I’m working with a beginning teacher, and I’d like to share some ideas on the challenges of the end of the year, such as how to keep students engaged and ideas for the summer break.
—Alyssa, Corpus Christi, Texas
There are many resources on what beginning teachers can do during the first days of school, but the end of the year (EOY) has its own challenges. Several archived Ms. Mentor posts addressed questions related to end-of-the-year and summer break activities:

• Extra credit? My students are asking for “extra credit” work. I’m having second thoughts about doing this, especially since it seems that students wait until the end of the marking period to ask. Is there a good rationale for giving (or not giving) extra credit work?

• EOY activities for students. What can I do on the last few days of school? This year (my first as a teacher), my exams were over, projects were completed, and my grades were turned in. But after that it was hard to keep the students focused.

• At the end of the school year… My mentee just finished his first year as an elementary teacher. I’d like to give him some suggestions for how to reflect on his experiences and plan for next year.

• Vacation activities for students. How do you get families and students to participate in science in the summer? I’m looking for ideas to engage upper elementary students.

• Family science: Ideas and resources for activities. NSTA’s Early Years Blog has ideas for parents of younger students.

• Va-cation, stay-cation, and edu-cation. But you only work 9 months a year! How many times do teachers hear that? Those who make that comment obviously have never been a teacher or a family member or friend of a teacher.

 
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/therefore/18636595/