Whether you are preparing for state testing or wrapping up the end of the year, looking at your list of standards to review might send a chill down your spine! It’s the classic problem of having a lot to do, and only a little time to do it. Luckily, there are math review activities that help you easily cover the essential standards, without it feeling boring or repetitive.
Take a look at some math review activities that will keep students engaged as they revisit skills they’ve learned this year.
1. Interactive Worksheets
When reviewing, it’s easy to think in terms of quantity. We want to fit in as much practice as possible. However, the standards and skills you focus on are a lot more important than the amount of review material. If you know that most students struggle with fractions, it would make sense to focus on that skill rather than one students have already mastered.
Using interactive worksheets with these more challenging skills is a great way to ensure quality practice. Unlike a regular worksheet where students simply work through problems, interactive worksheets include videos! Students scan a QR code and are taken to an instructional video on how to complete the problem.
This is an easy way to differentiate and level up your independent practice. If students don’t need the video, they don’t have to watch it, but it’s there to support them if needed. Try using these interactive worksheets during morning work, centers, and even homework.
You can grab the complete done-for-you interactive worksheets. I have a complete 4th Grade Interactive Worksheet Bundle and 5th Grade Interactive Worksheet Bundle covering all CCSS standards for those grade levels.
2. Escape Rooms
Escape rooms are fun and exciting math review activities that students actually enjoy. Escape rooms build math into a storyline, which can make it feel more authentic and make word problems easier to incorporate. Plus, it involves some puzzle-solving type work, too – which is just a lot of fun. I wrote a whole blog about how to use escape rooms as a test review.
One of my favorite parts about escape rooms is being able to create engaging storylines that incorporate various math skills. For example, in the test prep escape rooms, students pretend they have taken a field trip to a garden but get locked inside. They must solve the math problems to escape!
I have ready-to-go 3rd Grade Test Prep Escape Rooms, 4th Grade Test Prep Escape Rooms, and 5th Grade Test Prep Escape Rooms. Each includes a Spring and Summer themed escape room covering essential math skills for the grade level!
3. Task Cards
Task cards might seem like old news, but they make very versatile math review activities! Make task cards easy by using them in a review center or at your teacher table. Take it up a notch by placing them around the room and turning it into a gallery walk (or even a scavenger hunt).
You can also display the task cards on an interactive whiteboard and complete them as a whole group for morning work or review questions. You could even turn it into a team game with white boards or relay races! Seriously, the options are endless. If you want more ideas, check out my blog post about five unique ways to use task cards.
While test prep and end of the year review can feel a bit chaotic, there are lots of ways you can make test review engaging and fun (for you and the students)! I hope these math review activities sparked a few ideas and got you thinking about how you can repurpose materials to make them engaging.
Want more math teaching tips? Check out these other blog posts:
