Virginia SOL 7.NS.1.a
The Standard
Investigate and describe powers of 10 with negative exponents by examining patterns.
Virginia Standards of Learning for Mathematics · The student will investigate and describe the concept of exponents for powers of ten and compare and order numbers greater than zero written in scientific notation.
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students extend patterns in powers of ten as exponents decrease below zero. They connect each negative exponent to an equivalent fraction and decimal.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students can write powers such as 10⁻³ as 0.001 and 1/1,000. They can extend a pattern across zero and explain that each step divides the value by 10.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think a negative exponent makes the value negative. They may also multiply by 10 instead of divide by 10 when the exponent decreases.
How to Assess It
- Give the sequence 10², 10¹, 10⁰, 10⁻¹, __, __. Ask students to complete it and explain the pattern in one sentence.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Use a place-value chart and digit cards to show one digit shifting right as the exponent decreases from 2 to negative 4.
Ask students to explain why 10⁻² equals 0.01 rather than negative 100, using a pattern table as evidence.
Play a matching game with cards showing powers of ten, decimals, fractions, and verbal descriptions.
Connect negative powers of ten to metric measurements by expressing millimeters and centimeters as parts of a meter.
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Printable 7.NS.1.a Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 7.NS.1.a, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
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Related Standards
- 6.NS.3.d
Recognize and represent powers of 10 with whole number exponents by examining patterns in place value.
- 7.NS.1.b
Represent a power of 10 with a negative exponent in fraction and decimal form.
- 6.NS.3.a
Recognize and represent patterns with bases and exponents that are whole numbers.
- 7.NS.1
The student will investigate and describe the concept of exponents for powers of ten and compare and order numbers greater than zero written in scientific notat...
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