Grab your End of the Year “School’s (Almost) Out for Summer” FREEBIE for Middle and High School!

The end of the school year. That time of year when I find myself saying things to my high schoolers like, “Please stop writing on each others’ faces with marker.”  Or, “No, you may NOT bring your crossbow into class.  I don’t care if it’s a kiddie set.”  

Need I say more?   

It’s in this (exhausted) spirit that I offer you this end of year freebie, “School’s (Almost) Out for Summer,” a fun variety pack of end-of-year activities for those last days when the finals are finished, the grades are complete, and the kids are climbing the walls. The focus is on fun and reflection–finding meaningful and enjoyable ways for students to reflect upon their learning, appreciate each other in the last days as a class, and grasp how much they’ve grown.

My favorite is “You May Not Know,” a simple activity in which students share what they like about each other, and, in doing so, create keepsakes they may save for a lifetime.   Students (and teacher) sit in a large circle and take out a sheet of paper, writing their names at the  top.  Each sheet is passed to the person on the right who writes the most positive thing he or she can think of about the student listed, making comments as specific and meaningful as possible. The paper is passed again and again until the activity has come full circle, and participants are holding their own sheets once again.  

Then they read.

This is the magical part.  The part that begins with students lost in reading and reverie, speechless, and that ends with smiles, laughs, tears, hugs, and the occasional “are-you-kidding-me?” Students learn ways in which they are appreciated that they may never have known.  They learn of the care, compassion and admiration of their classmates.  They learn the importance of sharing a positive word.  And they feel good about themselves in ways they will remember forever.  

To this day, I have former students tell me they how much they loved that activity, and that they still have their sheets.  I myself have been shocked, amused, and heartbroken over responses I’ve received.  From, “You make me laugh every day,” to “You show me more love than my mom,” to “Nice nails” (if you know me, you understand this last one is the most shocking of them all), each word is precious and memorable.  And, to this day, I keep every single one.

So, if you can maintain your sanity long enough to do so, enjoy these last days with your students.  Treasure them, even.  (OK, stop laughing.)  Above all, relish and rejoice in your well-deserved summer vacation–it’s almost here!

You can download your end of year freebie here. Or,want some more end of year activities to finish the year on a high note? Check out my End of Year Activity Pack for middle and high-schoolers. It’s full of fun, memorable activities that even the most cynical secondary students–the ones who think they are “too cool for school”–embrace and enjoy.