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Year End Independent Activities

Home » Year End Independent Activities
A Spectacular School Year Booklet

Year End Independent Activities

End of the school year activities need to be fun, SIMPLE, and easy to implement. Let’s face it, anything the kiddos can do independently during this time is a PLUS! This memory book is FANTASTIC for all of those reasons!

FUN!

My kiddos are getting restless. I feel their pain! During these last few weeks of school I try my best to keep them engaged and frankly, entertained, as much as possible. Our assessments have to be completed so early, these last few weeks of the school year-end up feeling much more like babysitting than teaching.

I enjoy spending this more relaxed time with the kiddos – but I also have a whole lot of stuff to get done before the school year is over. It is beyond frustrating that the grading period ends WAY before the school year ends – leaving the final weeks a little chaotic and much like glorified babysitting. Do you have this issue, too?

So, I engage them in work that they can do independently AND cooperatively if they wish. Frankly, they want to talk to each other.

During the last few days of school, I bring out our Spectacular School Year memory book. They love it!

End of the Year Memory Book

SIMPLE

I copy the pages of this little treasure 2-sided. Using colorful paper for the cover makes it even more special. In the end, we have a 16 page book.

The concepts on each page are easy enough for the kiddos to complete on their own. I let the kids talk to each other and share ideas during this time, too. I can monitor them while working on other closing out the school year things. Everyone is happy!

SHARING MEMORIES

Our school is set up with many buildings. In my building we have both 1st and 2nd grade classrooms surrounding a common “pod” area. This makes it easy to get from one class to the next without leaving the building. Because of this, both our 1st and 2nd grade classrooms use this little memory book. The kids are allowed to walk from room to room and visit with one another.

On the signature pages, the kids collect signatures and sweet notes from their friends. We (all 6 of the teachers in our building) open our doors and the kids can come and go as they please. They love this earned sense of super freedom just as much as they love collecting signatures and notes from one another (and the teachers, too!)

A LITTLE PLUS

I always get emotional at the end of the year. It’s hard to see my babies go. I love doing this little “All About My Teacher” activity at the end of the school year because it gives me a lot of insight and helps me reflect on the message I send to my kids. Mostly, though, it simply cracks me up. The things the kiddos say are often hilarious!

Let Me Tell You About My Teacher paper

After the kids have completed this page, I make a copy. I put one into their final report card envelope so it can go into their keepsake box at home. They also put their Spectacular School Year memory book there, too.

There ya have it! An easy, fun finish to the school year! You can grab A Spectacular School Year in my store.

Spectacular School Year - Resources by Traci Clausen

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14 Comments

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  • Camille
    · Reply

    May 21, 2012 at 7:47 AM

    Sigh. I read your blog entry and made a guess as to which state you taught in. Then I checked your profile. Double sigh. I guessed correctly. Triple sigh, plus a shake of my head and a roll of my eyes. You have it worse than me, but not by a whole lot. So many contradictions in our state! Hang in there!
    Camille
    An Open Door

  • Camille
    · Reply

    May 21, 2012 at 7:48 AM

    P.S. Love the end of year activities!
    Camille
    An Open Door

  • Mrs. Christiansen
    · Reply

    May 21, 2012 at 11:32 AM

    Wow! That sounds tough! I teach in a very small district in KS. Our grades are due about a week AFTER school gets out. So, we can "hoe our row to the end" so to speak. Yes, we are an agricultural community, so that saying is something we actually hear from our administration 🙂 Our last day with kids was Friday, I have a work day today, and then we have a flex day to put in sometime before the 27th I think. Grades aren't due until the 27th. Our high school finished up with finals on Friday as well. It can be difficult to teach "up to the end" but it's much easier knowing we are actually taking grades on things. On Friday we had our Jellybean Jamboree (field day) in the morning and a talent show in the afternoon. Lots of fun! Good luck to you the rest of this year!
    Heather

  • FirstGradeBlueSkies (Jennifer)
    · Reply

    May 21, 2012 at 11:45 AM

    Hope everything goes well =)
    Love the pack!
    Jennifer
    First Grade Blue SKies

  • Sheree Peterson
    · Reply

    May 21, 2012 at 12:52 PM

    I feel your pain. My district testing had to be finished 3 weeks before the end. I agree it's just glorified babysitting! We have lots of assemblies, a dance festival, field day, and we do a student appreciation day where we have a read-a-thon, games, treats, and movie for our firsties. They think it's pretty fun that we would appreciate them. Hope you survive!
    Petersons-Pad

  • Kristin
    · Reply

    May 21, 2012 at 1:26 PM

    I hear you loud and clear! (I think I say that every time.)
    Our LA Assessments just finished up on Friday, but our Math window is this week from Monday through Friday. They need our scores by Friday. We get out next Thursday for a half day and the last two and a half days are Field Day, Party, 6th Grade vs Teachers Softball Game, etc. So I just have to get to Friday.
    Loving that yearbook and All About Your Teacher!!!!!!!!
    A Teeny Tiny Teacher

  • Barbara
    · Reply

    May 21, 2012 at 4:56 PM

    Wow that's a very strange decision youre district has made. And why do you have to post standards and objectives around the room? It's not like the kids are reading them. And you can't teach science when they come through? This just seems so bizarre and pointless. I live in Canada and I've never heard of anything like that. I really feel for you!

    Love your end of year stuff. It's very cute. Take care!

    Barbara
    Grade ONEderful
    Ruby Slippers

  • Suzy Q
    · Reply

    May 21, 2012 at 10:38 PM

    You have it bad, Traci! So are you just supposed to teach Math all day so whenever the visitors show up you are *on schedule*?

    We had just the opposite problem…third quarter ended on a Friday. Followed by 10 days of spring break but our report cards were due at 9am the day after we returned!

  • Erin Sample
    · Reply

    May 22, 2012 at 6:30 AM

    We have to have grades in a week before school ends but testing has to be done before that too because our student portfolios, grade level data and goals are all due two weeks before. Ugh! I just went round and round with my principal about standards being posted so I created a focus board for my class. Check it out on my blog. Maybe it's something you can use.
    Erin
    Sample’s Superstars

  • Buggy In Kindergarten
    · Reply

    May 23, 2012 at 3:41 AM

    We only had two days of "babysitting" this year. On Monday we did centers (playdoh, water colors, puzzles, white boards, and computers) I divided the class into 5 groups and sent each group to 1 center. They got to spend 10 minutes at each center and then they rotated to the next center. We also had specials, an award ceremony, and a EOY celebration that day as well. The second day of "babysitting" we watched Ratatoui and played and cleaned. I hope you survive the next few weeks!

  • Just Wild About Teaching
    · Reply

    May 25, 2012 at 2:04 AM

    this unit looks so cute!!

    love your background so cute…im your newest follower..drop by

    Just Wild About Teaching

  • Mrs. Phillips
    · Reply

    June 18, 2012 at 4:46 AM

    Teaching in California gets more difficult and more bizarre every year. The dog and pony show for the powers that be is a huge waste of time and $$. We cannot afford to waste either. Someone HAS to ask the teachers what we need to do to fix the education system and fire the powers that be! Sorry for your babysitting. It's a good thing we love teaching!

    • [email protected]
      · Reply

      June 18, 2012 at 5:11 AM

      YES to everything you said! The wrong people are definitely making decisions and trying to fix what isn't broke while ignoring what is. It's sad, but it seems like we are witnessing the complete destruction of public education in California.

    • lizzie1980
      · Reply

      July 31, 2012 at 10:03 AM

      Wow, how strange!

      I teach in Australia and have not considered the last few weeks as "babysitting" because we usually finish the school year a week before Christmas – so reports go home around the 10th of December. The last 2 weeks are full of end of year celebrations and playing outside. I love it.

      My blog: http://sproutschool.wordpress.com

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Hi! I’m Traci and I’m super glad you’re here. I’m passionate about sharing all the *wisdom* gained over my many years of teaching. I love helping teachers find their joy, develop efficiency and ignite their own teaching strengths. I believe simplicity and fun coupled with effective strategies and engaging and focused lessons are the key to it all. Also… laughter can carry you through just about all things.

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