With the end of the school year upon us, students and teachers alike are getting ready for summer. Students are ready for months without homework or assignments and are usually checked out by the end of the school year. Teachers are often just as tired of school as students are. Here are some ideas for end-of-year projects and assignments that are fun and can allow students to reflect on what they’ve learned and accomplished.
Book Hall of Fame
Have students pick their favorite book that they’ve read during the school year and write a reflection about it. They can also draw a picture to accompany it. Hang the reflections on a bulletin board for next year’s students.
Switch Places
If you want students to review what they learned this year, have them switch places with you. You can assign lessons individually or put students in pairs or groups. Assign each child or group a topic from the past year, and have them teach you and the rest of the class. It will help them remember what they’ve learned and give you a break.
Put On a Play
For a more creative project, students can write, direct, and perform a play about the school year. Ask them to incorporate things they learned this year in English, science, and history, as well as things that happened to the class outside the classroom.
People of the Year
Create your own awards show for your class. Students can pick their favorite president, historical figure, scientist, author, fictional character and more. Let them nominate people they learned about this year for awards. You can also have them nominate other people in school, like the principal or the lunch monitors.
How do you keep your students (and yourself) motivated at the end of the school year?