Wrapping Up Distance Learning with a Bang

Hey, teacher friends! I don’t know about you but I am feeling a little ready for the school year to be over: I love my kiddos but distance learning is kicking my butt. I am so ready for summer break to rest and recharge! However, I do want my kids to have the best end -of- year virtual experiences so I wanted to provide you with some ideas for wrapping up distance learning with a bang. Disclaimer, the ideas I share may not be the perfect fit for you and your virtual classroom.

Fun Curriculum Related Activities

Math Activities

I have two digital activities that I love doing with my students to review sixth-grade math content. The first, Summer Break QR Code Activity, is the perfect way to engage students with learning and technology as they work through problems and tasks to save summer break. Click here to access it. The second, 6th Grade Math Digital Escape Room Bundle (Volumes 1 and 2), is the perfect engaging activity to wrap up the end of the year. All you have to do is share the link and the students do the rest! Students will use Google Forms and “escape rooms” in Google Slides to answer math problems in order to unlock the code and move onto the next room. No prep is necessary on your part! Click here to access it.

ELA Activity

A fun way to end the year is with a functional (how-to) project, where students showcase their talents and/or knowledge base about a particular skill. As a final project, students created a Flipgrid video walking through and demonstrating the steps for their how-to presentation. Students were then asked to comment on at least 3 classmates’ videos. Click here to access all of the FREE resources.

Not Subject Specific Activity

The Alphabet Book Project is a fun and engaging activity for the last week of school and is not subject-specific! It is also a terrific form of review for the year and a great last assessment. Students are assigned a letter of the alphabet and are responsible for illustrating and defining a concept/idea that starts with that letter and pertains to the subject area. I now have a digital copy included. Click here to access this FREE resource.

Field Day and Field Trips

Field day is an event that students look forward to all year! It can still be done virtually! Physical education teachers can create a video of activities students can do at home with minimal equipment. Students can be encouraged to take a video of themselves and submit! Click here to see a sample virtual field day video that I found on YouTube.

Field trips are another event that students look forward to all year. If you had a field trip canceled, consider doing a virtual one. Click here for a list of 25+ virtual field trips.

Talent Show

Consider hosting a virtual talent show! Students can submit videos of themselves performing and you could create and upload a video to YouTube that can be shared with the school. You could also host a virtual talent show using Flipgrid. Click here to access a YouTube video that walks you through using Flipgrid to host a virtual talent show.

Award Ceremony

My team and I like to host an award ceremony twice during the school year (after each semester) to recognize students that portray social-emotional learning themes as well as academic excellence. The awards are available in print and digital. You could host an awards ceremony virtually via Google Meet or Zoom, or simply have students/teachers vote and send via snail mail or electronically. You can personalize the awards by inserting your own Bitmojis. Click here to access it.

Notes/Gifts

The End of Year Notes for Students are designed to celebrate the end of the school year and remind students you are thinking of them, especially during summer break. Attach a small gift (sunglasses, water bottle, sweet treat, etc.) and you have a simple end of the year gift to deliver to your students via snail mail or in person! These notes can be used to build a strong rapport with students and strengthen your relationships and classroom community. There are two versions available: click here for the summer clip art version or click here for the personalized version (insert your own Bitmojis).

Digital Scrapbook/ Memory Book

@smartpugteaching has a fabulous and FREE digital scrapbook template. Students can answer fun questions, make note of trends and things going on in the world and their lives at this time, and answer content-based questions. This is the perfect way to wrap up distance learning! Click here to access it.

Virtual Count Down

@teachcreatemotivate recently shared a FREE digital balloon countdown with activities for the last ten days of school. You have to subscribe to her blog in order to access this resource.

Video Message

I would like to wrap up the school year with a video message to my students. I haven’t quite ironed out the details since I am not done school until June 23, but I envision the message going a little something like this: “As much as I miss our home sweet classroom we created together, I have realized that four walls do not define us as teachers, students, and learners. We have accomplished so much more than I could have ever imagined virtually. You have proven that we do not need a physical classroom space to think, to learn, and to grow. Every time you logged into Canvas, messaged me with questions or submitted an assignment, you made a conscious decision to learn and to grow together. You have worked so hard, persevering through the stresses and uncertainly of a global pandemic and the frustrations of distance learning and you have done so with grace, patience, and maturity beyond your years. I could not be prouder of you. I am so honored to call myself your teacher. I look forward to teaching some of you again in seventh-grade. Remember, once my students, always my students. Love, Ms. Knouse.”

Concluding Thoughts

I know none of us wanted the school year to end via virtual learning. We miss our students. We miss our classrooms. We miss the interactions, high fives, and hugs. We wanted to say goodbye. But, we can still make the end of the year a memorable experience for our students; it will just look a little different. Just remember, you are doing an amazing job with your students and they will remember just how much you cared about them during this scary and confusing time. I would love to hear your ideas for the end of the year. Comment below!