You’ve made it to the end of the school year! The last month can be tough to get through, and students start checking out mentally. It can be tough to find assignments that a) keep them engaged, b) aren’t too big of projects (because half of them won’t complete it…) and c) aren’t too labor intensive to grade. I’ve compiled a list of some fun projects and activities you and your students might enjoy.
End of school year ideas (that take a day or two)
1. One pagers are a super easy way for students to show what they have learned in a visual way. With a one-pager, students use a mixture of words and images to demonstrate their learning and knowledge of a topic. You can download these FREE one pager templates to help them get started.
2. If the weather is nice where you live, take students outside for a Scavenger hunt. You can hide review questions in plastic eggs, or have them search for science-related things. Examples include: something that is a liquid, find a producer and consumer, find something magnetic, or a material that is an insulator. Get creative!
3. Review for your final exam by playing a review game! You can use almost any game for review, but jenga is great because mini-sets can be found at Dollar Tree.
Create a set of review questions, with both the question and answer on each card (I make them in powerpoint and just print 9 per page). Student A asks Student B a question. If they get it correct, they get to pull a block. If they get it wrong they lose a turn.
My students also really love playing bingo as vocabulary review. You can find print-and-go cards here.
4. Show a movie. Find a G or PG rated movie that aligns with your curriculum and relax for a day or two. You can find a list of great options here.
5. Create a stop motion movie! Have students create a short video using supplies you have laying around your classroom. Here is a Youtube video with some student samples, along with a blog post to help get you started. It’s easier than you think!
End of school year ideas (that will fill a week)
Need to fill a longer period of time? Check out this list of activities that can fill multiple days.
6. Design a board game. Have students create a board game that somehow includes concepts you learned this year. Examples could include going through the carbon cycle or visiting planets within the solar system.
7. Almost every student has a cell phone these days, and it can be tough to keep students off them during class. Try having students get the phones out and create a photo journal for a science concept. For example, if you recently taught ecology have students go outside and take pictures relating to succession, food chains, and habitats. Then they can do a small write-up on what their photos represent. Find the editable project here.
8. Summer is almost here, so have students plan a vacation! Ask students to pick a national park they would like to visit. (If they aren’t sure what their options are, check out Google’s 3D views of national parks they can explore- it’s so cool!) Once they’ve picked a national park, give them a travel budget. Tell them they need to account for travel expenses, food, park entry fees, and souvenirs. What would their trip look like? Have them create a travel itinerary.
9. Want another way to review vocabulary? Have students create an ABC book with science vocabulary from the year. For each letter of the alphabet students will find a vocabulary word, write out the definition, and draw a picture. For example, A = atmosphere, B, = biome, etc. You can find the printable template for free here.
10. Did you teach force and motion? Rube Goldberg projects are always a student favorite. Assign students with a task (such as getting a marble to land in a cup) in a certain number of steps. You can have them complete it in class or have them work on it at home and record a video. It’s a blast!
11. If you live where it’s getting hot in the months of May and June, have students build solar ovens! Materials are easy to come by, and when you add the element of competition students get really into it. Provide a prize for the student whose solar oven gets the hottest.
12. Have students record their own podcast episode! It may sound daunting at first, but remember that students are more tech savvy than we are. Here is a project I had students complete where they had to research and debunk a science myth or misconception.
I hope those help get you through the last week or two of school!
Rock on,
