Are you feeling end-of-the-year burnout? Or maybe you’re looking for practical, engaging lessons that can stand independently at any point during the year. In this post, I share my insights on what to avoid at the end of the school year and how to keep students engaged and motivated until the very last day. Plus, you’ll discover three exciting ideas for stand-alone lessons that will keep students learning and having fun, even if attendance is low. Listen to episode 32 of Growing with Proficiency The Podcast to hear even more.
We all experience burnout and exhaustion during certain periods of the school year and our students feel the same. Recognizing this is the first step in planning accordingly.
3 Things to Avoid at the End of the Year
- Drop your expectations in the classroom, such as rules against cell phone use, no classroom passes, and communicating primarily in the target language.
- Start a new, heavy unit that can be overwhelming and stressful for both students and teachers.
- Say yes to one more thing.
Things to Do at the End of the Year
- Planning fun and short lessons or mini-units that do not require too much time or effort.
- Keep your routines. Hear more about this on episode 11.
- Take time for yourself.
- Survey your students. I’ll share more about this in an upcoming episode about what my students said about my classes.
Now that we have the foundation for a smooth finale, let’s move on to 3 ideas for a stand alone lesson. Why stand alone lessons Because towards the end of the year, attendance is a problem.
3 Stand-Alone Lesson Ideas
Read or create a story with your class.
Listen to episode 17 for more on this.
- Choose any story, such as the story of Cinco de Mayo and the Batalla de Puebla.
- Create your story using Chat GPT, Episode 26.
- Preload vocabulary by using personalized questions or showing students a picture and asking them to write related questions.
- Tell the story, and ask students to illustrate it, create a parallel story, or compare it with someone in their community.
- Use collaboration features to create a Gimkit set.
Independent reading
- Use a choice board or book tasting to allow students to choose their own reading materials.
- Have students share their thoughts on what they’ve read or create a project based on their reading.
Play a game like “guess the movie” or “guess the character” with your students
Episode 27 has more on this.
- This can be a fun and engaging way to review vocabulary or content from the year.
- Use popular movies or TV shows that students may be familiar with.
I hope the insights and stand-alone lesson ideas shared have been helpful for you and your teaching journey.
Links & Resources
My Framework
Growing With CI FB Community
Blog
Growing With Proficiency The Spanish Teacher Academy
Teacher Pay Teachers Store
IG & Twitter: @claudiamelliott
Cinco de Mayo
Dreaming Spanish Channel
Choice Board
Revista Literal
Panorama Cultural
