Examples of what pupils should know and be able to do
Probing questions
Can you explain to someone why 2
does not give the same answer as 2 × 3 when 2
is the same as 2 × 2?
Why do we use index notation?
If 5
can be thought of as a square of side 5 what could 5
represent? Which is larger: 2
or 5?
What if pupils find this a barrier?
- Build on what pupils already know about square numbers from Step 5.
(Recognise the squares of numbers to at least 12 × 12) - Investigate patterns in numbers raised to powers, e.g. 2, 2
, 2, 2, 2
, 2
to establish that any number to the power of zero is 1. - Explore what happens with negative powers by looking at powers of ten and building on what pupils are secure in. e.g.
1000 = 10 × 10 × 10 = 10
100 = 10 × 10 = 10
10 = 10 = 10
1 = 10
0.1 = 1 ÷ 10 = 10
0.01 = 1 ÷ (10 x 10) = 10
,
etc. - Practise using the ×
key on a calculator.
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