8TH GRADE MATH

UNIT 1: EXPONENTS AND SCIENTIFIC NOTATION

Match Fishtank
8th Grade Math Unit 1
Except as otherwise noted, © 2015-2020 Match Education, and licensed under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Unit Summary
Texts and Materials
Essential Understandings
Vocabulary
Unit Materials, Representations and Tools
Intellectual Prep
Lesson Map
Standards

UNIT SUMMARY
In Unit 1, eighth grade students learn how complex-looking expressions and very large or small numbers can be
represented in simpler ways. Through investigation, students discover ways to write equivalent exponential
expressions, and then formalize their understanding of these strategies into properties of exponents. Later in the
unit, they learn ef cient ways to describe, communicate, and operate with very large and very small numbers.
Though there are many procedural elements in this unit, underneath these procedures are strong conceptual
understandings. Throughout the unit, students look for structures and patterns that exist in exponential terms and
powers of ten, and use those structures and patterns to make generalizations (MP.7 and MP.8). 

In sixth grade, students wrote and evaluated expressions with exponents using the order of operations. They
identi ed the parts of an expression, distinguishing a term from a factor from a coef cient. In eighth grade, students
16
expand on these skills to go beyond just evaluation. They are presented with exponentials such as   or (x2 y)5 and
3
4
3

are asked to simplify them or represent them in equivalent ways. In this way, students hone their abilities to
manipulate algebraic expressions, which they will continue to do in future units in eighth grade. In fourth and fth
grades, students investigated patterns in powers of ten and how those patterns related to place value. In this unit,
students will access these prior concepts and use them in representing and working with very large and small
numbers. 

In high school, students will need a strong understanding of exponents and exponent properties. They will apply the
properties of exponents to exponential equations in order to reveal new understandings of the relationship. They
will work with fractional exponents and discover the properties of rational exponents and rational numbers. In
general, students’ ability to see the structure in an expression will support them in manipulating quadratic functions,
operating with polynomials, and making connections between various relationships.

Pacing: 19 instructional days (15 lessons, 3 ex days, 1 assessment day)

For guidance on adjusting the pacing for the 2020-2021 school year due to school closures, see our 8th Grade Scope and
Sequence Recommended Adjustments.

TEXTS AND MATERIALS

ESSENTIAL UNDERSTANDINGS
The properties of exponents summarize the structure and patterns that are inherent in exponential
expressions. They are rooted in the conceptual meaning of exponents and provide a summary of how to
ef ciently work with exponential expressions. 
Scienti c notation is a useful tool to conceptualize, communicate about, and operate with very large and very
small numbers. 
The properties of exponents can be applied to numbers written in scienti c notation to support ef cient
computation and comparison.

Match Fishtank
8th Grade Math Unit 1
Except as otherwise noted, © 2015-2020 Match Education, and licensed under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.
 Looking for structure and patterns in expressions can provide insight into how to manipulate and work with
complex expressions, as well as lead to generalizations and properties.

VOCABULARY

exponential expression

base

exponent

power

scienti c notation

properties of exponents

standard form/decimal form

Related Teacher Tools:

8th Grade Vocabulary Glossary

UNIT MATERIALS, REPRESENTATIONS AND TOOLS

scienti c calculators

INTELLECTUAL PREP
Internalization of Standards via the Unit Assessment
Take unit assessment. Annotate for: 
Standards that align to each question
Strategies and representations used in daily lessons
Relationship to Essential Understandings of unit 
Lesson(s) to which the assessment points 

Internalization of Trajectory of Unit

Match Fishtank
8th Grade Math Unit 1
Except as otherwise noted, © 2015-2020 Match Education, and licensed under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.
 Read and annotate "Unit Summary."
Notice the progression of concepts through the unit using "Unit at a Glance"
Do all target tasks. Annotate the target tasks for: 
Essential understandings
Connection to assessment questions
Identify key opportunities to engage students in academic discourse. Read through our Guide to Academic
Discourse and refer back to it throughout the unit.

Unit-Speci c Intellectual Prep

Read The Progressions for the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics, 6-8 Expressions and Equations,
on the standards relevant to this unit

LESSON MAP

Match Fishtank
8th Grade Math Unit 1
Except as otherwise noted, © 2015-2020 Match Education, and licensed under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.
Topic A: Review of Exponents

Review exponent notation and identify equivalent exponential

1 8.EE.A.1
expressions.

Evaluate numerical and algebraic expressions with exponents using the

2 8.EE.A.1
order of operations.

Investigate patterns of exponents with positive/negative bases and

3 8.EE.A.1
even/odd bases.

Topic B: Properties of Exponents

4 8.EE.A.1 Investigate exponent patterns to write equivalent expressions.

Apply the product of powers rule and the quotient of powers rule to
5 8.EE.A.1
write equivalent, simpli ed exponential expressions.

Apply the power of powers rule and power of product rule to write
6 8.EE.A.1
equivalent, simpli ed exponential expressions.

Reason with zero exponents to write equivalent, simpli ed exponential

7 8.EE.A.1
expressions.

Reason with negative exponents to write equivalent, simpli ed

8 8.EE.A.1
exponential expressions.

Simplify and write equivalent exponential expressions using all exponent

9 8.EE.A.1
rules.

Topic C: Scienti c Notation

8.EE.A.3
10 Write large and small numbers as powers of 10. 
8.EE.A.4

11 8.EE.A.3 De ne and write numbers in scienti c notation.

8.EE.A.3
12 Compare numbers written in scienti c notation.
8.EE.A.4

Multiply and divide with numbers in scienti c notation. Interpret

13 8.EE.A.4
scienti c notation on calculators.

14 8.EE.A.4 Add and subtract with numbers in scienti c notation.

8.EE.A.1
Solve multi-step applications using scienti c notation and properties of
15 8.EE.A.3
exponents.
8.EE.A.4

Match Fishtank
8th Grade Math Unit 1
Except as otherwise noted, © 2015-2020 Match Education, and licensed under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.
COMMON CORE STANDARDS
CORE STANDARDS
Expressions and Equations
8.EE.A.1 — Know and apply the properties of integer exponents to generate equivalent numerical expressions.
For example, 3² × 3^-5 = 3^-3 = 1/3³ = 1/27.
8.EE.A.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.A.4 — Perform operations with numbers expressed in scienti c notation, including problems where both
decimal and scienti c notation are used. Use scienti c notation and choose units of appropriate size for
measurements of very large or very small quantities (e.g., use millimeters per year for sea oor spreading).
Interpret scienti c notation that has been generated by technology.

FOUNDATIONAL STANDARDS
Expressions and Equations
6.EE.A.1 — Write and evaluate numerical expressions involving whole-number exponents.
6.EE.A.2 — Write, read, and evaluate expressions in which letters stand for numbers.
6.EE.A.2.C — Evaluate expressions at speci c values of their variables. Include expressions that arise from
formulas used in real-world problems. Perform arithmetic operations, including those involving whole-
number exponents, in the conventional order when there are no parentheses to specify a particular order
(Order of Operations). For example, use the formulas V = s³ and A = 6 s² to nd the volume and surface area of a cube
with sides of length s = 1/2.
Number and Operations in Base Ten
5.NBT.A.1 — Recognize that in a multi-digit number, a digit in one place represents 10 times as much as it
represents in the place to its right and 1/10 of what it represents in the place to its left.
5.NBT.A.2 — Explain patterns in the number of zeros of the product when multiplying a number by powers of
10, and explain patterns in the placement of the decimal point when a decimal is multiplied or divided by a
power of 10. Use whole-number exponents to denote powers of 10.
4.NBT.A.1 — Recognize that in a multi-digit whole number, a digit in one place represents ten times what it
represents in the place to its right. For example, recognize that 700 ÷ 70 = 10 by applying concepts of place value and
division.
The Number System
7.NS.A.2 — Apply and extend previous understandings of multiplication and division and of fractions to
multiply and divide rational numbers.

Match Fishtank
8th Grade Math Unit 1
Except as otherwise noted, © 2015-2020 Match Education, and licensed under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.