Powers and Exponents (Guided Notes)

This lesson is meant to be used as guided notes for a whole class.

Students begin by learning what exponentiation really means. They are shown that exponentiation is shorthand for repeated multiplication in the same way that multiplication is shorthand for repeated addition. Next, they learn terms such as base, exponent, and power. Before solving any problems, they are taught what it means to have 1 or 0 as an exponent, as students frequently confuse these basic properties. Then they learn how to write expressions using exponents by doing a few examples. In the middle of the lesson, the class investigates the difference between -3^2 and (-3)^2. Finally, they evaluate some variable expressions that involve exponents.

The last 2 pages are a copy of the key.