Exponent Activities for High School Students

Utilize exponent activities for high school students to teach the math concept through interactive and extension learning projects. Teach students to use exponents as short-cuts in multiplication problems through hands-on math activities. Close the textbooks for awhile and demonstrate the process of configuring exponents through art projects and small group activities.

Guide your students in creating an art project that demonstrates multiplication and division through the use of exponents. You can use the repetitive patterns in tiling, tessellations and mirror images to demonstrate exponent properties. Students will be able to visualize how to understand the multiplication process of exponents when seeing the models placed in front of them. Students often have a difficult time differentiating between multiplying the number by itself the number of times the exponent requires and just multiplying the number by the figure represented by the exponent. Example of the common misconception: three to the third power = 27 and not 9.

Give each student a sheet of construction or colored butcher paper which measures 8 x 11 inches. Instruct the students to fold one sheet of paper in half and press firmly on the crease. Students will repeat this step folding the paper a total of five times. Students should have a folded piece of paper with between 64 to 72 squares. You will be able to see the creases where the paper was divided into four distinct sections.

Students will need a scrap piece of paper to work math problems and a sheet of notebook paper to record their results after generating number sentences. Tell the students to count the number of squares on their folded piece of paper. Students can then count how many squares it takes to fill different portions of the page. Tell the students to use their graphing model as a guide to create exponent and fractional problems. You can also use the project as a timed exponent multiplication test by verbally asking problems and allowing the students to use the visual aid to count the squares and find the appropriate answer. A worksheet with a mixture of straight multiplication problems which must be converted to exponents or exponents converted to whole number can also be incorporated into the learning lesson.

Infuse some creative expression into math class by assigning a specific color to each problem on the worksheet and allow students to color squares to correspond with their answers to create either a 2D or 3D math picture. Students can cut and glue the squares by color group onto a second piece of construction paper showcasing their exponent prowess in an artistic fashion.

You can meet curriculum standards with the exponent art project. The project corresponding lesson plans should include a statement that the students will be utilizing the skills of comparison and ordering of decimals and fraction by use of graphic models. Students will also meet curriculum standards by using manipulative to solve math problems through spatial visualization. Meet the numeric problem solver standard by requiring students to use number concepts and order of operations by analyzing and communicating numeric data while solving problems.