Algebra Review

by John
(Alabama)

I teach Algebra 1 in a middle school and I am looking for different ideas on how to review for a chapter test. My students need a lot of repetition and practice prior to their test; however, I know they get bored with just completing problems at their desks. I'd like to make if fun and exciting, but I also need to make sure that I can get around to answer questions and help students who are having difficulty. Many of my students struggle with Algebra and since our tests are administered county wide, they are extremely important! If anyone has suggestions, I would greatly appreciate your help!

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Dec 31, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		Algebra Games for Review
by: Karin

I agree that Algebra games make for a fun review! I had never used Sparknotes.com but it looks like a great place to find more review problems!

Even as an adult, I still enjoy playing games and I love the competition, so I'm sure students' enjoy it too! A great way to have fun and engage in the learning process too!

Thanks for the suggestion!

Karin
Dec 29, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		SparkNotes Study Cards
by: Jim McCue

Hello John & Karin,

I have found Algebra Study Cards by SparkNotes could be used in Trivial Pursuit game format.

There are 600 cards divided into 12 categories from Absolute Value to Word Problems.

A teacher could devise various ways to play the game that would be entertaining and fun for students.

SparkNotes.com also has Study Cards for Algebra II and Geometry.

Perhaps they could be used in "Who wants to be a millionaire" format where students could be paired up and ask each other questions from the cards.

Hope this helps,
Jim McCue
Dec 19, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		Ideas for Algebra Review
by: Karin

John,
Thank you for submitting to our teacher's forum!
I completely understand your situation! I've used a couple of different strategies for an Algebra review!

The review that I think is most effective is setting up stations. I typically would set up 4 stations with different skills at each station. I would write 2-3 problems on a piece of paper for the students to work on. I would also include an answer key. My students were instructed to complete the problems before using the answer key to check their problems!

I would group the students according to ability. I would make sure that I paired higher achieving students with lower achieving students. When I am not available, for immediate help, usually the higher achieving students are able to help the lower achieving students.

I always offered an after school help session on this day to help students who needed the extra reinforcement.

I've also used a jeopardy review game. I know there are power point versions of the game if you have a way to project from your computer. I always used the overhead and a transparency of the jeopardy board. I again, had the students work in pairs, but all students had to work the problems. The teams earned points, so it made it a little more competitive.

I hope these two ideas help you! If any one else had ideas, please join in and share!

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