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This past year has been tough for everyone, and you don't need permission to start the countdown to summer if you haven’t already. Who's counting days, right? Why not make the end of the year fun and educational for you and your students? I’m sharing 10 awesome ideas to end the year that will be a big hit with your students in this two-part post. The original became way too long, and nobody has time to read that!
Starbucks or Cafe Mode
If you’ve heard of Starbucks or cafe mode, then you get why this is my go-to for some quiet downtime. The idea is students choose an activity like journaling, independent reading, puzzles, or coloring to work on as if they are in a coffee shop. Download and print out free coloring pages HERE! My rules for cafe mode are: wear headphones for personal music, choose preferred seating, and bring a drink. If students don’t have headphones, I play “Coffee Shop Noise for Studying” on Spotify. You can search YouTube and find similar coffee shop music to play. Set clear expectations for behavior ahead of time for this to be successful.
Memory Books
One student favorite is digital memory books. My kids love recording special memories with text, images, and photos in digital format. In this activity, students list favorites, reflect on things like greatest accomplishments and biggest obstacles, and set goals for the future. It’s part of my end-of-year digital bundle which also includes a grammar scavenger hunt and escape room!
Future Me Letter
My students think it's cool to write "future me" letters. Before digital options, teachers had to hold the letters and mail them on a future date. Welcome to the 21st century! Now your students visit the FutureMe website, compose a letter, choose from one, three, five years, or a custom date to have their letter sent to them via email. How cool is that!
A-Z Project
This A-Z independent study is another student favorite! I’m always surprised at the different topics of interest students choose when given the option to pick something they want to learn more about. And since this isn’t a “traditional” research paper, they are free to explore and learn without all the formatting fuss. The great news for you is that you won’t be burdened with laboring through pages of research. It’s the end of the year, after all. Students create a Google Slides presentation to show what they learned. Each slide coordinates with a letter of the alphabet. Grab the FREE project here! If you need help using the force copy link and assigning it to your students, email me.
Digital Escape Rooms
Are you and your students simply "over it" at the end of the year? What you need is a low-prep activity to keep your kids engaged and having fun while reviewing ELA skills like reading comprehension, parts of speech, figurative language, and Greek and Latin roots. No worries if your admin walks in. Kids are actually practicing standards-based skills you taught during the year. I’ll let you in on a little secret...the end-of-year escape room is my weapon against May madness!
Don't wait another minute to download and make note of these activities that will simply save your sanity! What are your favorite ways to end the school year?
Read part two of the blog where I share the last five awesome ideas. You don't want to miss them! Part 2 Awesome Ideas
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