By the time we finish the quadratics unit, my students have learned five different methods for solving quadratic equations. Five. My solving quadratics review is designed around that reality — instead of a traditional review worksheet where students jump between methods on the same page, I give each method its own station. Students work through all five at their own pace with a partner, across two class periods.
That’s what my station review is designed to do. Instead of a traditional review worksheet where students jump between methods on the same page, I give each method its own station. Students work through all five at their own pace with a partner, across two class periods.
It’s one of my favorite days of the quadratics unit — and the structure is simpler than it sounds.
Why Two 46-Minute Periods Beat One 90-Minute Block
I’m lucky enough to have both block days (90 minutes) and standard days (46 minutes) in my schedule. And I’ve tried this review both ways. Two shorter days wins every time — and here’s why.
First, students get overwhelmed. Ninety minutes of quadratic review in one sitting is a lot to process, especially for students who are still shaky on one or two methods. By the end of a 90-minute block, the students who needed the most practice are often the most mentally checked out.
Second, the overnight gap matters more than I expected. When students leave after Day 1 with two or three stations still unfinished, something happens between class periods. They go home, try a few problems on their own, realize where they’re stuck, and come back on Day 2 with specific questions. That’s a completely different kind of engagement than the student who just waits for me to come around.
Third — and this is the one I keep coming back to — brain research consistently shows that students need to encounter material multiple times to retain it. Two review days means two separate exposures to the same content, separated by time. That spacing matters. It’s not just twice as much practice — it’s more effective practice.
How the Stations Work
The setup is straightforward. I have five stations set up around the room, one for each solving method. Students work in partners and move through all five stations at their own pace across the two days. There’s no rotation timer — when a pair finishes a station, they move to whichever open station they want next.
I like the self-pacing for a few reasons. Partners who are faster move on without waiting for the whole class. Partners who need more time stay as long as they need without feeling rushed. And because the stations are spread across two days, there’s no pressure to finish everything in one sitting. I do recommend students start with the stations they’re least confident in — that way they have more time on the topics that need it most, rather than saving the hard ones for the end of Day 2.
My job during station days is to circulate, listen, and ask questions. I’m not checking answers — the activities handle that, and I know students have worked problems correctly before I step in. What I’m watching for are patterns. If three pairs in a row are stuck at the same step in the same station, that tells me something I need to address before the test.
Station 1: Solve by Graphing
Graphing is usually the first method students learn, but it’s easy to forget the connection between the graph and the solution by the time we’ve worked through four other methods. This station brings it back.
I use a walk-around activity here, but I hang the cards in just one corner of the room rather than spreading them around — otherwise they get mixed in with the other stations. Students have actually seen this activity before: it’s a shorter version of the walk-around I use during the original graphing unit, with 6 problems instead of 12. That familiarity helps. They’re not learning a new format during review week, just revisiting content through a format they already know. I have three levels available in my store depending on what level of mastery your class has reached.
The graphing station in action — cards hung in one corner, students sketch and solve.
Solving Quadratics by Graphing — Walk-Around Bundle (3 Levels)
View on TPT →Free Resource: Solving Quadratics Review Walk-Around
Get my free walk-around activity that covers factoring, square root property, and the quadratic formula — all in one self-checking activity. Perfect for review week.
Get the Free Activity →Station 2: Solve by Factoring
Factoring is where I see the widest range of comfort levels. Some students fly through it; others are still shaky on the ac method. Partners help here — students who are more confident tend to naturally explain their thinking to partners who are stuck, which benefits both of them.
For this station I use a factoring partner activity I found on TPT — it was a freebie and you can find it easily by searching “Factoring Partner Activity.” I’m not linking it here because I want you to find something that fits your students, but that search should get you there quickly.
Station 3: Solve by Square Root Property
The square root property station is where I see the most errors with the ± symbol. Students who rushed through that unit suddenly realize they’ve been inconsistently applying it. This station is a good reality check before the test.
I use my walk-around activities here, but with a twist — I print them 6 to a page, which turns a walk-around into a tabletop activity. Students work through the problems at their seats with their partner rather than moving around the room. During review week, that keeps the station energy a little calmer. I have several levels available, from simple perfect squares all the way through binomial structure with non-perfect squares and imaginary solutions.
Printed 6 to a page and color-coded by level — a walk-around becomes a tabletop activity.
Solving Quadratics by Square Root Property — Walk-Around Activity
View on TPT →Station 4: Solve by Completing the Square
Completing the square is the method students are most likely to mix up under pressure. The steps are sequential and one wrong move early cascades through the whole problem. A matching activity works really well here because the three-card format — problem, binomial square, solution — gives students two checkpoints instead of one.
If a student finds their binomial square card but can’t find the solution card, they know exactly where to look for the error. That built-in feedback is especially valuable during review when I can’t be at every station at once.
The three-card matching format gives students two checkpoints — not just one.
Solving Quadratics by Completing the Square — Matching Activity (2 Levels)
View on TPT →Station 5: Solve by Quadratic Formula
The quadratic formula station is usually the most popular — students feel confident here because the formula always works. My job at this station is to push them a little: are they using the discriminant to predict the solution type before they solve? Are they writing both exact and approximate answers?
I use a quadratic formula activity from another TPT seller for this station. I’ll let you find one that fits your classroom — but look for something that requires students to show the discriminant step separately, not skip straight to plugging in.
Short on Time? Try This Solving Quadratics Review Activity
If you don’t have two full days for stations — or if you want a single activity that pulls three methods together — my Solving Quadratics Review Walk-Around does exactly that. It covers factoring, the square root property, and the quadratic formula in one self-checking activity.
You can get this activity for free. Students solve problems using all three methods, check their answers as they go, and finish with a clear picture of which method feels solid and which ones need more work before the test.
That honest self-assessment — “I’m good at the formula but I keep making errors on square roots” — is exactly what I want students walking into a test with.
Get the Free Review Walk-Around
Covers factoring, square root property, and the quadratic formula — free for Algebra 2 teachers.
What I’ve Noticed About This Solving Quadratics Review
After a few years of running this solving quadratics review, a few things consistently stand out.
Students are more honest about what they don’t know during stations than during a traditional review. There’s something about working at their own pace with a partner that removes the performance pressure of whole-class review. I hear more genuine “I don’t get this” conversations during station days than at any other point in the unit.
The overnight gap between Day 1 and Day 2 produces better questions. Students who were quiet on Day 1 often come back on Day 2 with something specific they tried at home that didn’t work. Those are the best teaching moments of the whole unit.
And the test scores after two-day station review are consistently better than after a single review day. I’d rather give up one more day of instruction to gain that — every time.
If you’re looking for a solving quadratics review that feels less like a chore and more like a genuine confidence-builder, stations might be the structure you’ve been missing.
Start with one station, see how your students respond — and build from there.
🜐 More From the Quadratics Series
| Post | What It Covers |
|---|---|
| Square Root Property | Why the order of instruction matters more than you think |
| Completing the Square | A step-by-step approach starting with patterns first |
| Quadratic Formula | Why I finally stopped rushing the discriminant |
| Imaginary Numbers | Why I introduce i on day one |
| Station Review (this post) | How I use stations to review all five solving methods |