Are you an upper elementary teacher looking for math assessment tools? Spiral review math is an ideal way to provide upper elementary math assessment.
This article is the 9th in my “Ultimate Guide to Guided Math” series. To start at the beginning, check out the first post. Check it out by clicking the image below:
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Spiral review as a form of upper elementary math assessment provides teachers with flexibility in math instruction and the ability to focus on the needs of each individual student.
Using a Math Skills Assessment to Drive Spiral Review
What is spiral review?
Spiral review is a method of instruction for which teachers incorporate past learning skills into new material and assessment.
For example, if you are teaching a unit about whole number multiplication this week, and next week you are introducing whole number division, the following week you can plan an activity that gives students the opportunity to review both whole number multiplication and division, as well as some decimal place value strategies that were covered last month!
So, how does this look as an assessment?
At the end of a unit (or possibly two depending on content) students are given a spiral assessment that includes every skill that has been taught up to that point.
As the teacher uses careful data tracking to monitor each individual student’s performance, he or she can develop a powerful system of intervention and enrichment for those math skills.
Through the use of this data tracking the teacher can make decisions about the direction of instruction. Does the student need intervention with this skill? Or is the student ready for enrichment with this topic?
Real world application activities discussed in the previous article are a great opportunity to provide students with enrichment.
5 Ways to Assess Students in Math
What is a math assessment?
A math assessment is the process of designing tasks for the purpose of collecting information, analyzing & interpreting that information, and using the information to make decisions regarding the direction of instruction.
Simply put, a math assessment is a way to determine if students “got it” or not.
Below is a list of 5 ways that students can be assessed in math class:
- Observation – the teacher carefully watches and makes notes about how the student interacts with the math skill
- Formative Assessment – an informal evaluation made by the teacher to determine student understanding in the midst of learning a new math skill
- Summative Assessment – a more formal evaluation made by the teacher to determine student understanding toward the end of a unit of study
- Application of Skill – the teacher provides students with an opportunity to apply the math skill through a project, a hands on activity, or a problem solving experience
- Performance Task – the students participate in a hands on, cooperative task for which they are using problem solving tactics to reach a solution to a real world scenario problem
What Are the Benefits of Spiral Assessment?
When teachers implement a spiral assessment and review system in the upper elementary classroom it allows for several benefits of student comprehension and overall experience.
First of all, this method of instruction and review creates the ability for students to continuously be exposed to recurring materials, making it easier for them to remember the math skill in the long term. The likelihood of learning it and forgetting it are less when the skill surfaces again shortly after the “test”.
Secondly, spiral review is ideal for continuous end of year test prep and helps to avoid the dreaded “I forgot how to do this” or “Did we learn this” in the spring when you are reviewing skills for the state mandated assessment. For this reason, students are also better prepared to enter the next grade level and your vertical co-teachers will be very happy with you!
Arguably the most important benefit of spiral review and assessment is that students are challenged in the sense that they don’t “know exactly what is coming”. What I mean by this is, using the example of whole number multiplication and division from earlier:
You have just introduced whole number multiplication to your 5th grade students and assign a practice activity for them to complete so that you can assess their understanding. One of the questions on the activity is the following:
Marv is ordering 58 copies of a book for the students in fifth grade. Each book costs $12. How much will Marv spend on books?
If students have just been given a lesson about whole number multiplication, are they going to really dig deep into this word problem or are they just going to look at the numbers and multiply them?
Right! They are just going to multiply 58 x 12!
On the other hand, if students are working on a spiral review activity and the instructions ask them to “SOLVE THE PROBLEM USING MULTIPLICATION OR DIVISION” and the following question is also included:
Marv spent $696 purchasing copies of a book for the students in fifth grade. Each book costs $12. How many books did Marv buy?
They will need to look at each word problem scenario and visualize WHAT THEY KNOW about Marv and WHAT IS BEING ASKED to solve the problems!
Marv is ordering 58 copies of a book for the students in fifth grade. Each book costs $12. How much will Marv spend on books? (Student: “This problem is telling me that he is going to have 58 groups of $12, so I need to multiply.”)
Marv spent $696 purchasing copies of a book for the students in fifth grade. Each book costs $12. How many books did Marv buy? (Student: “This problem is telling me that he needs to find out how many groups of $12 are in $696, so I need to divide.”)
Preparing students to think through the procedures they perform in math is crucial to their success in higher grade levels and in their real world experiences.
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I hope you have enjoyed this article about how to use spiral review and assessment in the math classroom. Join me in the next, and final part of the series for a look at intervention in the upper elementary math classroom.
