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You're tired, and you're eager to get through the last few days, but you feel guilty about showing videos or letting the kids play games. Education World offers five more end-of-year activities that will engage students, and maybe even include some new learning.

So guilt has gotten the best of you. Or the principal or district administration has dictated that learning must go on to the very last day of school. Either way, you're looking for the perfect idea for an end-of-year lesson that will assuage your guilt and meet the boss's expectations…

For starters, how about copying this poem on chart paper? Or write it on a bulletin board for all to see.

More End-of-Year Lessons Have you seen these Education World resources? Making the Most of the Dreaded End-of-School Days Wind Up Learning as the Year Winds Down: Activities for the Last Days of School

I'm Glad I Was Your Teacher

I'm glad I was your teacher,
I've come to like you so.
I can't believe the end is here.
I hate to see you go.

Remember all the fun we had
In all the things we did.
But most of all remember...
You're a very special kid!

 Why not turn the poem into a handwriting lesson? Have students copy the poem in their very best handwriting. Let them know that if they do that, you'll add a very special end-of-year note to their papers. Then do as you promised and write those special notes.

Stuck for good things to say? If you don't want all your comments to sound alike, you might check out Teacher Comment Ideas for a list of 299 positive teacher comments!

This week, Education World offers five more end-of-year lesson ideas. If you don't see something here that works for you, be sure to look at our previous end-of-year idea articles. [See the sidebar.]

FIVE LESSONS FOR
END-OF-YEAR FUN & LEARNING

This week, Education World provides five lessons for end-of-year learning and fun. Click on each of the five lesson headlines below for a complete teaching resource. (Appropriate grade levels for each lesson appear in parentheses.)

Team Problem-Solving Fun
Students work cooperatively to solve a variety of puzzling activities. (Grades 3-12)

Create a Book on Tape
Record favorite books on tape for young students, visually impaired seniors… (Grades 3-12)

Teacher Report Card
Students create a "teacher report card." Then they grade the teacher. (Grades 3-12)

End-of-Year Auction
"Cleaning house" in your classroom? Do some math too -- hold a classroom auction! (Grades 3-12)

Decades
Teams of students present dramatizations, information about a decade of the 20th Century. (Grades 3-12)

Article by Gary Hopkins
Education World®
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