Spiral review is taking some of the old content of your course and cycling it through the current things you are teaching. It can be kind of difficult to figure out and piece together, especially if you are newer at the tactics. So in this episode of the All Star Planning Podcast, I share some of my favorite spiral review strategies.
What is spiral review?
Spiral review is taking intentional time to review old content by cycling it through your current content multiple times. It is usually the things that your students already understand but may need a refresher on. You don’t want these things to become things that your students will need to be retaught. Spiral review is typically student centered. The biggest benefit of spiral reviews is that bringing up this material up again and again helps to force the content into long term memory.
You can get a free copy of my list of spiral review strategies here. It’s a great thing to keep at your desk as you write your lesson plans.
Spiral review strategies:
- Incorporate old questions into new content. This is usually happening on publisher made materials, but make sure to do it on things that you create for your students as well.
- Do Now or morning work is a great time to review some old content as you grapple with current content.
- Early finishers: any activities that your students do when they have extra time is a great opportunity to revisit old content.
- Sub Plans: absolutely leave review work with your substitute. Then you don’t have to worry about the kids or the sub having any type of confusion with the content.
- Task cards: Old sets of task cards can be used again and again – reuse them!
- Unit Review or Station Review: any old activities, games, or stations that you use can be reused. This works especially well with content that is built on past material. For example: skip counting and the times tables. Or a chemistry example: Lewis structures and chemical bonding
- Turn & Teach: I learned this method from Whole Brain Teaching and I love it. Student A turns to Student B and teaches them what they know. They take turns. Give them a prompt that should be “review” in nature.
- Choice boards: A few of the activities can be old content, and some can be new.
- Use of games: I love reusing an old review game, and so do my students!
- Projects where the rubric focuses on both old and new skills as a way to test the new and keep the old fresh.
Again, don’t forget you can get a printable version of this list to keep at your teacher desk as you plan your lessons.
