Using a memory book gives my students time to reflect on what they loved from kindergarten and what they are proud of. In addition to showing the students what they have learned, give students the opportunity to show you what they have learned. I remember an ELL student from last year who looked at his portfolio and was beaming and said to me, “I can do so much stuff! In the start of school, I could only say hi, now I can say so much more!” The children and parents appreciate this opportunity to reflect on all their hard work and growth. The students and parents love looking back at the first work they have from the beginning of the year and comparing it with the end of the year’s work. I also make portfolios for my students and invite parents in to watch a slideshow of the children from the past year and to view the portfolios of their work. It takes a few minutes, but it means a lot to the students to have that special time with you. When I am doing my end of the year assessments, I make sure to show the students what they have done and reflect on what they could do when they started kindergarten. There are many ways to do this but I have a few that work for me. The third tip I have is to show students all that they have learned and how they have grown over the year, and have a way for them to show you what they have learned. Tip 3: Reflect on All Students Have Learned I know it is tempting to have the walls bare and all the things put away, but it’s not fair on the children in your room who want to enjoy their classroom and you until summer. I do not want to cause anxiety in my students about the room changing or thinking about next year, as mentioned above. Something that I do not do when organizing or cleaning for next year, is I do not take down my materials or pack things up until I really have to. The children enjoy playing with them in the water, and then they get cleaned! Win-win!
Is it just me, or am I the only one who get the organizing bug in June? I want to organize and get rid of any items that I don’t need so that I feel good about my classroom in August! Also, I start cleaning some manipulatives and toys that the children don’t need every day by putting them in our sensory table with water and dish soap. In addition to copies, I also do a few things around the room to help with back to school. This is a major help come August!! I am lucky and have a print center for our district that does all this copying for me, but I would do it myself it I didn’t have them! It is so nice to come in August and have everything ready! I also get all of my science journal pages ready to go for the year so that I don’t even need to think about it! I get all my copies ready for the first two weeks of school. Trust me – you’ll thank me in the summer and fall! There are a few simple things you can do to help yourself over the summer! The best part about this time of year is that your students can be more independent, which means you can spend a little extra time preparing for next year. The second tip is to get yourself ready for next year when you can. So for this reason, I no longer have a visible countdown or talk too much about next year. They also might be anxious about what summer looks like for them. When I reflected later on this, I realized that they were anxious about starting over with a new teacher and new group of friends. I’ve learned this lesson the hard way with a few students whose behavior, which I had managed to support all year, spiked majorly at the end of the year. The reason I do this is because the end of the year can produce a lot of anxiety for students, especially our students that show this anxiety through externalizing, negative behaviors.
The first tip I have is to not have a visible countdown (you can certainly have one just for yourself- you might need it!) or to call your students by the next year’s grade – for example I don’t call my kindergarteners “almost first graders”. Over the years, I’ve learned a few ways to help survive and actually enjoy the end of the year, both for your students and for yourself! Tip 1: No End of Year Countdown I truly can’t believe that it is time to start thinking about the end of the year – the time seems to get faster each year.
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