20 Creative Ways to Encourage Good Behavior at the End of the Year

Advice from Real Teachers Series

Do you dread the last few weeks of school because your students are full of energy and unable to focus? Administrators might say to stick to your routines and keep your kids busy with regular assignments, but that didn't work for me. Making my students do seatwork at the end of the year was like putting a lid on a pressure cooker, turning up the heat, and wondering when it was going to blow sky high!

For me, it was far more effective to do something different at the end of the year, something meaningful but exciting enough to keep my kids interested and on task. I described 12 of my favorite ideas in an article called, A Dozen Fun Ways to Wrap Up the School Year. But before you head over to that page, take a look at the awesome responses below to a teacher question that was posted on my Teaching Resources Facebook page on this very topic.

Featured Teacher Question
Last week Michelle asked, “I'd love to hear creative approaches to what other teachers are doing to keep negative behaviors at bay in the last 20 days of school. I'm a second grade teacher, and my kiddos are convinced it's already summer break! We still have standardized tests and many other things to accomplish this year and I'd like to get through it all without constantly feeling like I'm threatening to remove privileges. Ideas?”

Top 20 Creative Ways to Encourage Good Behavior

There were so many terrific ideas that I decided to compile them into a new article in my Advice from Real Teachers Series. Here are 20 of the most creative suggestions; if would like to read them all, click over to my Facebook page where you'll find them. The first idea on the list was by far the most popular, so I listed it at the top. The rest of the suggestions are not in any particular order.

1. Heather Collingwood - Have you tried the idea of a Secret Agent? You make secret agent cards for each of the students' names, select one at the beginning of the lesson/day and out it in the secret agent envelope. At the end of the lesson/day, if the child has behaved/had a good lesson/day, the whole class is rewarded (with a raffle ticket in their prize box, with a 2 minute game at the end of the day or whatever reward you choose). The secret agent is never revealed whether they win the reward or not so there is never any negativity towards them. All children will want to behave because it may just be their name that is in the envelope. It then becomes the collective responsibility of the class to ensure they get their reward. This way, you are not taking anything away from the class if a certain person doesn't behave appropriately. They only have something to gain and no one can be blamed if the reward isn't received.
2. Joan Wilson - We are doing a living biography project. After reading & researching, they have to cut out a head/arm holes in a poster board and decorate it to look like their person. Then they will "talk" as that person all about their life & accomplishments. It always keeps them engaged and on task in a fun and creative way!
3. Joline Keeler - I like to use centers that are hands-on and engaging for math and science. I also bring back some of their favorite games and activities from throughout the year. For language arts, I have the kids work on reader's theater plays.
4. Linda Young - I'm having mine make maps of their choice- showing longitude, latitude, and scale. I've also had them do a mini research project using online resources, a book source, and an interview for added information. They are making visuals of their material to share at the end of the week. We are just finishing our whole class novel study of Charlotte's Web (with comprehension questions too). I've also introduced more STEM activities since the state testing finally ended. I've found it best to keep them busy!
5. Joy Jefferies - We do a pickle party every two weeks for the last six weeks. If the class earns enough behavior points by the Friday of week two they get pickles and an hour of game time for prizes. A good time to rid my room of extra pens, pencils, anything I don't plan to keep for the next year.
6. Lisa Marie - I'm using a lot of games built around what we are working on. Scoot, Team Question answering, trivia contests for vocalizing open response questions and deeper thinking, knowledge bowl type games, "spelling bee" games for any info....
7. Ally Alexsonshk - Writing a letter to the next class or reflecting on memories is always a fun thing to do. Create instructions for the next class to create a time capsule or take some time to focus on their interests.....if you don't have much curriculum to finish ask then what they're doing over the Summer, maybe they're traveling so show the class the area they are going to or maybe they're going to visit a museum do some research on it look at the website.
8. Pe Howell - We are doing an ABC countdown calendar, and last year it was great! Each day, here was a little activity to look forward to, and it helps get through the DRA testing, fact fluency assessment, end-of-year math assessment, and all of the other assessments that are done at the end of the school year. I am even looking foward to it because it starts this Thursday, with stuffed "animal" day! I'm going to have my class make trading cards, and I'm going to take pictures of each student in my class with their stuffed animal.  This activity is a wonderful way to start the countdown to the last 26 days of school.
9. Katie Eskridge - We make a book hall of fame- they write up reports on the best novel they read this year and give them an award. I save them and it's my first bulletin board for next years fifth graders. Kid made recommendations!
10. Karen  Martz - Maybe some collaborative learning projects which can be used as a culminating activity opposed to traditional assessments outside of standardized testing. Also, instead of threatening, do what you say will happen. After a few times some will understand privileges are earned, not given. They will also help to remind others who aren't willing to grasp that concept to catch on much quicker.
11. Adajean Rothberg - We have 3 days left.  I pulled out the money unit, not common core but needed for the last 2 weeks and they've been earning money for everything.  They are really enjoying it and behaving since this best behaved and hard-working get more money.  As I'm packing up the room, the things I would usually send home I've been pricing and we're having a "yard sale"  It's working wonders for.my kids.
12. Yvette Shadrick - Gonoodle.com!! It helps them release energy and calm down!  Have them earn points with Class Dojo for a prize instead of taking things always! Have them create new class rules now that they are "older and wiser" they will come Up with some great ones...no more than five! Catch them being good! Give them attention when: on task, being respectful, being kind, participating etc.
13. Dawn-Marie Jackson - I've been doing a science experiment each day if they keep the behavior on track. We never had time all year for experiments so I'm throwing them in now. I also do a tally reward. Every time I hear another teacher compliment my students or class or if they are exceptionally on task, I put a tally on the board. At 10 tallies they earn a tally party. I give them a choice between 3-4 things: Popsicles, eat in the classroom, bring a board game to school, etc. They love it!
14. Angela Lawler - Try to out-energize them! Or do some of those awesome Science demos you've been wanting to do - clouds with water, shaving cream, and food coloring, or make OOBLECK with cornstarch and water, read the Dr. Seuss book and then debate if oobleck is a solid or liquid, eat some fractions (Skittles, M&Ms, graham crackers and icing, ...).
15. Sandy Kalson - Promise fun rewards instead. They will monitor each other. Let them offer suggestions for one a week. Write each one on a piece of paper and draw one at random or let them vote each week.
16. Sara Quinn - Bubbles! Get each kid a small bottle of bubbles and put their names on them. The bubbles sit on their desks and you take them away as needed. At the end of the day those with bubbles left get to blow them outside while the others sit and watch. Refill bottles as needed. All bubble bottles are returned each morning.  Good luck!
17. Colleen Beecher - Give them a "Free Recess", but they have to earn it. Tell them they will have an extra recess at the end of the day. Write FREE RECESS on the board. Every time they act up, erase a letter. Be very strict about it. If there are still letters on the board, they earned it! I usually am very strict about erasing, but when they are on target and working hard, I will usually add a letter back. Just make sure you don't give them the recess if they don't earn it!
18. Jennifer Neuhof - Revamp your incentives. Change seats. Alter routines to make the 'same boring thing' seem fresh. Stay a step ahead of them. Know when to cut a lesson short. Create lessons to incorporate movement and finally include many wiggle breaks into your day.
19. Millie Ervin - Don't let the tail wag the dog. Think 'camp director' and make sure you fill up their agenda with interesting activities each day. I used to be able to find a bubble gum contest kit at store. So much fun!!  So many other fun things to do!! Now's your chance!!
20. Kelly Raney - At the beginning of each day, give each child 3 tickets. Have them write their name/number on the back. As the day progresses, those students who do not make good choices, lose a ticket. At the end of the day, collect all the tickets, put them in a container, and draw for small treats, prizes or special privileges. The next day, everyone starts with 3 new tickets. Works like a charm!

Do you have any of your own end-of-the-year activities to share? If so, please post them in a comment below. If you would like to submit a teacher question of your own, be sure to watch for the Question Connection announcement every Wednesday at 8:30 pm EST on the Teaching Resources Facebook page. Even if you don't have a question, please follow me on Facebook and offer your advice when you see the questions come through! Working together, we can accomplish more!

End of the Year Fun!

The end of the school year can be a grueling time when you fight your students every step of the way, or it can be a fun time when you create special memories together. The traditional advice is to keep following your regular routines, but I always found myself to be fighting a losing battle when I did that. My only hope was to engage them in activities that were a little different from the norm and make the last few days enjoyable for us all.

Last year on Teaching Resources, I outlined a dozen ways to keep kids active and engaged at the end of the year. Here they are in no particular order:  

• Learning Centers
• Cooperative Learning
• Classroom Book Clubs
• Welcome and Advice Letters
• Class Scrapbooks
• Class Newsletters
• Fun Friday
• Scrabble Tournaments
• Outside Learning
• Team Challenges
• Ed Tech and Online Learning Games
• Multimedia Projects

For more details about how to implement these strategies, read the full article, "Easy and Fun Activities to Wrap Up the School Year."

End of the Year Classroom Management Strategy
It goes without saying that if you plan to have your students do special activities at the end of the year, you need a great classroom management system in place. It's important to have a back-up plan, too. I highly recommend the Erase-a-Letter Strategy. In a nutshell, you write the word STOP on the board and cross off a letter each time you have to warn the class about their behavior. When they run out of letters, you stop the activity and switch to a back-up plan. You can read a full description of the Erase-a-Letter Strategy on Teaching Resources.

If you aren't out of school yet, I hope you find something here to make your last days less grueling and more fun. For those of you lucky enough to be out already, just pin this blog post to your End of the Year board on Pinterest to save it for next year!

How to Create a Classroom Yearbook

One of my very favorite projects at the end of the school year was to have my students create a classroom yearbook, which was essentially a giant scrapbook. The project was easy and fun, and my kids really enjoyed looking through all of the scrapbooks from years past. Each student created one page in the scrapbook, and we had a design contest for the front cover of the book. In addition, each scrapbook contained about 10 pages of collages of pictures I had taken throughout the year.

I have a whole box of class scrapbooks like the one shown on the right, and I love taking them out and remembering the students I taught years ago. Each student wrote me a special letter that was glued on the back of his or her page, and it's a joy to reread them!

If you haven't done this project with your students before, give it a try! I think you'll find it to be a great way to wrap up the year. Here are my step-by-step directions and tips for guiding your students through this project. You can download the basic directions from my Teaching Resources website along with the Letter to My Teacher template.

Materials Needed:

• 12” x 12” heavy white drawing paper or scrapbook paper
• an assortment of colorful and/or patterned scrapbook paper
• lined paper or "Letter to My Teacher" template
• rubber cement or scrapbook adhesive
• photos of students and class activities
• markers, crayons, and colored pencils
• scissors (scrapbook scissors are fun!)

Suggested Procedure:

1. If possible, show students an example of a family scrapbook. Point out details about the arrangement of pictures and elements on the page. If you have scrapbooks from previous years, let students look at those to see examples of how the pages look.
2. Tell students they will be designing their own scrapbook page, front and back. The front will include their name in fancy letters and a photo of themselves. On the back they will write a letter to you telling you their feelings about the school year. 
3. Give each student piece of scrapbook paper on which to create their page. You may also want to give them a practice page to test out lettering methods, scissors, colors, etc. 
4. Allow students to choose one or two piece of scrapbook paper for creating borders and other elements. They should only need 1/2 sheet of each. 
5. Help students cut their borders, photos, and other elements as needed. Make sure they have their first name in large letters somewhere on the page along with a photograph. The example shown above is the one my daughter Wendy did the year she was in my class. I love how she cut out her picture and put herself on the back of a horse! 
6. Ask students not to glue anything down until they have cut out all elements and arranged them on the page. Remind them to leave about an inch margin on the left side that's free of words and images to allow for binding. You may want to do the gluing yourself to be sure everything is in place properly.
7. Have students write their letters to you on lined paper or on one of the pages of the Letter to My Teacher template. There are several variations with different line spacing and in different sizes. Allow students to choose partners who can proofread and help edit their letters. Glue each student's letter on the back of his or her page.
8. Let your class decide on a name for the yearbook. It might be “Mrs. Candler’s Class Yearbook,” “Candler’s Crazy Kids,” or something similar. 
9. After you have selected a name for the yearbook, have a cover design contest. Give any student who wants to enter the contest a sheet of 12 x 12 paper and time to work on their designs. Remind them to include the name of the scrapbook and the school year. When all designs are complete, have a secret ballot vote to select the winning design. 
10. Select a small group of students to create pages with your photos of classroom activities. I often have them work on this part while others are working on cover designs.
11. When all pages are complete, laminate them and bind them with a strip of large plastic comb binding. If your school doesn't have a binding machine, you may have to take it to an office supply store to have this done. 
12. Be sure to allow plenty of time for students to look through their class scrapbook. It's best to have them sit on the floor and open in it their laps or open it flat on a large table. I know from experience that if it's handled roughly, it will fall apart. 

Creating a class scrapbook is a great project to end the school year. Best of all, you'll have a wonderful book of memories to remind you of your special time together! Have you ever had your class create a yearbook or scrapbook? How was your project different from this one?