Why Review?

This probably isn't a hard sell - but reviewing material can be very effective for students in their quest for mastery. I think we are used to thinking about reviewing for a test, but maybe we should review a little bit each day. Effective review has the power to make connections and to further our students' macro understanding of concepts and how they work together. It shouldn't just be used to prepare for tests.

This page offers some suggestions on how to facilitate review in your classes, either daily, or at the end of units.

Tools and Ideas

Quick Review

• Go back to your standards! The Essential Questions are FANTASTIC jumping off points for review questions (and, they will further solidify relevancy).

  • • Use the "Ask a Question" function in the Classwork Page in Google Classroom, and utilize the comment thread

• "Lists" Activity - I think this is a great warm-up activity. Check out my Lists page for more details.

• One Minute Paper - This is great for the end of class as an exit ticket. This is pretty simple, set a timer for 1 minute (or- make it 2:00 or 3:00) and ask students to summarize what they learned 2-4 sentences. Responses to Essential Questions make great One-Minute Paper topics.

• Try some ideas from the Formative Assessment page

• Use the physical space in the room to review concepts/test questions. A variation on Four Corners for review: Each corner could represent a possible answer response. Even if they are just guessing and going where everyone else goes, they are still learning something! Remember - learning is about the process, and the ability to revise.

  • If you think the answer is A, stand in this corner. B's in this corner, C's in this corner, D's in this corner

Longer Activities

• Discussion can be very powerful, using open/guided/closed questions. Check out the Inquiry as Teaching page for more details.

• [This can also be a shorter activity] Go back to your standards! The Essential Questions are FANTASTIC jumping off points for review questions (and, they will further solidify relevancy).

  • • Use the "Ask a Question" function in the Classwork Page in Google Classroom, and utilize the comment thread

• Students as teachers - enable them to show that they understand the process by teaching small parts of the concepts to the class. If we can teach it to others - we definitely know the material! (Much more so than just hearing it, or writing it down). Perhaps have a rotation of students to re-teach concepts (1-2 per day?).

  • • Or - have students record themselves teaching a mock lesson concept using Flipgrid. Other students could team up and offer comments revision ideas.

    • Or, simply - EXPLAIN ___ IN YOUR OWN WORDS (live or in Flipgrid)

• Twenty-One Activity - students write test questions, and score them for quality in small groups. This is a great student-centered way to have students write the actual tests they take (if you so choose to go this way). If this sounds interesting, check out my Twenty-One Activity page for more details.

• Jigsaw Activity This can be a great format for review. See the Jigsaw page for more details.

• I also like Inside/Outside Circles for review

Extensions