Creative Review Ideas
When I plan my lessons for the next day, I occasionally include an activity or an object to reinforce the new concept, engage the students senses, and connect them with real life objects.
This list includes out-of-the-workbook ideas for reinforcing concepts and integrating hands-on learning in your classroom. They cover a range of grade levels and are presented in no specific order.
Math Facts
- Froggy Hop – Teacher lays a row of flash cards on the floor for the student to jump over when he says the correct answer. The teacher or student walks alongside the “jumping” student to ensure he says the right answer.
- Around the World – One student stands beside another while the teacher flashes a math fact. The student who says the correct answer first moves to the next student’s desk.
- Addition and multiplication graph – Make a graph with numbers 1-10 or 12 both vertically and horizontally. Each student finishes as quickly as he can, then records his time.
- Equations – Write equations onto the chalkboard, each student only solves one step.
___ + 8 = 56
6n + (23 – 1) – 13 = 11(3)
13 = n + 5
53 – n = 102
- Oral drills – Call out math facts instead of using flash cards.
Long Division
- Around the World – Form two rows of students. Each row gets a division problem to solve. Each student does only one step and goes to the back of the line. Small marker boards work well for this activity.
Formulas
- Find the area of real objects
Classroom, desktop, school property, sidewalk.
Frisbee, clock, protractor, microwave dish.
Doritos chip, slow moving vehicle sign.
- Find the volume of real objects
Classroom, lunchbox, desk, microwave, Rubik’s cube.
Soccer ball, golf ball, baseball, earth.
Ice cream cone, pylon.
- Flash cards – Have students identify the shape for the formula and dictate the formula for a given shape.
Reading – Oral and comprehension
- Choral reading – Reading all together helps the slower ones learn new words.
- Dramatic reading – Assign students to different characters in the story.
- Ask questions during story time – Helps students catch foreshadowing and analyze story details.
Parts of speech and their functions
- Oral – Call out random words and the students say the part of speech.
Teacher: “Capital.”
Student: “Noun.”
Teacher: “Wow.”
Student: “Interjection.”
- Write a sentence on the board to drill the functions.
E.g. “The capital of Canada is Ottawa.”
Teacher: “What does the word ‘capital’ function as?”
Student: “Subject.”
- Label sentences on chalkboard.
- Around the World – Use the oral method
- Sentence patterns
E.g. s | av, do A grizzly bear can smell food from a mile away.
- Diagram sentences
- Chant prepositions
- Define the parts of speech
Rhymes, poems, and songs
A noun is a person, place, or thing. As in farmer, market, or a pretty bird’s wing. -unknown
Public Speaking – Ideas to reduce stage fright
- Read stories to classmates
- Read with lots of expression
- Present a science project to class or school
- Sing a solo – Gets students used to their voice.
I’ve gathered many of these ideas while visiting other teachers’ classrooms.
