Give this before the unit. It doesn't test roots themselves (8.EE.A.2 and 8.NS.A.2). It checks the earlier skills they build on, so you can see who is ready and what to review first. It isn't meant to be graded. The answer key, with what each part tells you and how to reteach it, prints on its own page after it.

Pre-Assessment: Getting Ready for Roots

Grade 8 · Checks earlier skills: 6.EE.A.1, 3.MD.C.7, 5.MD.C.5, 6.NS.C.7

Name

Date

Part A: Squares and cubes 6.EE.A.1

1. 4² =

2. 11² =

3. 3³ =

4. 5³ =

5. Circle the numbers that are a whole number times itself: 16 20 36 50 81 99 100

How sure do you feel? Not yet A little I've got it

Part B: Area and volume 3.MD.C.7, 5.MD.C.5

6. How many tiles cover this square floor?

tiles

7. A square has sides of 9 cm. What is its area?

cm²

8. A cube box is 3 small cubes long, 3 wide and 3 tall. How many small cubes fill it?

cubes

How sure do you feel? Not yet A little I've got it

Part C: Number lines 6.NS.C.7

9. Mark and label A = 2.5, B = 4.8 and C = 6.2 on the number line.

10. Which is bigger, 5.6 or 5.06?

11. 6.7 is between which two whole numbers? Which is it closer to?

and , closer to

12. Put in order, least to greatest: 3.2, 2.9, 3.05

How sure do you feel? Not yet A little I've got it

Answer Key: Pre-Assessment

Getting Ready for Roots · for the teacher

16
121
27
125
16, 36, 81, 100 (4², 6², 9², 10²)
25 tiles
9 × 9 = 81 cm²
3 × 3 × 3 = 27 cubes
A halfway between 2 and 3; B just before 5; C just after 6.
5.6
between 6 and 7, closer to 7
2.9, 3.05, 3.2

What each part tells you

Part	Why it matters for this unit	If many students miss it
A: Squares and cubes	Roots undo squares and cubes; students need the perfect squares to 15² and cubes to 5³.	Post a perfect squares and cubes chart for the whole unit.
B: Area and volume	"Side of a square from its area" is what a square root means; the game uses it.	Build squares from tiles and cubes from blocks, then go backward.
C: Number lines	Estimating √30 means placing it between whole numbers and deciding which it's closer to.	Practice placing decimals between whole numbers before Part C of the worksheet.

Reading the results: students who circle 20 or 50 in #5 are confusing "even" with "perfect square"; tiles fix this fast. Compare the “How sure do you feel?” circles with the answers: a student who circles “I've got it” but misses the part is worth a quick conversation.