ALEX Learning Activity

This is a free learning activity from Illustrative Mathematics. In this learning activity, students will read a headline about Giantburger restaurants, solve the real-world problem presented, and justify their reasoning.

This activity results from the ALEX Resource Development Summit.

Students will be able to use their understanding of exponents as repeated multiplication to develop equivalent expressions and justify integer exponent properties.

Students should have been introduced to exponents and have had an opportunity to explore and investigate exponents. The teacher may choose to review integers as an introduction to this learning activity. This activity can be used to give students the chance to demonstrate their knowledge of exponents and explain their thinking.

The teacher should provide the students with a link to the website Giantburgers.  

The students should have discovered in class that an exponent is repeated multiplication. 

During this learning activity, students will demonstrate their understanding of exponents as repeated multiplication by reading a newspaper headline, solving the equation involving exponents, and deciding if the headline is true or false. 

Students will then explain their reasoning and show how they solved the equation. As students work, the teacher should walk around the room and observe any students who might be struggling.

The task of finding a solution to the Giantburgers headline scenario will be the assessment for the students.

The teacher and students will need internet-connected devices to access the website.

The teacher can choose to download and print out the learning activity. If the teacher decides on this option, he/she will need to make copies of the learning activity (one per student) to distribute.

Students who are struggling may need to be paired with stronger students.

This learning activity can be completed with a partner or as an independent activity.

This activity can be downloaded and printed out if internet-connected computers are not available.

ALCOS 2019

8.3). Develop and apply properties of integer exponents to generate equivalent numerical and algebraic expressions.