Keeping Students Motivated at the End of the Year

Keeping Students Motivated at the End of the Year

It's hard to believe that we are heading into our final month of the school year. As a write to you, my students are finishing up our last week of state testing. There is an atmosphere of excitement in my classroom as we celebrate completing state assessments. Students have been working hard for the past three weeks showing what they have been learning all year long. As we head into the next few weeks, it's easy for students to feel like the school year is over. While students (and maybe teachers too) may have a countdown to summer, the truth is that there is still a lot of learning to be had for the next few weeks. So how do keep students engaged after state assessments are over? Here are a few tips to help the remainder of the school year go smoothly.

"Learn from yesterday. Live for today. Hope for tomorrow." - Albert Einstein

Keep Routines

It’s important to keep routines  and schedules the same to encourage positive behavior in the classroom.  We will continue to keep our schedule the same until the end of the school year.  This will help to keep behavior problems to a minimum and also help students know what is expected of them.  

Kinesthetic Learning

Students in my classroom have been sitting quietly for three weeks during assessments.  Now is a great time to try out a few new Kagan strategies to get students moving as they learn. Try quiz, quiz trade to review math and grammar rules.  You can also use this strategy to learn new material too.  We are currently studying the gold rush in my classroom.  Students are using this strategy to learn new vocabulary used during this time in California history.

Project Based Learning

A while back, I wrote about the GATE Gala that takes place at my school every year.  This event will be happening next week and we couldn't be more excited to share what we have learned so far.  Students are currently working on presentations about the countries they are researching, models of famous landmarks, creating board games with country facts, and more.  

In addition to this event, I have a few more activities to keep students motivated.  For example, in math we will be working on creating a map of a gold rush town that includes area and perimeter. 

Technology

While we use technology throughout the school year. Now is a great time to introduce students to new technology. Green screen, stop motion, slideshows, and coding are great ways to have students showcase what they have learned this year.

"How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard." -A.A. Milne

Whatever you have planned for the remainder of the school year, I hope that you keep in mind how much of an impact you have had in your classroom this year. For me this is such a bittersweet time of the year. My heart overflows with pride and joy as I see how much my students have learned. We have become a family. Now I have to prepare myself and them for the next school year. It will be difficult to see them move on to the next grade, but I am excited to see them develop as learners.

Learning and Teaching with Grace,

Alina