What is Spiral Review?
Spiral review is a teaching approach that involves revisiting previously taught concepts throughout the year. Typically, the review is applied strategically to help students maintain what they have learned, continue to learn new concepts, and get plenty of practice in. I find that this strategy is especially effective when it comes to tricky math concepts!
There are many benefits of using spiral review activities in your classroom. Here are some of my favorites:
Improvement in Retention of Math Concepts
When you're applying strategic spiral review to your lesson plan, you can count on better retention and understanding of the material. We all know that practice makes progress, and when it comes to math skills, students must be exposed to concepts frequently to really grasp them. Spiral review builds in plenty of daily practice to help facilitate this.
Helps Break the Cycle of Forgetting
We are all familiar with the "summer slide." That dreaded learning loss that happens over the summer when students are out of school. This makes sense since students aren't getting adequate practice through those months off. But this can also happen during the school year without spiral review! You might teach a new concept and then not practice it for a while. Even though your students understood it perfectly when you first taught it, those skills can be forgotten without enough practice! Spiral review breaks this cycle and helps students build upon what they've learned.
Ensures Everyone Gets What They Need
All students learn at different rates, and some students pick up concepts quicker or slower than others. Spiral review supports the diversity of student needs because you'll be revisiting all math concepts multiple times. That means if some students need support with one thing, and others need support with a different concept, everyone will get the continuous practice opportunities they need. This is one of my favorite features of spiral review!
Builds Confidence in Math
Math can be intimidating for some children. As you begin working with large numbers and introducing abstract concepts, it can feel a little scary! By using spiral review activities on a daily basis, you're helping to remove the fear and increase confidence with math skills. As students work with these math skills day after day, they will become more comfortable with them. After a while, it starts to feel like second nature!
Using Spiral Review in Your Classroom
Now that we understand the importance of spiral review, let's talk about how to apply it. I know that this can sound complicated and time-consuming to plan, but with the right support, it really doesn't have to be! In my classroom, I simplified the process of spiral review with Daily Math Practice Pages that target the key number sense and place value skills we're working on in first grade. The pages are focused on helping students grow their knowledge of base ten numbers and place value with tens and ones. They're aligned to the standards, so you can rest easy knowing your kids will get what they need!
Each month, the pages gradually get more difficult with larger numbers. Along with new material, you'll find previously learned concepts woven in as well. These pages are a done-for-you way to ensure you are touching on all of the important first grade math concepts each and every day!
Aside from the convenience and ease of using the daily practice pages, they also follow a predictable pattern. This means that students can quickly learn what to do and be independent with them, making them an excellent candidate for morning work or center time. Another great benefit to this is that since everyone is working on the same page, you'll be able to quickly and easily identify learning gaps. You can see where students are struggling and where you need to review in more depth.
Spiral Review in Action
So, what do these pages look like, and how do they work for spiral review? So glad you asked! In my Daily Math Practice Page Bundle, you'll find a resource for every month of the school year. Inside each individual resource, there are 20 place value worksheets for the month, a vocabulary page with key math words, and a front cover that you can use to bind the pages together into a practice book.
The worksheets follow the same format in sets of 5 days at a time. That means each week there are similar activities, but with increasingly difficult concepts to practice each month. Along the way, students will revisit previously learned concepts to ensure retention and understanding. Some of the concepts covered include number sense, counting, place value, tens and ones, number sequencing, skip counting, and more!
In my room, we make these pages part of our morning routine. The students know that as we're beginning our day, the Daily Math Practice Pages are one step in the process that they work on independently. You can also weave this in as one of your daily center activities as well. This is an especially great option if you have students working at different levels! Either way, the practice pages really simplify what it takes to ensure spiral review is part of the daily routine.
More Opportunities for Spiral Review
The pages are just part of the puzzle, though, friends! I've also included 2-3 hands-on learning centers in each monthly packet. These will allow you to teach the concepts in an engaging way with small groups. In the bundle, you get a total of 18 centers for the whole year. They're a fun way to introduce new concepts, and as you work alongside students, you'll be able to quickly see who's catching on.
The other great thing about these activities is that you can laminate the pieces before using them to teach and then re-use them during center time for hands-on spiral review throughout the year. This is a great way to observe how much your students remember and present review in a hands-on learning format. I like to keep all of the previously taught math centers in Ziplock bags in a tub for easy access. Then, as I'm preparing math centers for the week, I can randomly choose one to include. I love this option for spiral review!
Try Spiral Review Math Activities
Interested in applying these ideas in your classroom? You're in luck! I've got a free resource that you can try to see spiral review in action with your students! Use this Free First Grade Daily Math Pack to give spiral review a try in your classroom. Inside, you get 5 worksheets that use the predictable, student-friendly format I mentioned.
The pages all come from different math units, so you'll get a good sense of what to expect from the full Daily Math Practice Bundle. Remember, inside the bundle, you'll find monthly packets of worksheets, vocabulary pages, workbook covers, and hands-on math centers to help make math concepts stick. The bundle includes 9 months of resources for numbers to 120 and beyond. It's a print-ready way to ensure your kiddos are getting the essential math practice they need day after day! Give spiral review a try in your math lessons today. I promise you won't be sorry!
Want to Learn More About Daily Math Practice?
Be sure to read these posts next. They offer a little more insight into how we use daily math practice in the classroom!
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