The Happy Learning Den: It's More than Survival Mode

With the school year winding down how do you keep students engaged during the last weeks? What strategies do you use to ensure behavior doesn't spiral out of control? Is it all about "survival mode?" I keep seeing memes posted all over social media about surviving the last few months/ weeks/ days.... I'm guilty of sharing a few myself. But survival mode isn't a healthy way to teach. Your students still need your guidance and follow through with your rules and consequences that you established the first week of school.

It's a challenge, but the most important piece of advice that I can offer is to keep your students engaged every single day.

1. Keep your students working! Have your students review their work. If your students have been keeping their work in classroom folders or journals all year, give them some time to reflect on their educational journey. Let them read, revise, and share their favorite assignments.

2. Allow students a day to show what they know. I have been doing this activity for over 10 years, and it works in every single grade level. Give your students an opportunity to teach the rest of the class (and you!) something. I have had students demonstrate origami, how to draw, even a favorite dance. It's one of my favorite end of school year activities that I do every single year.

3. Helpers! You have a lot to do. If only you had around 20 energetic people to help you. Sigh... Oh wait! You do!!! Students LOVE helping their teacher at the end of the year. I tell my students that I am looking for helpers ahead of time, and how I will choose specific helpers. I tell students that everyone who wants to help, will have an opportunity to help IF they follow the rules. Students who don't follow the rules are not allowed to help. It works every time. Older students can clean desks, pack your library, organize an area in your closet... younger students can do things like sort crayons and sharpen pencils for the next year.

4. Advice from Grads. Have students write a letter or a brochure to incoming students for the next year. The first day of school next year, you can give your new students the letters/brochures.

5. Breaks! Be sure to give students enough movement breaks throughout the day. When children, and many adults, sit for too long it becomes difficult to concentrate. This doesn't necessarily mean extra recess.

Play, Heads Up, Seven Up for 10 minutes. Depending on how quickly your students move through the room, and play each round... you may be able to play 3 or more times before sitting back down and refocusing.
Play 4 Corners
Play "Simon Says"
Have students march in place as they count by 2, 5, or 10, recite the ABC’s, say the multiplication tables, etc. What you have your students recite will obviously depend on their age.

Good luck to you as you are winding down the school year. I would love to have a conversation with you. Please share in the comments below if you tried anything your read in this post, and how it worked for you.

The best is yet to come,

Sandra @The Happy Learning Den