It's the End of the Year as We Know It...

Wow.  I had an entire blog post written, with pictures and links, and it has disappeared.  Grrr.  I guess yesterday was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad Monday.

Anyway... my missing post was about finishing up the year on a positive note.  I was writing in response to a post on Clutter-Free Classroom about what teachers do to end the school year.

This time of year is always hard because state testing is over, and students and teachers alike are daydreaming about all they'll do over the summer.  Also, after being in a classroom together for more than nine months, we're beginning to get on each others' nerves.  It's hard to see the fraying at the edges of our classroom community, but I like to use it as an opportunity for some reflection and positive interaction.

Friends Forever is a letter writing project that closes out the year in a very positive, uplifting way.  Students write friendly letters to each other, saying only nice, positive things.  The letters are collected, bound, and given to each student on the last day of school.  There are usually lots of tears and laughter as students read their memory books and think back to all the things we've done during third grade.  I always include pages in the back for students to sign yearbook-style, and with questions (What was your favorite....?) for students to answer.

What are some of your favorite ways to end the school year on a positive note?

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