This school year has been unlike any other school year ever. I think we can all say that while we don’t know what next year will hold, we can do our best to finish this year strong.

I was thinking about how I normally would end the school year. Our grade level participated in an end of year field trip after STAAR, my students would pie my face based on a test prep incentive they were only TOO happy to participate in, and then we would spend some time signing yearbooks and taking pictures.

It kills me that teachers and students will not get to experience that kind of closure this year, and while the end of the year will be different, it doesn’t mean we can’t try something fun! So here are 5 ideas I had for how to end the school year remotely.

5 WAYS TO END THE SCHOOL YEAR REMOTELY

1. Create a Digital Yearbook

Students could drop in their pictures from the year into a Google Slides digital yearbook. Then everyone saves a copy and shares their yearbook digitally for signatures and notes from classmates and teachers

And I have found an amazing resource for a yearbook using Google Slides. Check out Slides Year Book for several yearbook templates!

I was also recommended Padlet to create a collaborative yearbook. It integrates with Google, so students wouldn’t need to create another login and you can monitor what students are adding to the “yearbook.”

2. Digital Time Capsule

I saw this idea from Be Spoke Classroom. You can have your students design a Google Slide as a Google Classroom Assignment. Have them answer questions about who they are now, add pictures from the year, and the list goes on. Collect the assignment and set a reminder on your calendar for 2-3 years from now. Email your students (most school email addresses stay the same as long as they stay in the same district) in a few years with all the Google Slides from the class.

3. Host a Shout Out on Zoom

(Kind of like a toast but school appropriate)

Invite students to a special shout out and tell them to bring their favorite treat. Take turns shouting out each student! Bonus points if students also bring kazoos, bells, or air horns (just kidding).

4. Kahoot

Create a Kahoot that captures pop culture or personal fun facts from your 2019 – 2020 school year OR better yet, have students submit questions for the game.. Winner gets a prize! (You could also sprinkle in some math problems)

Fun idea: Have students submit their baby pictures to guess who is who in a Kahoot game!

5. What Teachers Are Already Doing

From our Facebook Group, “We had a final GoogleMeet with our whole pod of students and did a Kahoot of “guess which teacher…” and each question was something funny about a teacher … and they loved it…”

“We are having an end of year google meets celebration! We made a video of pictures from the year to play, are giving digital superlatives (voted on by students), some teacher elearning awards, and goodbye end of videos from the teachers. The students decorated digital scrapbook slides that we’re compiling to share with all students.”

“I’m mailing home certificates for various awards. They will keep the envelope sealed until our last Google meet, then open them when announced and we will applaud each other.”

“I’m having students complete a Word Cloud to describe what they learned in class this year.”

What ideas do you have for ending this school year?