Here’s a moment I’d bet you’ve had this year.
You open Tuesday’s lesson. It asks students to compare fractions with unlike denominators. And before you’ve handed out a single paper, you already know that a third of your class can’t find a common denominator.
So what do you do when your students are behind in math? Teach the lesson anyway and lose them? Or stop and reteach, and fall two days behind a pacing guide that had no slack in it to begin with?
That’s the gap. And it isn’t a gap in your teaching. Math programs like iReady, Illustrative, and Eureka are built for the students the standards imagine. You’re teaching the ones who actually walked through your door.
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Does this sound familiar?
- “How am I supposed to teach 5th grade math? My kids don’t know 3rd or 4th grade math!”
- “My daily lessons keep flopping because my curriculum is too hard for my kids.”
- “My curriculum doesn’t give enough practice. We learn something and move on too quickly. And then there’s no spiral review!”
If you nodded along to even one of those, you’re in good company. Here’s what I actually do about it.
1. Don’t Be Afraid to Press Pause on Your Curriculum
Teach a review unit before you start your actual unit. That could be three weeks on whole number place value before you start decimal place value, or five days on fraction concepts before you begin fraction operations.
Teach a targeted lesson or two before you begin a skill. Kids won’t be ready for ratios and proportions if they don’t know equivalent fractions. Spending a day or two reviewing will pay you back tenfold.
2. Use Small Groups for Preteaching, Not Just Intervention.
Typically, small group intervention is used for skills students have already struggled with. Let’s flip that. You know you’re about to teach 2-digit division? Have a support teacher pull a small group to review 1-digit division. About to teach adding and subtracting decimals? Pull a group to make sure subtraction with regrouping is solid.
These groups can be pulled during your regular math block, during WIN time, or from specials and extracurriculars. I don’t love that last option, but used sparingly, it can give a dose of success to the kids who need it most.
3. Spiral, Spiral, Spiral
The reality is that most curriculums don’t provide enough review or remediation. But there are so many chances in a school day to build it in: morning work, bell ringers, fluency practice and mad minutes, even homework.
Look back. Spend the first month of school spiraling key skills from the previous grade level. After that, spiral what you’ve already taught and mastered in class.
Look ahead. Morning work, warm-ups, and homework can also be forward-facing. Use them to prep kids for upcoming skills. If Adding Unlike Fractions is coming up, the warm-ups the week before can include LCM, converting improper fractions to mixed numbers, and adding like fractions.
Want more information on these structures? Here are some blog posts I’ve written that might help:
Before THIS, Teach THIS
Remember those Eat This, Not That! books? The ones that told you to skip the loaded nachos and grab the grilled chicken tacos instead? They were popular for a reason. Nobody had to figure out a whole new way of eating. They just got a simple swap.
This is my math version of that, with one twist: it’s not “this instead of that.” It’s “this before that.” You still teach your grade-level unit. You just give your students that are behind in math the foundation first so the new learning has something to stick to.
Here are the swaps I reach for most often.
| Before you teach…. | Teach this! |
| 4th Grade Multiplication | Skip Counting Songs |
| 4th Grade Division | Skip Counting Songs |
| 4th Grade Fractions | Factors & Multiples |
| 5th Grade Decimals | 4th Grade Place Value |
| 5th Grade Multiplication | 4th Grade Multiplication |
| 5th Grade Division | 4th Grade Division |
| 5th Grade Fractions | Understanding Fractions Unit |
| 6th Grade Decimal Operations | Base Ten Operations Review Unit |
| 6th Grade Ratios & Proportions | Foundation for Fractions Review Unit |
“But won’t I fall behind?”
The myth: Reteaching and preteaching mean I’ll get behind my long-term plan.
The reality: Taking the time to lay a strong foundation saves so much time in the long run.
Remember, there are major and minor works for a reason. Every grade has a handful of standards that everything else depends on, and a handful that are nice-to-have. If your students are significantly behind, this might be the year you skip geometry or measurement. I would much rather have a group of students with a solid grasp of the basics than a group that knows the quadrilateral family tree. And this is coming from someone who LOVES quadrilaterals at, like, a cellular level.
Your permission slip to slow down
Consider this your permission to build in the extra days and reteach the stuff that matters. Your students, and your future self, will thank you.
Which curriculum are you working with this year? Tell me in the comments!
Math love,
Sally 💛
My Students are Behind in Math: FAQs
What do I do if my students are behind in math?
Start by figuring out which prior-grade skills your next unit depends on. Then preteach those skills with a short review unit, a targeted lesson or two, or proactive small groups before you start the grade-level content.
Is it okay to go off my curriculum’s pacing guide?
Yes. Pacing guides are written for students who arrive on grade level. A few days spent building a foundation usually saves time later, because you’ll reteach less once the unit is underway.
What’s the difference between preteaching and reteaching?
Reteaching happens after students struggle with a skill. Preteaching happens before, so students already have the building blocks when the new lesson starts. Both matter, but preteaching helps you avoid a lot of flopped lessons.
How do I fit spiral review into my day?
Use the routines you already have: morning work, bell ringers, fluency practice, and homework. In the first month, spiral last year’s key skills. After that, mix in what you’ve taught this year plus previews of upcoming skills.
Which math standards should I prioritize if my students are behind?
Focus on the major work of your grade, the standards everything else builds on. In upper elementary, that means place value, multiplication and division, and fractions. Supporting topics like some geometry and measurement can get lighter treatment in a tough year.
Does this work with iReady, Illustrative Math, or Eureka?
Yes. These strategies don’t replace your curriculum. They wrap around it, so your students are ready for the lessons your program already provides.
