Creating Posters for Reviewing Concepts

As testing season moves into full swing, I've been thinking of ways to keep students engaged as we review various math concepts. In the past, we made review books, but there are so many new standards that it is not possible this year. How could I balance the need to cover dozens of new concepts with the need to be creative? And, how could I keep students from being overwhelmed? My solution: part anchor chart, part poster, and part challenge for students. Before challenging my students, I had to create an example.

Why CORN?

The first topic we cover class is rational numbers. Each year, I bring in ears of corn to represent whole numbers (corn in the husks), fractions (cutting the husk into parts), and decimals (removing the husks to reveal the kernels). I also use the acronym "corn" for conversion of rational numbers. When creating my own review poster, it was the perfect fit.

Creating Corn

Cut shapes first

Add notes after attaching

Making a corn review poster is simple. I started by cutting out 12 pieces of husks and six pieces of corn. Next, I joined two husks and taped them to a sheet of easel paper. Then, I inserted one piece of corn and added notes. I repeated the process five more times and my review poster was complete!







Blending review and technology

Poster image on phone

Zoom on converting














Once my sample was complete, it included information on each topic we covered that focused on rational numbers. I told students they could take pictures of the poster with their phones so that they could review the poster anytime. If they want to focus on a certain topic, they can use the zoom feature on their phones for the almost perfect review feature.

 
Almost perfect

The project would be complete (and perfect) when students created their own review posters. Instead of one student trying to cover each topic, I focused on eight major categories: rational numbers, integers, ratios and rates, expressions and equations, geometry, data analysis, measurement, and personal financial literacy. I allowed students to work in groups and told them I would post all of the posters in the hallway. Students could then pick and choose which posters they wanted to take pictures of and use for review at home. I limited their creation time to one hour, five minutes. (20 minutes for planning and 45 minutes for poster creation).

Students were engaged and I took so much joy in the creative juices flowing around the room during this activity. Students (and adults) have a competitive streak, and they were soon attempting to best one another in creative design. I am so proud of their effort and their results. Ultimately, I hope the posters will continue to help them prepare for testing and to help them retain the information long after testing is done.

I was so excited by my students' creativity!!!