My Absolute Favorite End of the Year Activity!
I don’t know about you, but I am all about working SMARTER, not HARDER! I also love killing two birds with one stone. I want to tell you about how I do both with my all time favorite end of the year activity (which also doubles as a beginning of the school year activity):
The End of the Year Survival Guide!
Here’s How it Works:
At the end of the school year, I have my students brainstorm their favorite memories from the school year. We have discussions about our favorite field trip, subject, funniest moments, the goals we achieved, and anything else that we want to talk about! I then tell my students to think back to how they felt on the first day of school. Were they nervous? Were they wondering what I was like? Were they anxious to learn a new classroom routine? They tend to answer with a resounding “YES”!
Then I remind them that in a few short months I will have new second graders who are feeling the same way entering my classroom. I need help in easing their anxiety and making them feel comfortable in the classroom. They need to know that they have great things in store for them, and they also will be wanting some tips and tricks to survive second grade.
These survival guides have versions for first grade through fifth grade.
I explain to the class that they are going to be making survival guide pamphlets full of tips, tricks, and future events for the new second graders to help them navigate their year. The kids get so excited!
Allow Students to Fill Out the Pamphlets
Students work to complete the front and back of the pamphlet. They get to write about the coolest thing the students will learn in each subject and what skills took the most grit in each subject. The also get to describe their classroom, teacher, and favorite events from the year. I may or may not have had a few students write that “Mrs. Burns gets cranky if she doesn’t have her coffee".😂
Lastly, I collect the survival guides and put them in a safe space until September.
When Fall Rolls Around…
it is time to get the pamphlets back out! On the first day of school, I tell the new second graders that my last class wrote them each a survival guide to help them through second grade. I pass one out to each student and give them time to read them. Then we are able to have a class discussion about what we have to look forward to this year! It is a great way to get students excited for a new school year!
If You’re Interested
grab this product and give it a try! Tell us how it worked in your classroom!
Enjoy!
