May and June in middle school…although wonderful for many reasons (great weather, summer’s coming, etc.), they can be tough for teachers. With some planning, it can not only be doable, but fun and meaningful as well.
First, there are a lot of important holidays in a short period. If you are a social studies teacher, you will want to address:
If you are a language arts teacher, you may want to address:
You might also want some of your end of the year activities to be cumulative games. Jeopardy-style games not only engage students and promote teamwork and healthy competition but bonus…there’s no grading. They are a little tricky to make but very doable.
Lastly, it is important to end the year with a good closure. The last two years certainly have not been instrumental in doing this, so I plan on making this year count. Digital memory books are fun, meaningful, and they are super easy.
When student devices are collected and you can’t rely on computer-based activities, you will need some printable projects to get through those last days, but again, in a meaningful way.
One thing that I would highly recommend is keeping a good routine. One way to do this is to always have a “bell ringer” (AKA a “do now” or “anticipatory set”) so that the tone of the class period will be established from the moment kids walk in. Try these bell ringers to get class started:
Finally, whatever you choose to do, make a plan. This can be as easy as creating a Word doc with the dates, any special events, and what you will do that day both in class and planning/grading-wise. I have a free resource for this; check it out here!
If you are feeling burnt out, you can check out my store; there are plenty of products for May and June to help you manage this busy time of year.
Best of luck to all of you! Let the countdown begin!
Linda A. – “All in One Middle School”
Join the All in One Middle School Membership!
Full list of end-of-year products
One-on-One Coaching for Observations and Lessons
Teaching Writing Workshop Course
Click here to join the Middle School Language Arts Facebook Group
Learn how to create a social studies lesson plan that engages middle school students through…
If you’ve ever spent an entire Sunday planning lessons only to feel behind again by…
If you've ever spent an entire Sunday planning lessons only to feel behind again by…
For many students, Shakespeare feels impossible before they even open the book. The unfamiliar vocabulary,…
The end of the school year is a unique mix of excitement, exhaustion, and unpredictability—especially…
May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, making it the perfect time to introduce…
View Comments
This is the right webpage for anyone who hopes to understand this topic. You realize so much its almost tough to argue with you (not that I actually will need toÖHaHa). You certainly put a brand new spin on a subject that has been discussed for many years. Excellent stuff, just wonderful!
Great information. Lucky me I ran across your website
by chance (stumbleupon). I have saved it for later!