It’s testing season. You are sitting down to try to figure out all of the standards you need to review. You are trying to think of a plan to hit every standard. But then you remember, you don’t need to stress! Because you have been spiraling skills with math menus all year!
Spiraling skills with Math Menus is one of the best things about Math Menus! Here are some of the reasons why it works:
- Connections – students are able to make connections between topics because they are constantly working on more than one topic
- Review – it is constant review. Students are constantly reviewing old standards so they are never surprised when they see something that is not from the current unit
- Independence – when you are asking students to work on something that they might have learned a while ago, they need to remember what to do. And if they can’t they need to use the tools provided (like their Future Forgetful Self notebook) to support themselves
How does it work?
Let’s take a look at this Math Menu.
This week, the lessons were focused on fractions. But that is not reflected by this menu. That is because we are constantly spiraling skills with math menus. Look at all of the different concepts that students are working on within a week! On Wednesday, they are working on a decimal maze. On Tuesday and Thursday, they are working on multiplication practice. They are doing an error analysis on Wednesday about shapes. Tuesday they are doing a higher order thinking activity with a Thinking Task. They are getting differentiated practice on Monday and Thursday with iready. And they are solving problems about volume on Monday with That Doesn’t Make Sense. So many different skills being worked on within a week!
Does It Get Overwhelming for Kids?
No. Students make connections between different topics. They learn what to do and where to get support if they forget how to do something. They are also grateful that they get multiple at bats at different standards. Instead of typical teaching, where you do one unit and then move on, never seeing those types of problems again, math menus allows topics to constantly stay fresh in students minds.
Another Great Thing?
If something happens during the week and you don’t get through all of your lessons, that is okay! It doesn’t impact the activities on your menu, since all of those activities are spiral review. Sometimes I do put an activity at the end of the week based on our Monday objective, knowing that I have plenty of time to get through that objective even if we don’t on Monday.
Spiraling skills with math menus is one of the benefits of a structure like this. Want to learn more about math menus? Click here to read about the basics of math menus. Want even more? Make sure you check out Math Menus: The Course to get everything you could possibly need to get started!
2 thoughts on “Spiraling Skills with Math Menus”
Hi Juliana!
I loved reading up on your tips for using math menus for spiral review. Not only does this help students in brushing up on previously taught content, but I find providing a sense of choice helps students in building their independence. I would also say it helps keep their interest in math and perhaps some students won’t dread their math blocks everyday! I plan to incorporate math menus, specifically for spiral review, at the beginning of this upcoming school year. Thank you for sharing!
That is so awesome, thank you for sharing!