What is Spiral Review?

As an adult, have you ever looked at a math problem and thought, I know I learned how to do this in school, BUT I can’t remember how to do it now!? We all have been there!  This happens not only in math, but also in other subject areas and in tasks we encounter in life.  There is a neurological explanation of why this happens, but the simple explanation is that if you learn something, like a math skill, but don’t reinforce the memory of that skill by actively using it, you forget it.  In math, spiral review is the process of reinforcing previously learned skills through daily problems so that students don’t forget them.  

What Are the Benefits of Spiral Review?

In addition to helping students retain the skills they have learned, spiral review has many other benefits.

#1 - Spiral Review Promotes Skill Mastery

The pacing of math lessons in all grade levels is fast with little to no time for reteaching when a student does not master a skill.  Since spiral review consists of problems based off of skills that have already been taught, it gives students another chance to achieve mastery and build confidence if they previously struggled with it.

#2 - Spiral Review Helps Ensure Students are Prepared to Learn New Skills

Math is the most cumulative subject. Most new skills students learn require knowledge of previously learned skills.  Since math lessons build upon each other in this way, the continuous practice of those prerequisite skills ensures that students are ready to tackle new ones.

#3 - Spiral Review Helps Students Succeed on Math Tests

Whether you like them or not, every nine weeks your student is likely taking some form of a district wide “benchmark assessment” and every spring they take on the grueling state assessments.  These tests assess what students have learned over these long periods of time.  Trying to study or review for such big tests is overwhelming to say the least.  However, if students have been completing daily spiral review problems, they have essentially been studying for these assessments every school day!

How Can You Use Spiral Review?

Convinced?  Ready to implement math spiral review for your child at home or your students in your classroom?  The good news is that it only takes a couple of extra problems per day for an effective spiral review.  Consistency is the key to success here and we’ve got you covered with all the prep work already done for you in our Math Hero Membership for Parents and Math Hero Membership for Teachers! Math Hero conveniently organizes important math skills that students learn in each grade level week by week throughout the school year. These skills were hand-picked to be included in the Math Hero membership lineup because they are either critical for future success in math, difficult to master or BOTH. 

Spiral Review at Home

Parents, you can pull up a tutorial video and download the accompanying worksheet for a skill covered in previous weeks of the school year and you have everything you need to start spiral review at home.  Just having your child solve one or two problems each school night can make a big difference!

Spiral Review in the Classroom

Teachers, the block layout Monday-Friday worksheets are the perfect way to put spiral review into action in your classroom.  Since these worksheets contain two problems for each day of the week, you can easily pass them out on Monday and students can work on them throughout the week.  They make great resources to use for daily bell ringers or homework assignments!  AND with tutorial videos for each skill, students that need reteaching can access a quick lesson led by a real teacher just like you!

So, what are you waiting for? Let’s dive into the world of spiral review and make math awesome together!  Sign up for your FREE 7-day trial of Math Hero Membership for Parents or Math Hero Membership for Teachers today and see the difference Math Hero and spiral review can make.