The short answer is NO!!! Kids know way more math than we give them credit for as we catastrophize about learning loss, the summer dip, and the few kids that hesitate trying to remember something they were once taught.

Throughout my career I have witnessed and helped create those 4-6 week units on basic facts in middle school for the beginning of the year. These seem like a wise path to take but there is a better way. Before we get to these and other questions, I think it is important to recognize two things. First, these 4-6 units have a negative affect on many of our students math identity and their perception of what math is. If you want to or are teaching these types of units that are below grade level, you also must acknowledge the impact your decision is having on many of your students. Second, these units are not solving the problem of student procedural and conceptual understanding of math and our standardized test scores are not improving (if you are worried about that measure).

Additionally, we should acknowledge that these review units give us, as teachers, the warm fuzzies. They potentially make us feel like we are setting kids up for success, and filling in gaps. In a worse case scenario they unconsciously allow us to feel as if “WE” have taught it. Thus implying that if the kids don’t get it then it is now on them.

The bottom line is we are making huge assumptions about what our students do and do not know. Also, just because the students you have in front of you did poorly on SBAC last year doesn’t mean they don’t know these basic skills. Many just need to be reminded. They need a quick refresher, NOT 4 weeks of reteaching.

So here is what to do instead:

1. Start your year with low floor, high ceiling tasks such as those you can find on Youcubed.org under Week of Inspirational Math. This will help build positive math identity in students, positive classroom culture and help you get to know the strengths and areas of growth among your students.
2. Spend a few days reminding students of a few truly important procedural skills they will need and then give them a quick check for understanding on those skills. This will give you a more accurate understanding of what your students need.
3. Start with grade level content.
4. Use just in time mini lessons to shore up misconceptions on grade level ideas and prior grade level skills.

These units need to go by the wayside. We need to recognize that 4-6 weeks spent on skills that can be done by Alexa and other computers more accurately and efficiently, is a waste of our time. It is contributing to our time issues, our students disengagement, and many other problems.

I truly believe that we cannot change each other’s minds. We can only dislodge current thinking through conversation and curiosity. I hope this has helped to dislodge or disrupt your current thinking on this topic.

@mathhiker76