Many of us are likely in the last weeks of school and may or may not be counting down the days. And wow, has it been a year!
- We have taught online, hybrid, in person, concurrent.
- Pajamas bottoms and leggings became our daily work attire
- Our bedrooms, cars, back yards were some of the places we taught from.
- We have learned new skills, mastered new technology, have learned to let go of what’s not in our control.
And we have arrived.
One thing hasn’t changed though. It is still crazy at the end of the school year.
I have written a couple of blog posts on this topic. In one, I share five simple ways to engage your students during those last weeks of school. And in another one, I share digital projects your students can do.
The goal at the end of any school year is to end it on a meaningful note and ensure that students are learning until that last bell rings.
And that is exactly what I am going to share with you in this blog post: 5 meaningful ways to finish your school year strong.
Create a pamphlet for incoming English learners
Nobody knows better what it feels like to be new than English learners who start their journey in a new place and without much ability to communicate.
Nothing speaks to a new ESL student more than someone who has been in their shoes and has taken the time to explain things in a simple and clear way.
And that’s what this project is all about.
Have your ESL students work in groups to brainstorm information that would be useful to a new student (whether they are moving up from elementary or middle school, or they are completely new to the school).
Then they can create a pamphlet where they would share all the relevant information someone would need to know at the beginning of the new school year:
- How to get around the school
- How to call the teachers (in America, they are called by a Mr. or Mrs. and their last name, but in many other countries students address their teachers as simply “teacher”)
- Talk about the people they can reach out for help to (nurse, counselor, etc.)
- Class schedule
- Cafeteria etiquette, etc.
This is a great activity for students to not only collaborate and use spoken language at the end of the school year. This is also a wonderful reading, writing, and design practice.
Helpful tool: Canva or Adobe Spark
Last week of school? A letter to incoming students
This activity is similar in its purpose to the previous one, but it involves different skills. Students would do a little bit of reflection and research and then would demonstrate knowledge and writing of a letter.
This assignment consists of three steps.
- Building background/reviewing. Some students know how to write a letter, but many don’t. This skill is taught in earlier grades, and may fall through the cracks. Therefore, doing a mini lesson or a short review on how to write a letter might be a good idea.
- Reflection. Students fill out a graphic organizer where they share some things that have stuck with them from the past year. For example, 3 things that you learned/discovered, 2 vivid memories, and 1 piece of advice.
- Students then put all this information into a letter.
You could do variations of this assignment. For example, instead of a letter, you might want the students to each record a short Flipgrid video sharing their discoveries and advice.
Alternatively, you may want to explore Padlet. Students create a class board where each student shares their information plus adds an image and a recording.
I have shared this activity in one of my previous posts about year-end lessons you can do with your students. Check it out for even more ideas on what you can do during this time.
End the school year with a playlist
As I was browsing ideas for those last weeks of school, I came across a brilliant idea of incorporating music.
Music is a big part of many teens’ lives. Ask the students to brainstorm 4 or 5 songs that would represent this year for them or ones that were the most memorable.
Just like with other activities, you can choose to have categories for songs, or leave it as open ended as your students like. For example, you can ask these quiding questions:
- What song/melody helped you during distance learning?
- Is there a song that reminds you of your best friend? Write it down and share why
- What song/melody fills you with hope/happiness?
The students fill out a one-page graphic organizer with the name of the song, the name of the artist, and a couple of sentences about why this song was important to them.
As a class, you can create a class playlist and use it until the end of the year and going forward. For more ideas on end-of-the-school-year activities, check out this post.
Give your class a survey
Just like people ask you for a review or feedback after you purchase a product or a service, you should consider asking for feedback from your students during the last weeks of school.
After all, they were the recipients of the information and instruction all year, and they can give you super valuable insights into what worked for them and what you could improve.
You can create a survey in Google Forms, and make sharing students’ names optional. In fact, to preserve your nerves, so to speak, you can even set it up that you don’t see their email addresses.
That way the students will feel safe in sharing their honest opinion. And you, as the teacher, will be able to gain objective feedback that will give you ideas for next school year.
Here are some questions you can ask:
- What did you like about this class?
- What did you dislike about this class?
- Name one thing that was hard at the beginning of the year but is easy now?
- Name one thing that your teacher (your name) could do better?
Memory Book for the end of the school year
And oldie but a goodie for those last weeks of school.
Most schools have yearbooks, which is really nothing more than a memory book. And all age groups appreciate taking a moment and reflect on the year.
- What was the most memorable moment?
- Who were my friends?
- What were the challenges? How did I deal with them?
- What have I overcome?
- What am I looking forward to?
All these questions not only allow one to put things into perspective at the end of the school year, but are also a great language practice.
A memory book is also important for English learners to see how far they have actually come.
There are a multitude of ways to do a memory book, but I have created two versions of it.
It is a Google Slides file that can be done digitally (for upper elementary students).
It can also be printed and students can work on it in a traditional way. My English learners absolutely love it!
The second one is for students in middle and high school and is a collection of a survey, one-pager, memory book, and a vision board. It is also a digital product, which can be completed online, or you may print it and add the necessary scaffolds (like word banks and sentence frames) during the class.
Even more, this end of the school year packet can either be assigned as a whole, i.e. with all its parts. Or you or your students can choose one activity that works best for your class!
What are some of the activities you do at the end of the school year?
Share with us in the comments!