Creative End of the Year Wrap-Ups!

Closing in on the end of the school year presents teachers with the opportunity to build memorable activities that help students pull everything together. Here are some fun, creative ideas that could be used in a variety of content areas and grade levels.​

Thematic Murals
I recently encountered this idea Twitter and absolutely loved it. Divide students into groups and have them design murals about different units of study. Murals could include images, quotes, descriptions, flow charts, and graphic organizers about the unit topic. When the murals are complete have students hang them on the wall and enjoy a gallery walk review of the entire year's content from a student perspective. Better yet, invite younger grade levels in to allow an opportunity for them to preview what's in store for the following year.

Movie Trailers as Review
Watching my daughter, a second grader, make movie trailers on her school iPad using iMovie sparked this idea for me - Movie Trailers as Review. Have students make a movie trailer about a unit for next year's students. Students can be divided into teams and then can make a short movie trailer highlighting the unit. These can then be shared with the class as a fun reminder of everything they learned about. Letting kids know that you will use them the following school year to introduce a unit gives them a real purpose and a real audience.

Think, Build, Tweet
This is one of my BubbleUp favorites. Students are divided into groups and given a unit of study. They then have to pick out a concept or event from that unit and build a LEGO representation of it. Next, they write a tweet about what they have built. Students then walk around the room, visiting the LEGO sculptures, and try to take their best guess as to what is being depicted. When everyone has traveled to each sculpture, the artists explain what they created and why. Have a classroom Twitter feed? Post student tweets and pictures of LEGO creations!
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If you would like to explore more end of the year activities and ideas, Gretchen has gathered additional resources together below. It's a busy time of year for students and teachers alike. Our goal is to help make this time a little easier on you and a lot more creative and fun for them.

Until next time,
Corey

Resources for Additional Ideas

• 3 End-of-Year Reflection Strategies for Students (Edutopia)
• Wrapping Up the School Year: 5 Reflective End-of-Year Activities (by Lily Jones for TeachingChannel)
• Top 12 Effective End of the Year Activities (by Kim Haines for TeachHub)
• End of Year Learning Can Be Meaningful and Fun (by Elyse Scott for MiddleWeb)
• 20 End of Year Reflection Questions (Minds in Bloom)​
• Pinterest: Classroom-End of Year Activities (Ashley Ann)

What are your plans for end-of-year learning activities? We'd love to hear from you!

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• A Picture Really Can Say a Thousand Words... (April 22, 2016)