ARTICLE: Keep Kids Learning the Last Weeks of School
Explore these ideas to keep your students curious and actively engaged until the last bell rings.
We've pulled together a collection of our favorite end-of-school articles from the MiddleWeb archives. If you're looking for ideas that combine fun and learning, you'll likely find some here!
By Susan Curtis and John Norton
Award-winning middle school teacher Cheryl Mizerny observes:
The key to keeping student minds active is to find the middle ground between (1) the desire to celebrate the end of testing with fluffy, fun activities that have little curricular purpose; and (2) the assignment of a gigantic, soul-crushing project that will require students to work tirelessly for weeks to finish by the end of school.
How does Mizerny suggest we do that? Here are 12 ideas from her own middle school classroom.
Multilingual education expert Valentina Gonzalez picks up Mizerny's theme:
The end of year is actually an optimal time for us as educators to step out of our comfort zones and try new and innovative techniques with our students. Think of this time as a gift. Without the pressure of state testing, we have more freedom and autonomy to try new ideas.
See some of Gonzalez's favorite ways of "ending strong" in her post Ending the Year with English Learners.
End of School Activity: INFERENCE. “In English class learning to infer what is not said in the text is a crucial skill. This can be practiced in many ways, such as using a painting or photo from a particular time or event and having students make and defend educated guesses about what is happening. One really fun way I have used this is with Norman Rockwell paintings. He had an incredible knack for telling an entire story in one frame and students love exploring his work.” – Cheryl Mizerny.
Want more end-of-school ideas?
You've spent the school year teaching students skills and strategies and covering the curriculum, giving your best to all your classes. Now as the year winds down, the time has come to let the students take over, writes 5th grade teacher Kathleen Palmieri. In Kids Love End-of-Year Classroom Takeovers! see how her kids share learning.
Teacher educator Curtis Chandler provides lots of ways to maximize the end of school in his post Don’t Waste the Precious Weeks at School’s End. In another MiddleWeb article he looks ahead to vacation learning by suggesting that science teachers Prep Your Students Now for STEM Summer Fun.
After 25+ springs in the classroom, ELA teacher Amber Chandler shares three "engaging treatments" that have helped relieve her students' seasonal jitters. She includes cross-curricular ideas and her personal favorite – passion projects. "I created this concept a few years ago to assuage my own boredom with the end of the year and to help my students stretch themselves."
Elyse Scott taught eighth grade for almost 30 years. In a hugely popular article she wrote for MiddleWeb, she gathered together a dozen of her most successful activities for the last weeks of school. Some, she warns, may require a little hard work and organization. See End of Year Learning Can Be Meaningful and Fun.
Michelle Russell, writing at her blog Meaningful Math, offers Six Tips for Teachers If You're Running on Empty. Michelle's post was written about testing season but includes some great activities that work for "end of school." And Michelle LOVES engaging math activities; browse her blog posts to find more!
In How Your Students Can Create TED-Style Talks, Lauren Buell describes how her 8th grade ELA team works with students on a comprehensive unit that helps all participants develop speaking, listening, writing, reading and life skills as they prepare end-of-year TED-style talks. To reassure us it's not "soul-crushing," Buell shares the unit’s actual impact once students enter high school.
Most recently, MiddleWeb contributor and 7th grade teacher Laurie Miller Hornik explored the importance of "endings" – be they the end of class or the end of school. Learn the details of her special twist on the "write a letter to your future self" activity.
Happy end-of-school days!
Susan Curtis and John Norton are co-editors at MiddleWeb.com
Image: Santa’s Helper by Norman Rockwell.