Spiral Review is a critical part of my day. There are several reasons why I believe spiral review is important. The very first reason why I love spiral review is purely management. I don’t like a chaotic morning. I feel like it just starts the day off wrong. So math spiral review is my go-to morning work. It is predictable, students know what to do right away and it gets them “down to business” right from the start. But in case you’re not sold on spiral review, I’ve get a few excellent reasons why it should be an important part of your day.
Researched Based
An important characteristic of spiral review is the frequency of exposure to skills. Research shows that students with higher exposure to content, and the time to practice the content, understand the material better when compared to students who receive less exposure.
Complex Thought Process
Spiral review requires students to retrieve the skill from their long term memory which leads to a more complex thought process. Students move mathematical skills into their long term memory by repeatedly practicing those skills. They then have that knowledge and can build on it for more complex problems.
Efficient Use of Time
For spiral review to be effective it does not have to take a long amount of time. There should only be a few problems presented each day. I have my students write their answers on white boards, they do this as their morning work before the bell. You could also use spiral review questions as an activating strategy before your math block.
Students Get Immediate Feedback
By checking the spiral review problems altogether, it gives students time to reflect on mastery of the skill. Did they get the correct answer? What did they do wrong? How can they fix their work?
Addresses Misconceptions
One important part of reviewing the math problems together is to address student misconceptions. I walk around as students are finishing up to observe who has the correct answers, who is struggling. I can make a mental note to go over that with the student in small group. Or if I see a pervasive error across many students, I address it as we are reviewing.
Are you already a fan of Spiral Review? I have done all the work for you! These monthly spiral review problems are perfect for 2nd or 3rd grades. They are completely editable! Yes, you can change the problems by changing the numbers or even deleting ones your students are not ready for. They come in Powerpoint and Google Slide formats. Everything you need to start your Daily Spiral Review routine.
You can get each month here: Math Spiral Review
Like what you see? Check out my shop!
