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5 End of Year Activities for Middle School or Upper Elementary
5 End of Year Activities for Middle School
Introduction
The end of the school year is fast approaching and while I am READY for summer, we still have some learning to do. Here are some great activities to keep your students engaged and learning all the way up until that last bell rings!
1. Student Award Ceremony
The end of the school year is a great time for teachers to host an awards ceremony for students. It’s also a great way to thank parents for their support and help them understand how their child is doing in class.
Here are some ideas for awards:
- Student of the Year Award – this can be given to one student from each classroom or grade level. The teacher can decide what criteria will be used when selecting the winner, such as attendance, responsibility, effort, or academic achievement.
- Superlatives Award – superlatives may include “Best Artist,” “Biggest Friend,” or “Most Spirited.” These types of awards are fun and easy to give out at an end-of-year party or ceremony.
2. Reflection Journal
Teachers can help students reflect on the year in a journal or scrapbook activity.
This can be done by having students write about their favorite parts of the year, lessons they learned, and any other meaningful moments that occurred.
Teachers may also want to ask students to reflect on their writing skills and how they have improved over the course of the year.
The end of school year is a great time for teachers to reflect on their own teaching methods and decide if they should make any changes for next year. The end of year reflection activity can help teachers identify areas where they need improvement so they can start working on them early in the new school year.
3. Create a Time Capsule
Create a time capsule that they will actually use
Students love time capsules, but they don’t always understand why we’re doing them or what they are for. I have found that if you let them create their own time capsules, with their own rules and requirements, it makes them more likely to actually use them and keep them around for years to come.
Have students write letters to themselves about what their school experience was like in fifth grade and why it was important to them (or maybe not so important). You can send these letters home with each student or keep them in your classroom as a keepsake from the year.
Have students write thank-you notes to people who have been influential in their lives (teachers, friends, family members). These can be sent home as well or kept in your classroom as an honor roll type display board (and hopefully encouragement for future years!).
4. Teach the Teacher
The end of the school year is always a busy time for teachers.
And yet, that’s not the only reason why it’s so important to plan fun and engaging activities for your students. Sometimes, you need to plan fun and engaging activities for your students because it’s the end of the year and you want them to remember how much fun they had with you this year! Here are some ideas:
Teach the teacher: If you have a student who is particularly eager to share their knowledge with others, this activity is perfect for them. You can assign them a topic they’re interested in and have them teach the class about it. This could be something they’ve learned in class or something they just want to talk about. If there are multiple students who want to do this activity, split them up into groups and have each group present their topic at different times during class.
Show off your skills: This activity works best for older kids (middle school or high school) but can be adapted for younger ones too. Give each student an opportunity to show off their unique talents by giving them time during class to perform something special (singing, dancing, telling jokes etc). Make sure everyone gets an equal amount of time
5. Yearbook Signing Party
It's the end of year, and I have been thinking about all of the fun things we have done in my classroom this year.
One thing that has always been a favorite is our yearbook signing parties.
I love having the students sign their name in the front of their book. It is a great way for them to remember all of their friends throughout the year! They also get to sign their friends’ books too.
This year, I came up with a new idea for our party: Let’s go back to basics!
I am going to have my students bring something that they can write on with fabric markers. If they don’t have a yearbook, they can bring something else, such as a shirt or pants as long as there are fabric markers.
Conclusion
There are so many fun ways to end your school year on a high note.
By focusing on experiential learning, you can help your students make more meaningful memories of their time in school. After all, the best kind of learning comes from doing!