Exponent Rules and Scientific Notation Review Puzzle

Students in grades 7 to 10 match the edges of 12 square pieces to rebuild this exponent rules and scientific notation review puzzle. Each match pairs an exponent expression with its simplified form, or a number in scientific notation with the same number in standard form. If a match is wrong, the pieces won’t line up, so students catch their own mistakes.

Two versions for differentiation

• Challenge version: The outside left and right edges have near-miss answers, such as 4.2 x 10⁴ beside 4,200. Students have to check place value instead of guessing.
• Scaffolded version: Those outside edges are blank. Fewer pieces look like they might fit, and the blank sides show students where the edge pieces go.

Both versions finish in the same layout, so groups working at different levels can share one answer key.

Skills covered

• Product rule (z⁵ · z² = z⁷)
• Quotient rule (z¹⁶ / z⁴ = z¹²)
• Power of a power ((z⁵)³ = z¹⁵)
• Negative exponents
• Converting between scientific notation and standard form, with positive and negative powers of 10

What’s included

• Challenge version student page: pieces are spaced out and mixed up, ready for students to cut
• Scaffolded version student page
• Answer key for each version. You can also cut these apart ahead of time if you’d rather prep reusable sets.

How to use it

For a no-prep day, print a student page and have students cut out their own pieces. For reusable class sets, cut the pieces from the answer key page, store each set in an envelope or zip bag, and laminate if you want them to last. Print the two versions on different colors of paper so the sets don’t get mixed.

Students can work with a partner or in small groups. Use it as a warm-up, a station, or a review before a quiz. One teacher had students glue their finished puzzles onto boards to display.

Quick facts

• Grades: 7–10
• CCSS: 8.EE.A.1, 8.EE.A.3
• Answer key: included
• Pages: 4

Bundles and related resources

Save with the 8th Grade Math Curriculum Resources Mega Bundle, which includes this puzzle.

Free resources

Get my free Warm Up Slides templates.

Terms of use

By purchasing this product, you own a license for one teacher only for personal use in their own classroom. Licenses are non-transferable and therefore can not be passed from one teacher to another. If the teacher who purchased this license leaves the classroom or changes schools, the license and materials leave with that teacher. No part of this resource is to be shared with colleagues or used by an entire team, grade level, school or district without purchasing the correct number of licenses. If you are a coach, principal or district interested in transferable licenses that would accommodate yearly staff changes, please contact me for a transferable license quote at lindsay@beyondtheworksheet.com.

© Beyond the Worksheet. Please note – all material included in this resource belongs to Beyond the Worksheet Inc. By purchasing, you have a license to use the material but you do not own the material. You may not upload any portion of this resource to the internet in any format, including school/personal websites or network drives unless the site is password protected and can only be accessed by students, not other teachers or anyone else on the internet.