First off, you're going to have to answer a lot of questions which I know can be difficult for us sometimes.
- Are you going to make a class memory book? (will these need to be comb bound or will these be digital?)
- Will you devote time to making a class memory movie where you upload photos and videos you've taken throughout the year and add in songs?
- Will you be giving your students a small souvenir/gift from you to take home? [Will you be creating those personalized name water bottles that appear all over Pinterest, or are you stuffing a party favor bag with personal items (clip from the clip chart, stick from the pull jar, photo, etc.) and maybe something inexpensive like an Otter Pop or bubbles.]
Also, don't feel OBLIGATED to give anything. You've already given them A YEAR'S WORTH of LOVE, LEARNING and, not to mention, the BEST instructional powers you had each school day! Don't compare yourself to what your colleagues may be doing or what's trending on social media at the time. Give what YOU feel comfortable giving, and what's REALISTIC for you to accomplish given your personal commitments which are often busy with barbeques, Cinco de Mayo parties, Mother's Day celebrations, graduations, and #REPORTCARDS!!!
Personally, I feel that the biggest thing your students will take away are THE MEMORIES they forged while with you in your classroom. So, I focus my attention on making an impactful class movie, complete with quotes, fun songs we've enjoyed during the year, and videos of some of our special days. Then, we create new memories with our Class Talent Show and Last Day Science Lab: the beloved Mentos Soda Geyser experiment!
#2 - Get Grades Done First
I can't STRESS this enough! In order to BE READY to hand out student report cards on the last day of school, you have to have your grading done. If you are an upper grade teacher and haven't discovered the trick to saving your time grading yet, get your students to HELP! Obviously they must be trained, "Put your pencils away and hold your grading pen/marker in the sky. If you're caught using pencil to change your original answer, you just earned a ZERO on the assignment." I've found when students self-grade they pay attention more to what the correct answer was and you won't repeat yourself as much - but that's when the cheating becomes tempting for some. If you do a trade & grade approach where the grader writes checked by and their name at the bottom of the page, the temptation to cheat is gone, but sometimes you'll have lazy graders who don't pay as close attention.
To make this in-class grading session even more helpful, make sure you collect the work in alphabetical order (most grading systems are already setup this way). If it's easier just to collect work by table group, then you can have a teacher helper sort the papers into alphabetical order for you before you touch the stack. This will make entering the grades super efficient. My mantra is, the sooner my grades are done, then the sooner I can print out report cards to stuff in the envelopes. This also will RELIEVE a lot of the pressure the last month of school brings!
#3 - Keep Students Engaged with MORE Independent Activities
Take a breath, relax and let go of some of the control that comes along with teacher-directed instruction. Let's be real, end of year checkout requires a lot of gathering - signatures, files backed up, materials accounted for, etc. Nobody has time to get everything done during your teacher prep time alone. This is why it's important to get your students working on activities that are meaningful, yet simple enough for them to be successful completing it alone. Don't just have ONE activity in mind, I always write a prioritized list of 3 activities for them to complete within a certain time before I will address them whole group again.
So you might be thinking, how do you prevent your students from avoiding the assignment or rushing to finish the activity? Be straight-up when you give the directions.
- Set Clear Expectations - tell your class that you expect QUALITY WORK. Review what these are so there's no confusion. If it involves coloring - review what you will & will not allow. Also, have students share out how to make sure their writing can still be CLEARLY read by making smart illustrating choices.
- Make Them Motivated - require the completion of the assignment in order for the student to participate in X, Y or Z. For example, I'd often remind, "If this isn't completed or done to the best of your abilities by the time we leave for Wednesday's special, then you won't be able to participate in our Mentos Soda experiment on the last day."
- Encourage Students to Self Problem Solve - if your class thought you were just kidding about not being available to ask for help during the activity, then they will test you. Make it clear that you're not available. "Sorry, I can't help you on drawing a picture of that - this is YOUR work, try YOUR best!" or "Who else might be able to help you with that?" or "What resource could YOU use to help you with spelling that?" The trick is not to give in, once they see you give in to another classmate's request for help, they'll never leave you alone to get done what you need to accomplish off your end of year checkout list.
What are some examples of these activities?
It can be as simple as reading independently, or making a Thank You card for a parent volunteer. I often have my students complete a memory page for their classmates to help me with creating my Memory Movie first because that process always takes me a few days. Basically, each student uses a lined sheet of paper and numbers from 0 to however many students are in the class (skipping lines and using both sides). Next to each number, they write a thoughtful memory of what they'll always remember about that person. #0 is saved for their memory of the teacher. All the teacher needs to do is display a numbered class list for students to reference. When they get to their name, the student gets to choose a hashtag they'd like to represent them. A few years back when mustaches were all the rage, the girl who wore a mustache necklace everyday wrote a fitting hashtag for herself #MUSTACHEgirl. Or it could be as simple as #DallasCowboysRULE or #TACOSareAWESOME --- you get the idea!
Since that activity can be completed in about 10-15 minutes, I need students to work on something more substantial like these End of Year Student Advice Brochures. Since the work and effort involved is far greater, it usually takes us a couple of days to complete these. Start off by telling them the WHY behind this activity. Kids trust other kids with giving them the truth, and since they are now experts on how to survive this grade level, then who is better to give the new students entering the grade level in the fall this helpful advice? Not to mention, these student advice brochures are great for your new class to read during a CAROUSEL activity on the first day of school. It helps to break the ice because they will find out some of the topics they get to learn about this school year and discover some fun facts about their new teacher! To make planning this activity easier, check out my time-saving resource by clicking any of the images below.
#4 - Schoolwide Enrichment Days
After the high-stakes testing window has come and gone, the students can develop a slight dose of senioritis. Luckily, at my school, we hold an End of Year "SCHOOL NAME College" where students get to sign up for "fun" elective type classes to keep them going during the last few days! It is something they always look forward to, even though it only lasts 3 days. Some examples of classes offered are Kahoot Trivia Challenge, Coding, Intro to Lacrosse, Random Acts of Kindness and DIY Dog Toys. I've taught Lyrical (singing & dancing along to school appropriate lyrics) and Spanish. I really loved it because it allows us to stray away from the academic standards, and just focus on FUN and share our personal interests with the school! Although I taught Spanish basics like the alphabet and common phrases, we also made cultural crafts like a Flamenco fan and Mexican tissue paper flowers. Everyone puts their own spin on it, and it just makes school a happy place to be during the last week (if only it was a cure for ALL the meltdowns!)
#5 - Get Your Room Clean While Your Students Can Help You!
Once you've graded everything, you're going to have tests & other important papers to send home. Get those sent home with students as soon as possible. The only things that you want to pack into the report card envelope is the student's actual report card, and maybe a printout of their End of Year DIBELS benchmark scores or similar progress measures.
Four days before the last day of school, I have students start cleaning out their desks and take home all non-essential supplies. This also helps to get rid of the extra clutter your students like to bring in - you know those poof balls & squishy stress relief critters?
After most of your students stuff has been cleared out, it's time to focus on organizing the classroom. Think about what projects you have wanted to organize but didn't quite get to this school year. Enlist your student helpers to help you out. Basically, all students LOVE to help you with whatever the task may be. I've had the whole class working on specific projects simultaneously and it was such a TIMESAVER. Using the Magic Eraser to scrub the student whiteboards, sorting through the class set of Crayola markers & tossing any with faded ink, labeling my class set of clipboards, stamping new class library books, organizing & cleaning math centers. Bust out those Clorox wipes and clean away all the dust! Although it will turn into a temporary tornado during the productivity phase, once everything gets done you will have SO MUCH checked off your list and your room will look spic and span!
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