End of the Year Activities and Lesson Plans
The End of the Year seasonal pages will provide you with great resources to help wrap up your school year in style. Ideas within this section include: poems, projects, craft ideas, lesson plans, writing activities, and Internet resources.
Your creativity can help other teachers.
Submit your End of the Year activity today.
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End of the Year Activities and Games
This indicates resources located on The Teacher's Corner.
- Balderdash Game
A fun and educational game to end the school year with.
Submitted by: Terry Grillo - West Brook High School - Dear Me Poetry Activity
A teacher-created poem inspired by Shel Silverstein.
Submitted by: Daphne Rice - Portland Oregon - Positive Words
I have my students fill out a Positive words sheet on everyone in the class. They only have to fill in a couple of words for each student but they really seem to enjoy giving each other a lift. I have them fill-in the blanks, then I take the papers and create one paper for each student with the words that were said. When I had them out the smiles are great to see. It can be adjusted to any grade. Another thing that I have done is have them fill out a sheet on me to help me learn from them how to be the best teacher. I just make up a quick sheet with questions like; What was your favorite part of this year, What did you like least, etc. It is really interesting what some of my prior students have told me and I have made some changes. .DOC Downloads: Positive Words Directions - Positive Words Paper
Submitted by: Sharon Staudt - Westside Elementary
- Advice from Grads
At the end of the school year I always have my fifth graders write a paragraph offering advice to incoming fifth graders for the next year. When the new school year starts, I read their advice to the new students.
Submitted by: Sylvia Portnoy - Memory Book
An easy way to capture memories from the year. Have the students create a memory book from 3-ring binders and clear sheet protectors, using artifacts from the past year. On the front include a class photo.
Submitted by: J. Rader - Vacation Calendar
Put together fun, easy, and educational activities for students. Give each student a calendar for the months they will be on vacation with simple activities to do each day. For example: Count the stars that are in the sky; Find 20 words from the newspaper that begin with "B" etc.
Submitted by: Anne Martini - End of the Year Word Search
Create your own or use our word list. - End of the Year Word Scramble
Create your own or use our word list. - A class memory!
An easy and creative idea to help students remember their fellow classmates. I give the students an extra large piece of construction paper, and give them a 4x6 patter to trace. Then I have them decorate around it, like a frame. I have a digital camera and I took a picture of the class on a sunny day. I had 25 copies made, one for each of my students. They then placed the picture in the frame and let everyone sign around it!
Submitted by: Denise - Autobiographies Grades Any
Not only will this activity build writing skills, but it will also be a special keepsake. My grade 5 Language Arts students wrote simple autobiographies. They wrote 3-10 sentences for each year of their life. Then I copied and bound them into a "yearbook" with memory pages to give as end of the year keepsakes.
Submitted by: lreed@email-removed - Autograph Book Grades Any
A great book your students will treasure forever. At the end of the year have each child make an autograph book and for an afternoon activity let them pass around their books and get everyone's signatures and notes for a summer keepsake.
Submitted by: Jessica PMTS99@email-removed - Book of Class Records Grades Any
A fun way to help students celebrate themselves and the end of the school year. This is an effective way for each of your students feel that they had been special in the class this past school year. Together, we create a "Stroup's Book of Class Records." We brainstorm something that is unique to each student in the class, such as : Nicest Smile, Fastest Runner, Most Freckles, etc. I create a template with "I, ________, have the most freckles in the class." They then draw a little picture to go along with it. Then, (to make it official...) it says, "On Monday, June 3, 2002, we voted that I had the most freckles this year." I get copies made for each of them and they design their own cover. They always have fun with this!
Submitted by: Sue wadesue_2000@email-removed
- Bulletin Boards
Don't forget to visit our monthly bulletin board page to find more great ideas! - Class Awards Grades Any
Need some creative award for the end of the year? Get creative! Make up some fun and unique awards for your students. Find something unique about each child and recognize them for that unique quality. You can purchase award certificates at your local teacher supply or copy stores. You may also want to create them yourself on a PC. Including a photograph of the child somewhere on the award would be another neat touch. Here some fun websites where you can make your award! Award Maker 1, Award Maker 2
Submitted by: Jennifer teach@email-removed - Class Awards: Part II Grades Any
Here are some ideas for awards that you can use:
Excellence in Science
Your Bright Smile
Most Improved in Reading
Most Improved in Spelling
Being Fun to Be With
Hardest Worker
Best Boy Athlete
Best Girl Athlete
Outstanding Behavior
Being a True Friend
Math Problem SolvingMost Responsible
Wonderful Singing
Happy Attitude
Always Dependable
Always Sharing
Always Polite
Computer Whiz
Great Sportsmanship
Stick-to-it Award
Class Bookworm
Wonderful HandwritingAlways Helpful
Most cooperative in Your Group
Creative Writing
Excellent Artist
Most Improved in Math
Excellent Thinking
Great Participation
Excellence in Math
Excellence in Reading
Excellence in Writing
Excellence in Spelling - Creative Summer Writing Grades Any
This fun activity will get your students thinking and writing creatively. For an end of the year writing activity I filled a picnic basket with various summer items - beach towel, pail, sand molds, mask, swimsuit, apple, shells, juice bottle, toy dolphin, etc. - and had the students pick 10 items to write a story using these items in the story. After I put everything back I asked the students to write as many of the items down as they could remember (20 in all), just for fun! They loved it.
Submitted by: Tracy randycar@email-removed - End-of-the-Year Literacy Scrapbook Grades Any
This is a fun activity that is similar to a portfolio. You need to do some planning and start this early in the year.
One end-of-the-year idea that is similar to a photo scrapbook is to make a "Literary Scrapbook". All of the kids put their favorite writing pieces together in one book. This is especially nice to see writing growth from the beginning of the year to the end. After gathering all of the pieces, have the students decorate a cover, make copies for each student, and then bind their individual copies. You can also laminate the cover for durability. (This may be an idea to save for next year and work on saving pieces throughout the year just for this scrapbook.)
Submitted by: Noreene noreene@email-removed - End-of-the-Year Poem Grades K-2
This is another great idea for a personal touch at the end of the school year.
Submitted by: APool37253@email-removed - End of the Year Raffle
Clean our your classroom! At the end of the school year I have a huge raffle. Each child has a numbered stick which I use to randomly raffle off the many items in our classroom. I try to spread this out over a whole day, gradually building up to the larger items such as our birthday chair, my hand painted stool, my own personal items, and finally, our class art project. This is a great way to clear out the classroom to make way for new things for the next year.
Submitted by: Suzi Furtwangler sfurtwangler@email-removed - Have a Great Summer! Grades Any
A fun letter of things to do that you can send home with your students. - "How To Survive 5TH Grade"
An activity to end one year and prepare for the next. I have my children create an ABC book called, "How To Survive 5TH Grade." They each come up with a word for every letter of the alphabet. We do allow cheating for x, but the kids are good at the other letters. Then they illustrate their books. I save these and have them on the desks for next year's new students.
Submitted by: Cheryle Hodges KQKaine@email-removed
- Ice Cream Cones
Give students a chance to share what they've learned throughout the school year. Trace a triangle for the cone. Students will draw at least 3 scoops and cut out. On each scoop they write something they learned from the school year. Then they glue the scoops attaching them to the cone.
Submitted by: Danielle - The Jolly Postman Grades K-2
A fun way to wrap up the school year and the study of fairy tales. I read The Jolly Postman to my class. I also have read many of the other fairy tales over the school year. Then I have my class write letters to the characters in any of the fairy tales and make an envelop with an appropriate address. Ex: Jack Bean (from Jack and the Beanstalk) 7 Lima Bean Rd. Beansville, NY 90783
Submitted by: Flashete@email-removed - Last-Day Water Stations Grades Any
Help your kids cool off and have a little fun in the process. The last week of school was into the 90 degree days this year and at the spur of the moment, we decided to have a Water Fun day. All the kids in our school (about 400) wore/brought their swimsuits and towels to school and we went outside for 2 hours in the morning and 1 1/2 in the afternoon to take part in about 15 different "water" stations. (similar to our field day activities). Stations included beach volleyball, basketball hoop in a baby swim pool, obstacle course (through a sprinkler, over hurdles, through tires, etc.), sprinkler limbo or jump rope (using those hoses with holes in them), filling buckets with frisbees from a kiddie pool, water balloon activities including several relays, tug-of-war and to top it off, the village fire truck was there all day to spray anyone and everyone. We finished activities in time to dry off or change clothes so that no one went home on the bus wet. It was a great cool off and quite a nice change for the last week of school.
Submitted by: john.coomer@email-removed - Puzzle Fun Grades Any
Personalize your end-of-the-year puzzles. For the last day of school I make a word search with everyone's first name. Use our Word Search Maker! An additional tip: Use the "Fun Options" to scramble their names before they can find them - it is super simple and quick to make a fantastic word search!
Submitted by: buck66@email-removed - Summer Writing Grades 2+
Help you and your students keep in touch. Over the summer I have my class list with addresses of all my students, and also send the list home so we can all write over the summer. This works well by email as well. You can use our Writing Prompts for inspiration!
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