It’s the best time of the year. The end of the school year is approaching and you have a classroom full of excited students. Your classroom managements skills have to be on point as well as your activities and lesson plans! Don’t dread end of the year learning! Make it the most exciting time for your students!
When I plan for end of the year learning, I focus on a few things.
- First, I go back to see what my class struggled with as a whole.
- Next, I look at units or topics that I didn’t get to teach as well.
- Third, I look at the next year’s standards.
But I also look at the end of the year as a time to slow down and just have fun! The assessments have been taken, and grades have been submitted. Along with some extra recess, I pull out these thematic units that are always a hit with my students!
Pirate Party
Hit up Amazon for some great pirate themed decorations to welcome your students for the week! I love surprising my kids on the last Monday of the school year with a fully decorated room. When they walk in, they are so excited about what they are going to learn that week!
Science Based Thematic Unit
You’re probably thinking “Pirates are in the state standards??” No, but force and motion are and what better way to teach it than with a Pirate Party!
In this unit, I’ve provided some of my favorite pirate themed books to get your students excited for the day.
Our main focus for the week is to teach how force and motion can help a pirate ship sail. During the week, your students will learn the parts of a ship, make their own and act out words like motion, force and gravity.
Along with the study of force and motion, I’ve included pirate themed literacy and math centers the students can complete independently or with partners!
Space Thematic Unit
Another great thematic unit to use at the end of the school year is anything related to space! This is another favorite of my students!
I’ve included a list of my favorite books on space that I use to introduce each days’ activity. This unit covers:
- What an astronaut does
- Facts about the sun and moon
- Stars and constellations
- The planets in our solar system
Along these fun, science based activities, I also include space themed math and literacy centers along with a ton of other activities you can use during morning time and whole group time!
End your year off with these fun, engaging thematic units! These activities will definitely make those last few weeks easy to manage because your kids will be fully engaged!