The Art of Review
The lesson before the lesson
Giving a great lesson is, well, great. Some lessons really are just stories, or seeds of inspiration. Sometimes it’s fine if the children do not follow up with additional work after a lesson. On the other hand, I need to make sure that my students are doing enough follow up work to master the skills and concepts that we have decided they need to know. Enter, the art of review.
The Lesson Before the Lesson
Before starting a new lesson I start with some kind of review. I don’t remember this being explicitly stated in training (maybe it was) but when I look back at my albums many lessons start with “remember when we talked about X?”. This is a great time to practice verbalizing a concept. Challenge your students to do this. It’s hard!
Teacher: I’m going to show you a way to divide decimals with a visual aid today. So what IS division?
Student: It’s dividing something up
Teacher: Ok, can you explain it more without using the word divide?
Student: I know! It’s making groups!
Teacher: Yes! That’s a good way to describe it. And when we divide whole numbers does our answer get bigger or smaller?
Student: Smaller!
Teacher: Why?
Student: Because the answer is what one unit gets, and they get less than what they started with (This student is sharp!)
Teacher: And what category do we start with in division?
Student: The largest category
Teacher: What about with addition, subtraction and multiplication?
Studnet: The smallest category!
You get the idea. When doing the lesson before the lesson I try to remember I am not a drill sergeant. Smiling and joking is encouraged. I want all the children to participate. I want the children to feel successful. If the children are really ready for the lesson I have planned, they will be able to get through the review, maybe with a little help. This is also a good way to assess who is grasping concepts and who is not. Who is seeing the big picture and who is just finding the right answer.
Let Make a Booklet!
If I need a group of students to repeat a work I might get them together and show them a new kind of follow up work. Maybe instead of using the box of sticks for a geometry lesson I show them how to use popsicle sticks or straws. A new type of booklet, chart or art follow up may be just what the children need to get back to a concept. This is easier in lower elementary when they are more excited about necklace booklets on yarn they can wear home. In upper elementary I find that when children are making their own follow up work they sometimes don’t know how to make it more challenging. The follow up work can be showing them how to combine concepts to make a more challenging work. For example, find the average number of letters in students names of all classrooms and then put that information in a dot plot or some other visual representation. Measure large things in inches or feet and then use their multiplying fractions knowledge to find area. Or sometimes I just need to show them how to write harder problems.
Nomenclature Booklets to the Rescue!
Those nomenclature booklets are great for review. Get out the unnamed picture cards and name tickets and have students match them up. Or get out only the definitions with blanks with the name tickets. Sometimes this is very challenging! Often in Upper El I have a set of cards out on a rug and over the course of a week have everyone give it a try. Booklets can also be combined for more of a challenge. Get all the leaf shape nomenclature out and let the children give it a go! The key here (as in most of what we do) is the delivery. If it is presented as a fun challenge, if you invite them with a mischievous glint in your eye, this will work. If it comes across as a test, a chore, or something to fail or succeed at, it won’t work.
Individual Meetings
When I meet individually with the children I look at what lessons they have received since our last meeting. Then I look to see if there is evidence of the children practicing those lessons. This can inform me to plan the next lesson, plan a review, or make a note to remind the child to practice it. I can remind the child of that lesson because sometimes they just forget about new work! With older children I can have them use a strategy to remember to practice it.
“Ribbon” Lessons
I”ve written about the concept of “ribbons’ before but this is a great way to build in review. Lessons in a series I often give as a “Ribbon”. I take a small group of children through a series of lessons together. We meet frequently and at every meeting we review all we have learned so far on the series. For example, in lower elementary I will have a leaf ribbon and root ribbon going at the same time. When we get as far as I’m planning on going, I start with a new group to take through the series. Reviewing and working on a concept frequently builds confidence, and ‘expertise’ in a subject. And it works in all areas of the classroom. I might do a basic decimals ribbon, or a clause work ribbon. It doesn’t mean they won’t have more of those lessons later in the year after they finish the ribbon with me, it’s just a technique I’ve found that works for me.
Student Teacher
I might have a student be a ‘student teacher’ and work with another student on a piece of work. The expectation is that they do the work alongside the student but they pay special attention to the other student. The student teacher helps if needed and keeps an eye on the other student’s work. They can offer constructive criticism and suggestions on how to make the work better. I always give the student teacher an ‘out’ by saying, “If any questions come up that you can’t answer or if you come across any problems it’s your job to come get me so I can help out.”
Khan Academy
Maybe using Khan Academy in the classroom is something that deserves a longer discussion, but it’s worth a mention here. In upper elementary I have my students do the unit quizzes on Khan academy. They do the grade below their current grade since the point of this is to review concepts. Khan Academy can be challenging and can force students to think creatively about the things they know. They also can practice test taking skills using the computer. I might also have them do a specific shorter quiz that is practice for something they had a lesson on recently. It is a great resource and most of the children enjoy it.
Like many things in the classroom I learned the importance of review work the hard way. I’d feel so frustrated when I discovered Susan couldn’t tell me the triangles according to angle even though I KNOW I had given her that lesson! I did my part! Right?! Well, part of my part. And since barking “You have to practice your lessons!” didn’t really solve the problem, these are some things I have learned to do that help. I hope they can help someone else too. If they help you or you have other thoughts about review work, leave me a comment!
