It is that time of year...the countdown has begun...the school year is almost over! Even though the end is so near, we still have alot of instruction time left. How do we keep our students engaged, learning and enjoying school? There is an great article in Edutopia, called "How to Stay Charged During the Final Weeks of School," that explores tips to keep teachers going. Read the article here.
Experienced teachers always like to end the year with high quality projects that peek the students interest. Here are some tested activies that teachers love:
- Memory Book: Have students work on a Memory Book from the past year. Each day they can focus on a different aspect of their year and write about it. "My favorite field trip...", "The funny thing that happened when..." Also, think about including pictures from the year. Pictures are suprisinly easy to photocopy!
- Writing an Autobiography: We know all students love to talk about themselves, why not have them write (or illustrate) an autobiography about themselves. They can talk about thier family, thier hobbies, and what they want to grow up to become. Read-Write-Think has a great K-2 autobiography lesson plan here.
- Class Awards: We all know about honor roll and perfect attendance, but what about celebrating the year with some other awards for students. You can think outside the box, The Best Storyteller, The Most Truthful, The Best Smile, The Best Helper, The Musician, The Artist, and many more.... Remember to give one award to every student! Teaching Heart has a great (Free) printable candy wrapper that you can cover a candy bar with as a special treat! There are also other great end of the year ideas here.
- End of the Year Raffle: Are you trying to think of ways to reinvigorate your classroom managment routines??? How about raffle tickets. Raffle tickets can be made on the computer or bought at a local party store. Pass them out as positive reinforcement for students who are on task. Have them write their name on the ticket and place it in a special raffle bin. At the end of the day (or week!) pick out raffle winners, and start to raffle off things from your classroom. Think about the posters that you have created on your wall...crayons that may not make it to next year...bags of scrap paper for art projects. Students will love to make their own "school" at home.
- Finding your Friends: Word searches are great ways to keep students engaged. Think about making a word search with all the students in class. Puzzlemaker is a great way to make a fun word search (and it is really easy!)
- Planning for next year: Think about visiting a classroom in the grade above you with your students. Plan with a teacher in that grade to allow you to bring your students in while their students are in gym or music. They can get a feel for what it would be like in 1st, 2nd or 3rd grade. They can also write a letter to the class below them and tell them what to expect in their upcoming year.
- Summer Safety: Summer is a fun time for everyone to be outside, but it can also be filled with many safety hazards. Consider making a "Summer Safety" Poster or Bulletin Board to share with other classes and keep students safe. Find a great summer safety lesson plan here.
- Alphabet Fun: Writing alphabet books can be a great way to finish off the year. Students can write a Alphabet Autobiography all about themselves. "A is for apples, my favorite fruit. B is for Bryn Mawr, the name of my street." Another alphabet book ideas is to have them write alphabet book about all the things they have learned this year.
Does anyone else have any great ideas for ending the year with a bang?
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