponents follows from extending previous lesson and is also targeted in the
the properties of integer exponents to those objectives and standards.
values, allowing for a notation for radicals in
terms of rational exponents.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.HSN.RN.A.2
Rewrite expressions involving radicals and
rational exponents using the properties of
exponents.

Assessment: Assessment (Data & Student Feedback):

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Formative: Students will be sharing their
knowledge of the material with their -Problem Presentations gives students the
classmates through Problem Presentations. chance to share their new knowledge with
classmates, while giving classmates the
chance to correct them and work together to
Formative/Student-teacher: Students will be find the solution. Also, if there are any
meeting with me in 1-on-1 conferences. The problems that students collectively struggle
conference could include new material, old with, then those will be the type of problems
material, and even personal issues which to focus on moving forward.
might be holding the student back from
contributing as much as they can. -Theoretically, I would like a chance to talk to
all students 1 on 1, but I would like to first
Summative: quiz/alternative forms of quiz. focus on those that are struggling so that they
These are described in the Instructional can get caught up. Throughout the
Strategies section. conference, we will be working on scrap
paper that I will then give to the student as a
resource for future assignments.

-In alignment with the proficiency based

education that is starting usage at Carrabec,
the students' actual grades will be based
primarily on summative assessments at the
end of every week. Each of these will be
divided evenly between new material (what
was covered that week) and old material
(what was covered in previous weeks). Since
old material will be included on new
assessments, this means that students will
have the opportunity to bring up low grades
from previous assessments. For example, if a
student doesn't know very much about
exponent properties at the conclusion of the
week it was taught (let's say they get a 75),
but they show improvement on exponent
properties by the end of the next week
(maybe they bring it up to an 85), then their
assessment grade associated with exponent
properties will be an 85, the most recent
level. For me, it isn't about whether a student
learns something by a certain date. It is more
about whether a student learns something at
some point or another.
Instructional Strategies to Differentiate Whole Class Instruction:

As a hook to this lesson, students will be guided through an activity called Graphing
Populations. Students will be given to option to use graph paper or Desmos with this activity,
and will be encouraged to use both. Either way, they will be given a situation where a
population is doubling every year; for example, there are 1000 people one year, 2000 the

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next, 4000 the next, and so on. This will hopefully remind students of what they had covered
in the previous lesson, properties of exponents. Every time the x-value increases by 1, the
y-value is doubled. Once they have gone far enough with the doubling, they will be asked to go
back to the beginning and start cutting the populations in half. This will introduce them to the
topic of negative exponents and their relation to what they have already learned.

For practice with the material, students will be given a worksheet with content-related
exercises pertaining to this lesson and the previous lesson. Students will have had the option
in the previous lesson 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. In this lesson, these worksheets will be used to provide exercises to the Problem
Presentations assessment, so even students who are not presenting the problems will already
have experience with them. Problem Presentations gives students the chance to share their
new knowledge with classmates, while giving classmates the chance to correct them and
work together to find the solution. Also, if there are any problems that students collectively
struggle with, then those will be the type of problems to focus on moving forward.

Every student has the chance to show their comprehension level through a quiz that I will
give at the end of every week. However, this will not be the only way that they can show their
comprehension level. If a student prefers project-based learning, I will sit down with them
and discuss what kind of project might be able to show what they've learned in a better way
than the quiz. In a more likely setting, if a student prefers showing me how much they've
learned through problem presentations or conversations (in a 1-on-1 setting), then I will set
up a time with them so that they can convince me that they've learned the material without
the need for a quiz. Either way, students will be aware of the Learning Goals and will always
have plenty of options as to how they show me that they've met those goals.

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

-Students who feel uncomfortable or otherwise cannot present problems in front of the entire
class will have the option to do so at an alternate time with just the teacher as their audience.
-Pre-made notes on rational exponents will be available to students who would rather listen
and view notes instead of focusing on copying them down.

In regards to assessment:
If a student prefers project-based learning, I will sit down with them and discuss what kind of
project might be able to show what they've learned in a better way than the quiz. In a more
likely setting, if a student prefers showing me how much they've learned through problem
presentations or conversations (in a 1-on-1 setting), then I will set up a time with them so
that they can convince me that they've learned the material without the need for a quiz. Either
way, students will be aware of the Learning Goals and will always have plenty of options as to
how they show me that they've met those goals.

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
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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)

-Desmos will be an option for students to use during the hook activity (instead of graph
paper).
-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.
-Projector: The classroom projector will be used to display the video at the beginning of the
lesson.

Materials and Resources for Lesson Plan Development

-Graph paper to be used for the Graphing Populations activity; there will need to be enough
graph paper so that each student gets a page.
-Desmos will be an option for students to use during the hook activity (instead of graph
paper).
-Pre-made notes on fractional exponents 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 had worked on these in the
previous lesson in pairs, small groups, or individually. In this lesson, they will be used to
provide exercises to the Problem Presentations activity.
-Ted-Ed video to get students interested in thinking mathematically to solve problems given
particular variables.
-Scrap paper to be used during the 1-on-1 conferences with students who are struggling.
Students will be able to keep this scrap paper to help them on future assignments.
-Assessments. Students will have the option to take this quiz or choose one of the options
discussed in the Modifications/Accommodations section.

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 (10 min) Students will be led through the Graphing Populations activity described in
the Instructional Strategies section. Desmos or graph paper will be used to guide learning.

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3. Notes (20 min) An introduction to rational 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.
4. Work on worksheet (20 min) Students will continue working on this worksheet that they
got during the previous lesson, because the exercises will be used the next day for the
Problem Presentations.
5. 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. Review worksheet/1-on-1 conferences (25 min) Students who are feeling confident about
the material will continue reviewing the worksheet that they will present from. Students who
are struggling will have time to go over specific material in 1-on-1 conferences.
2. Problem Presentations (25 min) Students will take over the class one by one and show each
other how to solve or simplify the content-related exercises to the rest of the class.
3. 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 3:
1. Assessment (55 min) Most students will be taking this quiz on material relating to this
lesson as well as the previous lesson. For alternate forms of assessment, review the
Modifications/Accommodations section.

Content Knowledge Notes: (if applicable/instructor discretion)

A rational exponent performs the opposite action from a whole number exponent. For
example:
16 2 = x asks the question 16 multiplied by 16 is what?
16 1/2 = x asks the question What multiplied by what is 16?
Rational exponent can also be thought of as roots; something raised to the one-half power is
being square rooted, something raised to the one-third power is being cube rooted, and so on.

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

Standard #1: Learner Development

In the sections Instructional Strategies to Differentiate Whole Class Instruction and Post-Lesson
Reflection, I have demonstrated my understanding of how students learn material through learning
experiences that are designed specifically for individual students. I have provided multiple ways to
present material, giving students multiple ways of thinking about it. Through my understanding of
how students learned, I have created a way to use the current material to connect past material with
future material by using it as a bridge of comprehension.

Standard #6: Assessment

In the sections Assessment (Data and Student Feedback), Modifications / Accommodations /
Extensions For Individual Students with Identified Needs, and Instructional Strategies to
Differentiate Whole Class Instruction, I have demonstrated that I have created different modes of

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assessment which provide each student with a unique way of showing me that they have learned the
material. I have accounted for multiple intelligences as well as different learning styles and have used
that to create multiple forms of assessment, which includes an individualized aspect that can be seen
in the 1-on-1 conferences along with the specialized summative assessments.

Post-Lesson Reflection:

It took a while for students to realize how rational exponents are related to integer
exponents. By the end of the lesson, far too many students still believed that something raised
to the one-half power meant that they were cutting that number in half. Obviously, its a
common mistake, but it was more difficult to correct than I thought it would be. I emphasized
the fact that we were asking ourselves the exact opposite question here from what we had
asked in the previous lesson. The connections were there, but it was a challenge to create
them. I also emphasized that students had most likely seen rational exponents in the form of
square roots before; it was just that these were a more generalized version of square roots. I
ended up using factor trees a lot more than I had planned on using them, but that was the part
that seemed to finally stick with most students.

This was my first time trying out this assessment style, and I believe it worked out well. Just
as I expected, many students chose to just do the quiz at the end of the week instead of taking
any time out of their schedules elsewhere. They were not very interested in creating projects
(even if I stressed to them that they didnt have to be big projects, just enough to show me
that they learned the material). I had a couple students choose to show me they had
comprehended the material through a conversation/presentation type of assessment. They
came in during my prep period and we talked about exponents and rational exponents while
they did a few problems for me on the board. There were times where I had to guide them to
the correct answer, which I reflected in the grade that I gave them.

If I were to do this lesson again, I would be more specific with the Problem Presentations.
Students realized early on that they really only needed to do one or two exercises from the
worksheets that I gave them (since that was how many they were presenting), so they started
to misbehave because they didnt think they had any more to do. I sort of corrected this by
letting them know that the worksheets would be factored into their participation grade
(which is about 40% of their total grade), which got them partially back on track. In the
future, I would stress the fact that I want them to do all of the problems on the worksheet,
even if they arent actually presenting all of them individually.

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