Space Exploration
Two Week
Math
Lesson Plan
Teacher: 6th Grade Teacher
Grade: STEM Math IA
Lesson Title: To Infinity and Beyond: Space and Scientific Notation
STRANDS
The Number System and Geometry
LESSON OVERVIEW
Summary of the task, challenge, investigation, career-related scenario, problem, or community link.
Space exploration is an excellent time to study Scientific Notation. As we discuss the vastness of our universe, students will be working with some very large numbers.
Students learn how to work with scientific notation through discovery, investigations, and tasks. This unit will connect with Science as we discuss our Solar System. This
unit will connect with Social Studies as we discuss and compare population sizes of different countries written in scientific notation. Finally, this unit will connect with
English Language Arts through written explanations of our thoughts.
MOTIVATOR
Hook for the week unit or supplemental resources used throughout the week. (PBL scenarios, video clips, websites, literature)
Students will watch Earth from Orbit in 2012 video (See Resource Folder). This will start out discussion on how large our universe is.
DA
Y
1
Objectives
(I can….)
Materials &
Resources
I can explain
what
Scientific
Notation Set
Instructional Procedures
Essential Question: What happens when I multiply by powers of 10?
Differentiated
Instruction
Differentiated
Instruction –
Assessment
Formative
Assessment:
happens
Activity (See
Resource
when I
Folder)
multiply by
powers of 10.
The String of
Scientific
Notation
Activity (See
Resource
Folder)
Scientific
Notation
Ticket Out the
Door (See
Resource
Folder)
Materials for
Differentiated
Instruction –
Remediation:
Calculators
Materials for
Differentiated
Instruction –
Enrichment:
Challenge
included in
The Strings of
Scientific
Notation
Activity (See
Resource
Lesson Title: Using Powers of 10.
Set: Students will complete the Scientific Notation Set Activity (See Resource Folder). This
activity will serve as a review for exponents.
Teaching Strategy:
1. Ask students what 1 × 103 means. This means 1 group of 103 . Since 103 = 1000, we have
1 group of 1000, so our answer is 1000. Ask students to write the following in standard form.
2
10
1 × 102
2 × 102
3 × 102
4 × 102
4.5 × 102
5 × 102
10 × 102
1 × 103
Ask students why the last two have the same standard form value.
2. Have students open The Strings of Scientific Notation Activity on their iPads. Students will
work with a partner to complete the 4 groups of strings. After each string, students are to
explain one observation they made about the string. Circulate and encourage the students to
look for patterns in the strings and to justify how they know their answer is right. After the
students have completed the strings, discuss with the students what they have observed. Write
down any useful observations that will lead us towards a viable algorithm. Write down
observations that focus on how the exponent impacts the size of the number or the location of
the decimal point.
Summarizing Strategy: Scientific Notation Ticket Out the Door (See Resource Folder).
Practice problems will be assigned for homework.
Remediation:
Calculator
Informal
Observations
Peer Tutoring
Student
responses
during the
discussion
Grouping
Questioning
Differentiated
Instruction –
Enrichment:
Peer Tutoring
Grouping
Questioning
Challenge
Questions
included in The
String of
Scientific
Notation
Activity (See
Resource
Folder)
Ticket Out
the Door
Summative
Assessment:
Homework
Folder)
2
I can change
a number
into scientific
notation.
Materials for
Differentiated
Instruction –
Remediation:
Essential Question:
1. How do I write a number in scientific notation?
2. How do I write scientific notation in standard form?
Lesson Title: Scientific Notation
Differentiated
Instruction –
Remediation:
Calculator
Formative
Assessment:
Informal
Observations
I can change
scientific
notation into
standard
form.
Calculators
Set: Watch the video from Khan Academy of Scientific Notation.
Peer Tutoring
Teaching Strategy:
Grouping
Student
responses
during the
discussion
1. Review what students learned in the video. Model for the students the following
examples.
2 × 103
1 × 106
3.14 × 105
2.1 × 10−3
1.23 × 10−4
2. Have students open Deconstructing Standard Form Activity on their iPads. Students will
work with a partner to complete the groups of strings. Circulate and encourage the
students to look for patterns in the strings and to justify how they know their answer is
right. A common clarification that may need to be made is that students may not
recognize scientific notation and the standard form are equivalent expressions. After
the students have completed the strings, discuss with the students what they have
observed. Write down any useful observations that will lead us towards a viable
algorithm. Write down observations that focus on how the exponent impacts the size
of the number or the location of the decimal point.
Questioning
Differentiated
Instruction –
Enrichment:
Peer Tutoring
Grouping
Questioning
Ticket Out
the Door
Summative
Assessment:
Homework
Summarizing Strategy: Ticket Out the Door: Converting Scientific Notation
Practice problems will be assigned for homework.
3
I can
compare
numbers
written in
scientific
notation.
Materials for
Differentiated
Instruction –
Remediation:
Essential Question: How can we compare numbers that are written in scientific notation?
Calculators
Set: Have students complete the Comparing Scientific Notation (See Resource Folder). Have
students discuss their responses with their table groups.
Lesson Title: Comparing Scientific Notation
Differentiated
Instruction –
Remediation:
Calculator
Formative
Assessment:
Informal
Observations
Peer Tutoring
Student
responses
during the
discussion
Grouping
Teaching Strategy:
1. Ask students to complete the number line on the Comparing Scientific Notation Guided
Notes (See Resource Folder). This will serve as a reminder to students of how to
compare and order integers.
2. Go through the Comparing Scientific Notation Guided Notes with the students. Allow
students to work on some examples in pairs and some examples independently. The
examples include questions about our solar system.
Summarizing Strategy:
Ticket Out the Door: Comparing Scientific Notation (See Resource Folder).
Questioning
Differentiated
Instruction –
Enrichment:
Peer Tutoring
Ticket Out
the Door
Summative
Assessment:
Homework
Grouping
Questioning
Practice problems will be assigned for homework.
4
I can find the
product
Materials for
Differentiated
Essential Question: How do find the product using Scientific Notation?
Differentiated
Instruction –
Formative
Assessment:
using
Scientific
Notation
Instruction –
Remediation:
Lesson Title: Multiplying Scientific Notation
Calculators
Set: Ask students to complete the Multiplying and Dividing Scientific Notation Set. This set
reviews the exponent rules.
Materials for
Differentiated
Instruction –
Enrichment:
Teaching Strategy:
The Andromeda Galaxy is visible without a telescope. Amazingly, it is 2,200,000 light years from
Earth. If you were to beam a light at this galaxy, and nothing got in the way, how many miles
would it travel to reach Andromeda Galaxy? Hint: Light travels 5,900,000,000,000 miles in one
year.
iPad
Use this piece of information to start the discovery of how to multiply using Scientific Notation.
Let students investigate how they might do this if they didn’t have a calculator.
Ask students to open the Multiplying and Dividing Scientific Notation Investigation (See
Resource Folder). Work through the questions #1-5 with the students. Split the questions
between modeled, partner, and individual work.
Summarizing Strategy: Ticket Out the Door: Multiplying Scientific Notation (See Resource
Folder).
Practice problems will be assigned for homework.
Remediation:
Calculator
Informal
Observations
Peer Tutoring
Student
responses
during the
discussion
Grouping
Questioning
Ticket Out
the Door
Differentiated
Instruction –
Enrichment:
Recently, NASA
has discovered
new planets
(See Article).
Have students
research how
far away plants
are in both Light
Years and miles.
Summative
Assessment:
Homework
Scientific
Notation raised
to an exponent.
5
I can find the
product
Materials for
Differentiated
Essential Question: How do find the quotient using Scientific Notation?
Differentiated
Instruction –
Formative
Assessment:
using
Scientific
Notation
Instruction –
Remediation:
Lesson Title: Multiplying Dividing Scientific Notation
Calculators
Set: Ask students to complete the Multiplying Scientific Notation Review (See Resource Folder).
This will serve as a review of what was studied the previous day. This will allow the teacher to
remediate as necessary.
Materials for
Differentiated
Instruction –
Enrichment:
Teaching Strategy:
After going over the set, continue with question 6 on the investigation from the previous day.
Use factoring to show how we can cancel certain parts. Split the questions between modeled,
partner, and individual work.
Remediation:
Calculator
Informal
Observations
Peer Tutoring
Student
responses
during the
discussion
Grouping
iPad
Summarizing Strategy: Ticket Out the Door: Dividing Scientific Notation (See Resource Folder).
Practice problems will be assigned for homework.
Questioning
Ticket Out
the Door
Differentiated
Instruction –
Enrichment:
Recently, NASA
has discovered
new planets
(See Article).
Have students
research how
far away plants
are in both Light
Years and miles.
Summative
Assessment:
Homework
Scientific
Notation raised
to an exponent.
6
I can use
Scientific
Notation to
solve
problems.
Materials for
Differentiated
Instruction –
Remediation:
Essential Question: How do I use Scientific Notation to Solve Problems?
Lesson Title: Giant Burgers Task
Differentiated
Instruction –
Remediation:
Questioning
Set: Watch the Khan Academy Multiplying Scientific Notation Video
Calculators
Informal
Observation
Peer Tutoring
Teaching Strategy: Introduce the task to the students. This task allows students to explore a
real-life situation involving scientific notation.
Materials for
Formative
Assessment:
Allow the students to explore the task on their own. This will allow students to generate their
Use of a
calculator
Ticket Out
the Door
Performance
Differentiated
Instruction –
Enrichment:
Paper/pencil
or iPad
own solutions. During this time, assist students in generating solutions. Ask students assessing
and advancing questions. These questions can include:
1. How did you change that number to standard notation?
2. How are we going to find the percent of people who eat at Giantburger?
3. Why did you set up your problem like that?
Differentiated
Instruction –
Enrichment:
After giving the students enough time to solve the problem on their own, have students
compare their work with their table. If the students do not agree on the solution, have students
prove how they found their answer.
Peer Tutoring
Assessment:
The Giant
Burger Task
Questioning
Summative
Assessment:
Homework
Summarizing Strategy: Ticket Out the Door: Explain if the advertisement was correct. Why or
why not?
Practice problems will be assigned for homework.
7
I can use
Scientific
Notation to
solve
problems.
Planets and
Scale Drawing
Task (See
Resource
Folder)
Essential Question: How do I use Scientific Notation to Solve Problems?
Differentiated
Instruction –
Remediation:
Lesson Title: Planets and Scale Drawing Task
Questioning
Formative
Assessment:
Informal
Observation
Set: Show students two pictures of our solar system. Ask them which is more accurate.
Materials for
Differentiated
Instruction –
Remediation:
Calculators
Materials for
Differentiated
Instruction –
Enrichment:
AU Extension
Peer Tutoring
Teaching Strategy: Ask the students to research the term AU. Have the students research on
his/her own. An AU is the distance from the Sun to Earth. Discuss with the students what we
should use as an estimation of AU.
Use of a
calculator
Ticket Out
the Door
Performance
Assessment:
Explain to the students that we are going to be creating a scale drawing of the Solar System.
Review with the students what a scale drawing is by having them discuss this in their table
groups. Next, discuss what our scale should be for our scale drawing. After coming to a group
consensus, ask each group to fill out the AU Table together. While students are completing
their tables, assign each group at least one planet to calculate the distance away from the sun in
our scale drawing.
Differentiated
Instruction –
Enrichment:
Planets and
Scale
Drawing Task
Questioning
Summative
Assessment:
When all groups have completed their calculations, ask students to present their calculations
and where they are going to place their planet.
Peer Tutoring
AU Extension
Homework
Summarizing Strategy: Which picture was the more accurate of the two you were shown at the
beginning of the class?
Practice problems will be assigned for homework.
8
Project Day 1 – refer to Unit Plan
Topic –
9
Project Day 2 – refer to Unit Plan
Topic –
10
Project Day 3 – refer to Unit Plan
Topic –
STANDARDS
Identify what you want to teach. Reference State, Common Core, ACT
College Readiness Standards and/or State Competencies.
8.EE.3. Use numbers expressed in the form of a single digit times an integer power of 10 to estimate very large or very small quantities, and to express how many times as
much one is than the other. For example, estimate the population of the United States as 3 × 108 and the population of the world as 7 × 109, and determine that the
world population is more than 20 times larger.
8.EE.4. Perform operations with numbers expressed in scientific notation, including problems where both decimal and scientific notation are used. Use scientific notation
and choose units of appropriate size for measurements of very large or very small quantities (e.g., use millimeters per year for seafloor spreading). Interpret scientific
notation that has been generated by technology.