Lesson Planning: Standard Form - Part 1

My ideal planning is to have the time to really break down a topic and consider the minutia of the order in which it is taught, the examples to use to really address misconceptions and other details. As an NQT I am feeling pretty overwhelmed with planning in this detail for all my lessons so I am trying to focus on one topic at a time to get into real detail with.

To do this I look at certain things:

1. Specification/curriculum

2. Exam questions 

3. Blogs

4. Journals and reports

5. Twitter

6. Resources

I start by looking at the curriculum and the specification for which I am teaching. I then like to try and find the hardest exam question I would like the students to be able to answer. This is my end game. I now just have to figure out how I am going to get there.

Here are the two hardest GCSE questions I have found relating to standard form 

The Breakdown of Standard Form

I broke Standard Form down into the following 11 parts that I feel lead to mastering standard form. The item in bold is what I have determined as prior knowledge that students must have before standard form but will need checking beforehand.

1. basic understanding of indices (multiplying and dividing with powers)
2. Identify which numbers are in standard form
      - 43.2 X 10^6 is not in standard form
3. Write numbers in standard form: 32563 in standard form
      - Including written numbers e.g. one hundred and seven thousand in standard form
      - Positive and negative powers of 10
4. Convert standard form numbers back to ordinary numbers
5. Order numbers in standard form
6. Multiply numbers in standard form
7. Divide numbers in standard form
8. Add numbers in standard form
9. Subtract numbers in standard form
10. Combination of 4 operations with standard form
11. Word problems with standard form involving 4 operations 

Not all of these steps will take exactly a lesson, some may take more, some may take less but I think by breaking down as specifically as possible you can ask clear questions and determine how best to order and proceed with teaching.

Part 2 coming shortly on how I will plan these 11 steps.