Exponent Rules Open Middle Challenge

Here's a puzzle I made for my Algebra 1 kiddos last year.  I got the idea from Sarah Carter's Function/Not a Function Open Middle Problem (which I've used in class with great success, by the way).  Check that out if you haven't seen it.  I started out trying to create an open middle problem that could be solved using the number tiles -4 through +4 since I had already printed, cut, and laminated them from Sarah's files.

 

I had the students work in pairs or groups of three to balance the equation.  It was DEFINITELY a challenge for my students.  I think that having the number tiles really helped because students could pick up, move, and switch the numbers around without needing to erase, scribble out, or keep track of which numbers they'd already used.  If you try this (or a similar problem) with your class, I definitely recommend printing number tiles for kids to manipulate.

This problem was challenging, so if you'd like to work up to it, search for other open middle problems out there to practice properties of exponents.  Bryan Anderson has some posted on the Open Middle website and on his blog that I'd like to try with my pre-algebra classes this year.

I wish I had photos of the kids working, but this was before my blogging days so all I have is my blurred out answer key pictured above.  Click on the picture to see the solution.  You'll just have to take my word that the kids were really into it.  At the end of class, I had some ask to stay and work on it instead of going to their next class (so hard to say no to that!) and had a few come up for lunch to keep working!  None of my students figured it out during class, but the students that came back to keep working finally got it!

I've uploaded the files below.  If you have access to a printer that prints on 11x17 paper, that file has two copies of the puzzle per page.  If you're printing on regular 8.5x11, the puzzle takes up two pages so you'll need to tape them together.  Again, the number tiles included in my files are sized and formatted to match the ones I already had from mathequalslove - I take zero credit for those! 

View/Download: Exponents - Open Middle Challenge