What’s easier to read? 1900000000000 or 1.9 ×10¹²? I think most would agree with the latter form. This is scientific notation (or standard form). It’s a method of writing really big and really small numbers using a simpler and easy-to-manipulate form. As learners dive deeper into their physics, chemistry, and biology classes, they will frequently come across numbers in scientific notation. Here are 20 activities that can help kickstart or maintain their scientific notation skills!
1. Universe Size Comparisons
A universe is a big place! At times, scientific notation is a better way to comprehend size compared to using plain numbers. Your students can convert the sizes of the different planets and stars in this video into scientific notation for some fun practice.
Learn More: Harry Evett
2. Light Years in Scientific Notation
You might have noticed that the universe’s size was described in light years. What is a light year? It’s the distance that light travels in one year; a REALLY BIG number. Your students can convert light years into kilometers or miles using scientific notation.
Learn More: ExpertVillage Leaf Group
3. Biological Scale Comparisons
Now, to move on from REALLY big objects of the universe, how about the REALLY small ones? We can find a lot of small entities in biology. For example, red blood cells are 7.5 micrometers (or 7.5 ×10⁻⁶). These real-world applications can get your students more excited about scientific notation!
Learn More: Rs’ Science
4. Board Races
Board races are one of my favorite activities for some friendly class competition! You can divide your class into teams- with a volunteer from each team on the board. Give them a scientific notation problem and see who can solve it the fastest!
Learn More: Who’s Who and Who’s New
5. Sorting & Correction Cards
Here’s a set of cards that depict real-life measures in scientific and standard notation. There’s a problem though! Not all of the conversions are correct. Challenge your students to sort out the incorrect answers and then fix the mistakes.
Learn More: Great Mathematics Teaching
6. Sorting & Matching Cards
Here’s another sorting activity, but in this one, your students will match slips of notation pairs. This activity comes in both printable and digital versions for the choice of preferred use!
Learn More: Teachers Pay Teachers
7. Battle My Math Ship
This alternative version of battleship can give your students plenty of practice multiplying and dividing numbers in scientific notation. In this partner activity, each student can mark 12 battleships on their board. The opposing student can attack these battleships by correctly solving equations.
Learn More: Algebra and Beyond
8. Conversion Maze
Your students can gain some extra practice converting between scientific and standard notation with this maze worksheet. If they answer correctly, they will arrive at the end!
Learn More: Amped Up Learning
9. Operations Maze
You can take these maze activities to the next level with operations! This set contains 3 levels of scientific notation operation problems. This includes: (1) Adding & Subtracting, (2) Multiplying & Dividing, and (3) All Operations. Can your students make it through all levels?
Learn More: Teachers Pay Teachers
10. Group Coloring Challenge
Math class can include some team-building activities too! This group challenge sees 4 students working together to complete a coloring page by solving operations. Once everyone has finished, they can put their pages together to form a complete picture.
Learn More: Rise over Run
11. Maze, Riddle, & Coloring Page
If you’re looking for a set of printable activities, here’s an option! It has a maze, riddle, and coloring page for your students to get lots of practice converting and operating with scientific notation.
Learn More: Exceeding the Core
12. Spin To Win
Classic worksheets can be great independent practice, but I prefer worksheets that have some extra pizazz… like this one! Your students can spin a paper clip around a pencil at the wheel center. Once they land on a specific number, they need to convert it to scientific notation.
Learn More: Smith Curriculum & Consulting
13. Solve and Snip
Word problems can add another layer of complexity to solving math questions. For these notation conversion questions, your students can read the problem, solve and show their work, and snip the correct answer from the number bank.
Learn More: Teachers Pay Teachers
14. More Word Problems
Here’s a creative set of word problems for learners to try! The first activity compares performing operations with regular numbers versus scientific notation. The second activity can get your students to make their own problem questions. The third activity involves filling in missing numbers.
Learn More: Rise over Run
15. Whack-A-Mole
In this online whack-a-mole game, your students will be instructed to only whack moles in the correct form. Can you see that one of the example moles is not in the correct form? 6.25 – 10⁴ is not correct because it does not have a multiplication symbol.
Learn More: Wordwall
16. Maze Chase
This scientific notation maze game reminds me of Pac-Man! Your students will be given a number in scientific or standard notation. After doing a quick mental math conversion, they must move their character to the correct spot in the maze to progress.
Learn More: Wordwall
17. Boom Cards
Have you tried using Boom Cards in your lessons yet? Boom Cards are digital task cards that are self-checking. They’re a great option for online learning and present a fun, paperless challenge. This set is on multiplying numbers in scientific notation.
Learn More: TES
18. Scientific Notation Graphic Organizer
These graphic organizers can be a handy addition to your students’ notebooks. It contains the scientific notation definition, as well as steps and examples for adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing numbers in scientific notation.
Learn More: Math in Demand
19. Interactive Notebook
Get your students more engaged and focused in the note-taking process by using an interactive notebook. This pre-made foldable contains some fill-in-the-blanks related to how to perform multiplication and division operations with scientific notation. It also has space for example questions.
Learn More: Equation Freak
20. Scientific Notation Math Song
I like to bring music into the classroom whenever I can! This song is great as an introductory tool that can be paired with lessons that focus on scientific notation. Mr. Dodds also makes other math-related songs about percentages, angles, and geometry.
Learn More: Mr. Colin Dodds
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