5 More Terrific End-of-the-Year Ideas
I already gave you 12 terrific ideas for the end of the school year. But then I thought of 5 more! With summer approaching, this can be a "challenging" time to keep students engaged while teachers scramble to keep students just interested in anything. So, here are 5 more ways to keep their attention in the final countdown. And have more fun!
1. What I Learned This Year: I had an a-ha moment when I thought of this lesson. There is a blank head that I normally have students use to portray what is going on in the mind of a character. But, then I thought students' heads by this time of year should be FULL of all the things they learned. And this year, I know they learned a lot both at school AND at home. So, have them think about what they learned, fill the head in with images and words which represent that, and then have them write two paragraphs: one about lessons learned at school and one about lessons learned at home. There is an interactive Google Slides version I made for distance learning.
Here is a sample:
2.Find Literary/Poetic Elements in Song Lyrics: We've all heard songs that we think are especially poetic. Of course, we've heard rhyme schemes, like poems have, a million times. This is the perfect time of year to relax a little and let kids find (appropriate) song lyrics and then analyze them for: rhyme scheme, metaphors, hyperbole, parallelism, similes, syllabication, onomatopoeia, alliteration, foreshadowing, and more literary elements. Ok, I have an example, but like a hypocrite, it is not appropriate to share in class. But, I want to share with you how poetic it is. It's by Kenny Chesney called "Don't Happen Twice." Here's a lyric: "One bottle of wine, two Dixie cups, 3 a.m. I fell in love, for (like four, get it) the first time in my life. Things like that just don't happen twice." I just got the chills writing that!
3. Thank-You Notes: Students have a lot of people to thank for helping them get through the school year, so have them take the time to express their gratitude. You know, they say just the simple act of expressing gratitude makes you feel happier. So true! There's you to thank, parents, friends...
4. Create-a-Critter Writing Activity: This is a lesson I came up with that is normally done in class, and I usually do it at the beginning of the school year to relax students about writing and sneakily get them to associate my class with enjoyment. Or at the end of the year when they need something a little more fun to do for everyone's mental health (and I mean you lol). With the distance learning situation, I made a Google Slides version with directions on how to go about implementing the lesson. They create animals that are hybrid combinations such as these crazy things and write an explanatory description:
5. Shower With Compliments: Lastly, I got this idea from "The Cult of Pedagogy" TPT seller who has inspired me. She says students take turns of about 10-15 minutes each being in the "hot seat" while their classmates write compliments on the board behind them. She says you have to see it to appreciate its full impact. What a great idea. I'm thinking the teacher needs a turn too!
But first, I think you might like these to use all year long:
ENGAGING READING FOR YOUR STUDENTS? WANT TO HAVE THEM PRACTICE ALL 10 READING INFORMATIONAL TEXT STANDARDS SKILLS? STUDENTS KEEP REPORTING HOW MUCH THEY LOVE THE TEXTS!!! TRY BOTH VOLUMES:
And here are 12 Terrific ELA Activity Ideas for the End of the School Year:
