1 00:00:00,960 --> 00:00:03,600 Heidi: This is episode 258 of Teacher Approved. 2 00:00:04,260 --> 00:00:07,440 Emily: Hey there. Thanks for joining us today. As we move 3 00:00:07,440 --> 00:00:10,800 further into May, it's starting to feel real. The end of the 4 00:00:10,800 --> 00:00:13,980 school year is right around the corner, and so that's why we are 5 00:00:13,980 --> 00:00:16,860 bringing back one of our favorite episodes, all about end 6 00:00:16,860 --> 00:00:18,180 of Year celebrations. 7 00:00:18,180 --> 00:00:21,540 Heidi: This isn't just about filling time or throwing a 8 00:00:21,540 --> 00:00:25,425 party. It's about helping your class feel closure and ending 9 00:00:25,425 --> 00:00:28,845 the year on purpose instead of just sliding into summer. This 10 00:00:28,845 --> 00:00:31,845 episode will give you practical ideas and a clear way to think 11 00:00:31,845 --> 00:00:35,385 about celebrations so they work for you and your students. 12 00:00:35,385 --> 00:00:38,625 Emily: And what's extra fun is that these ideas come from you, 13 00:00:38,625 --> 00:00:42,225 our listeners. So whether you're planning something big, keeping 14 00:00:42,225 --> 00:00:44,565 it simple, or still not sure what your end of year will look 15 00:00:44,565 --> 00:00:46,725 like, this is a great place to start. 16 00:00:46,770 --> 00:00:48,390 Heidi: Let's get into it. 17 00:00:49,410 --> 00:00:53,790 You're listening to Teacher Approved, the podcast helping 18 00:00:53,790 --> 00:00:57,510 educators elevate what matters and simplify the rest. I'm 19 00:00:57,510 --> 00:00:58,050 Heidi. 20 00:00:58,230 --> 00:01:01,410 Emily: And I'm Emily. We're the creators behind Second Story 21 00:01:01,410 --> 00:01:03,990 Window, where we give research-based and teacher 22 00:01:03,990 --> 00:01:06,930 approved strategies that make teaching less stressful and more 23 00:01:06,930 --> 00:01:10,395 effective. You can check out the show notes and resources from 24 00:01:10,395 --> 00:01:12,675 each episode at secondstorywindow.net. 25 00:01:12,675 --> 00:01:15,975 Heidi: We're so glad you're tuning in today. Let's get to 26 00:01:15,975 --> 00:01:16,395 the show. 27 00:01:16,395 --> 00:01:24,135 Emily: Let's talk about this week's resource of the week, our 28 00:01:24,135 --> 00:01:28,155 summer review packets. Over the years, we have often been asked 29 00:01:28,155 --> 00:01:31,815 which grade level of our spiral review morning work would work 30 00:01:31,815 --> 00:01:34,860 best for students to practice with during the summer. So we 31 00:01:34,860 --> 00:01:38,160 decided it was time to make a dedicated summer review packet. 32 00:01:38,820 --> 00:01:41,940 Heidi: Unlike a lot of other summer review packets you may 33 00:01:41,940 --> 00:01:45,300 see around the internet that contain a bunch of different 34 00:01:45,300 --> 00:01:49,260 types of worksheets, ours is a carefully designed review that 35 00:01:49,260 --> 00:01:52,800 packs in as much practice as possible on each page. The 36 00:01:52,800 --> 00:01:55,800 questions follow a pattern, so students will be familiar with 37 00:01:55,800 --> 00:01:57,225 the weekly activities quickly. 38 00:01:57,225 --> 00:02:00,885 Emily: Each grade level has the same format as the morning work 39 00:02:00,885 --> 00:02:04,005 for that grade level, so it's the perfect practice for your 40 00:02:04,005 --> 00:02:06,885 students if they've already been doing the morning work with you. 41 00:02:07,365 --> 00:02:10,365 But it's also designed to work as a standalone resource for 42 00:02:10,365 --> 00:02:12,885 students who have never done any of our morning work. 43 00:02:13,380 --> 00:02:17,400 Heidi: Each packet contains 50 pages of math and ELA spiral 44 00:02:17,400 --> 00:02:22,200 review, which is 10 weeks worth of content. And of course, we 45 00:02:22,200 --> 00:02:23,400 include an answer key as well. 46 00:02:24,120 --> 00:02:26,640 Emily: While these pages are perfect for a summer review, 47 00:02:26,640 --> 00:02:30,360 they also make a wonderful end of your cumulative review in 48 00:02:30,360 --> 00:02:34,320 class. You can find our summer packets at 49 00:02:34,500 --> 00:02:38,325 secondstorywindow.net/summerpackets, and the link will be in our show 50 00:02:38,325 --> 00:02:38,685 notes. 51 00:02:39,825 --> 00:02:42,465 Heidi: I don't know if you guys have noticed, but here in the 52 00:02:42,465 --> 00:02:45,105 US, the end of the school year is almost upon us. 53 00:02:45,285 --> 00:02:47,025 Emily: Well, unless you teach year round. 54 00:02:47,745 --> 00:02:50,025 Heidi: Year round teachers, you have our condolences. 55 00:02:50,385 --> 00:02:53,985 Emily: So that brings us to the topic of, how do you end a 56 00:02:53,985 --> 00:02:54,585 school year? 57 00:02:55,425 --> 00:03:01,050 Heidi: We put so much, so much thought and energy into starting 58 00:03:01,050 --> 00:03:04,890 the school year, but I think we are all running on fumes by the 59 00:03:04,890 --> 00:03:09,390 end. There is just not much time or energy left to close out the 60 00:03:09,390 --> 00:03:13,170 year. You maybe have noticed this, but we still want it to 61 00:03:13,170 --> 00:03:13,710 matter. 62 00:03:14,250 --> 00:03:17,610 Emily: I think if 2020, taught us anything, it's that ending, 63 00:03:17,610 --> 00:03:21,870 well, matters. That abrupt ending we had that year just 64 00:03:21,870 --> 00:03:22,890 really stung. 65 00:03:23,355 --> 00:03:25,875 Heidi: And it still stings, if I'm being honest. 66 00:03:25,875 --> 00:03:27,015 Emily: That was rough for us. 67 00:03:27,435 --> 00:03:30,255 Heidi: Our little preschoolers went home one day and just never 68 00:03:30,255 --> 00:03:30,615 came back. 69 00:03:30,615 --> 00:03:31,335 Emily: Yeah. 70 00:03:31,515 --> 00:03:36,495 Heidi: So how do we celebrate in a tangible way the moment that 71 00:03:36,495 --> 00:03:38,355 is the end of the school year? 72 00:03:38,355 --> 00:03:42,435 Emily: Well, there's no right or wrong answer. It's just about 73 00:03:42,435 --> 00:03:44,955 choosing something that feels meaningful to you. 74 00:03:45,435 --> 00:03:49,740 Heidi: Right. So I'd start by asking myself how to acknowledge 75 00:03:49,800 --> 00:03:52,680 the community that has grown in my classroom during the year, 76 00:03:53,100 --> 00:03:56,760 and then I would look for ways to celebrate those small humans 77 00:03:56,760 --> 00:04:00,420 that have just come to take up so much of my heart. And I don't 78 00:04:00,420 --> 00:04:03,840 mean that does sound serious or solemn, even if the end of the 79 00:04:03,840 --> 00:04:06,660 year can feel heavy, or not, depending on the year you've 80 00:04:06,660 --> 00:04:11,865 had. But I think a lot of times the most tangible way to 81 00:04:11,865 --> 00:04:14,505 celebrate a shared experience is to have fun together. 82 00:04:14,865 --> 00:04:18,045 Emily: Right. So with that in mind, we asked the Teacher 83 00:04:18,045 --> 00:04:21,525 Approved community to share the ways they celebrate the end of 84 00:04:21,525 --> 00:04:25,005 the year, and they offered such engaging suggestions that we 85 00:04:25,005 --> 00:04:26,985 want to pass them on to you. 86 00:04:27,800 --> 00:04:30,980 Heidi: So one activity that was mentioned several times was 87 00:04:30,980 --> 00:04:34,820 doing an alphabet countdown. If you aren't familiar with this, 88 00:04:34,880 --> 00:04:38,060 each day during the last few weeks of school, you do a fun 89 00:04:38,060 --> 00:04:42,980 activity from A to Z. Lisa shared these suggestions. A is 90 00:04:42,980 --> 00:04:46,040 an all about me sheet that they can share with the class. B is 91 00:04:46,040 --> 00:04:49,625 sit by a buddy day, I is for ice pops from the teacher. Her 92 00:04:49,625 --> 00:04:52,985 countdown lasts for 23 days because she combined some days. 93 00:04:53,285 --> 00:04:57,065 Emily: Those are such fun ideas, and I love that she keeps it 94 00:04:57,065 --> 00:05:00,245 simple. She could have done Baking Beautiful Banana Bread 95 00:05:00,245 --> 00:05:04,025 day for B. That's a ton of commitment to stretch out over 96 00:05:04,025 --> 00:05:04,985 20 plus days. 97 00:05:05,045 --> 00:05:07,985 Heidi: Yeah, you're gonna burn out real quick if you feel like 98 00:05:07,985 --> 00:05:11,345 you have to make something a big production in order for it to be 99 00:05:11,345 --> 00:05:15,650 a celebration. And please note that that comment was directed 100 00:05:15,650 --> 00:05:20,330 largely my own go-big-or-go-home tendencies, but Lisa was smart 101 00:05:20,330 --> 00:05:23,390 to choose something like sitting by a buddy as a celebration. 102 00:05:23,870 --> 00:05:28,070 It's low effort from the teacher side, but it would be so fun and 103 00:05:28,070 --> 00:05:29,570 memorable for the students. 104 00:05:29,570 --> 00:05:32,750 Emily: Yeah, I love that. I would love to know what other 105 00:05:32,750 --> 00:05:35,735 suggestions teachers have for their alphabet countdowns, 106 00:05:35,975 --> 00:05:38,735 especially for those trickier letters. If you've got a good 107 00:05:38,735 --> 00:05:42,155 idea for Q or any other letter, will you come share it in the 108 00:05:42,155 --> 00:05:43,535 Teacher Approved Facebook group? 109 00:05:43,535 --> 00:05:46,355 Heidi: Yeah, I'm really curious to hear other suggestions. 110 00:05:46,355 --> 00:05:50,135 Emily: But if you don't want to commit to a 26 day countdown, 111 00:05:50,375 --> 00:05:54,455 Dawn has this suggestion. We do a balloon pop the last 10 days, 112 00:05:54,455 --> 00:05:57,575 with each balloon containing a card with a special activity, 113 00:05:57,875 --> 00:06:00,080 like outdoor chalk day or yoga time. 114 00:06:00,080 --> 00:06:04,160 Heidi: Yoga! There we go. There's our Y. And I think the 115 00:06:04,160 --> 00:06:06,680 balloon popping would be a definite hit with the kids. 116 00:06:06,680 --> 00:06:10,700 Emily: Maggie suggested a quieter type of countdown. She 117 00:06:10,700 --> 00:06:13,940 says, my class made a paper chain. Each child got one to two 118 00:06:13,940 --> 00:06:16,940 strips of paper, enough to make as many links as we needed for 119 00:06:16,940 --> 00:06:20,000 the number of days left. On their own slip of paper, they 120 00:06:20,000 --> 00:06:22,385 wrote something they have been grateful for at school this 121 00:06:22,385 --> 00:06:25,505 year. Each morning, we take one off, and the student who wrote 122 00:06:25,505 --> 00:06:28,265 it gets to read it to the class and then hang it on our grateful 123 00:06:28,265 --> 00:06:28,505 wall. 124 00:06:29,260 --> 00:06:32,740 Heidi: I love how thoughtful and reflective that is. It's such a 125 00:06:32,740 --> 00:06:35,980 beautiful way to add meaning to your celebratory countdowns. 126 00:06:35,980 --> 00:06:39,580 Emily: Besides countdowns, we had several recommendations for 127 00:06:39,580 --> 00:06:41,260 end of year theme days. 128 00:06:41,800 --> 00:06:45,640 Heidi: Lacey says we have theme days for the last eight days. We 129 00:06:45,640 --> 00:06:48,880 start with color day, sport, Safari, Hawaiian and tie dye. 130 00:06:49,480 --> 00:06:52,765 Emily: And Jamie recommends Camp Skeeter, and she typed that all 131 00:06:52,765 --> 00:06:56,065 in caps, so you know she really loves it. She says they do gummy 132 00:06:56,065 --> 00:06:59,785 worm math, catching insects, scavenger hunts, letters from 133 00:06:59,785 --> 00:07:03,505 camp, flag raising, morning exercises, chairs put away, 134 00:07:03,505 --> 00:07:07,885 desks organized as cabins, cabin competitions, care packages sent 135 00:07:07,885 --> 00:07:10,945 from home. I'm not done, there's more. A campfire in the center 136 00:07:10,945 --> 00:07:14,290 of the classroom, hiking. Bathroom is referred to as the 137 00:07:14,290 --> 00:07:18,850 latrine. Lunchroom is the mess hall. The list goes on and on. I 138 00:07:18,850 --> 00:07:21,790 have students from years ago now, adults who still talk about 139 00:07:21,790 --> 00:07:23,890 how much they loved camp Skeeter. 140 00:07:24,370 --> 00:07:27,130 Heidi: That sounds like so much fun. I can understand why 141 00:07:27,130 --> 00:07:30,850 Jamie's students remember that. And Emily and I love theme days. 142 00:07:30,970 --> 00:07:33,010 Emily: Especially camping. That's the best one. 143 00:07:33,370 --> 00:07:35,950 Heidi: Theme are just a great way to keep students engaged at 144 00:07:35,950 --> 00:07:36,730 the end of the year. 145 00:07:37,510 --> 00:07:40,015 Emily: As we've mentioned before, student engagement 146 00:07:40,015 --> 00:07:44,035 depends on that balance between routine and novelty. At the end 147 00:07:44,035 --> 00:07:47,515 of the year, routine is tipping way into the boredom side of the 148 00:07:47,515 --> 00:07:48,235 balance. 149 00:07:48,535 --> 00:07:51,655 Heidi: So adding surprise, whether that is through a theme 150 00:07:51,655 --> 00:07:55,315 day or other activity, it helps keep things from getting out of 151 00:07:55,315 --> 00:07:55,735 control. 152 00:07:56,095 --> 00:07:58,675 Emily: And a theme day is a great way to add to the surprise 153 00:07:58,675 --> 00:08:02,080 and delight that help regular activities feel like novelties, 154 00:08:02,260 --> 00:08:06,580 which is like, the secret key to doing a theme day, is that it 155 00:08:06,580 --> 00:08:08,920 doesn't actually have to be that, like, exciting, but when 156 00:08:08,920 --> 00:08:11,980 you make it themed, suddenly your normal activities seem 157 00:08:11,980 --> 00:08:12,880 spectacular. 158 00:08:13,180 --> 00:08:16,540 Heidi: Yeah, anything themed feels fun and novel, and that is 159 00:08:16,540 --> 00:08:19,420 always going to feel like a celebration, especially at the 160 00:08:19,420 --> 00:08:20,020 end of the year. 161 00:08:20,020 --> 00:08:23,425 Emily: Yeah. We also like theme days because they take some of 162 00:08:23,425 --> 00:08:27,085 the pressure off the teacher. In episode seven of our podcast, we 163 00:08:27,085 --> 00:08:30,205 said that theme days are a little moment of peace dropped 164 00:08:30,205 --> 00:08:31,465 from the teacher saints above. 165 00:08:31,465 --> 00:08:35,905 Heidi: And I still stand by that. Theme days are nice 166 00:08:35,905 --> 00:08:39,865 because you can plan and prep them in advance, and the kids 167 00:08:39,865 --> 00:08:43,285 are so engaged that a lot of the management hassles that come at 168 00:08:43,285 --> 00:08:47,125 the end of the year just kind of vanish for a while. In my mind, 169 00:08:47,125 --> 00:08:50,050 theme days are always kind of paired with the feeling of a big 170 00:08:50,110 --> 00:08:54,550 exhale. They just give you a moment to get your feet under 171 00:08:54,550 --> 00:08:54,910 you again. 172 00:08:55,330 --> 00:08:57,550 Emily: Plus, if you give the kids enough independent 173 00:08:57,550 --> 00:09:00,670 activities during your theme day, you have time to work on 174 00:09:00,670 --> 00:09:04,870 your independent activities like finishing grading or updating 175 00:09:04,870 --> 00:09:06,250 cumulative files. 176 00:09:06,310 --> 00:09:09,430 Heidi: That's way less fun than what the kids are doing. But 177 00:09:09,430 --> 00:09:13,075 like Emily mentioned, episode seven of our podcast is all 178 00:09:13,075 --> 00:09:16,255 about theme days. We walk you through the seven steps of 179 00:09:16,255 --> 00:09:20,035 planning a successful theme day and share our tips and tricks. 180 00:09:20,095 --> 00:09:24,295 So definitely revisit that one. We also have two 181 00:09:24,295 --> 00:09:27,355 already-done-for-you theme day resources in our shop. 182 00:09:27,720 --> 00:09:32,340 Emily: We call them delight days, D, L, I, T, E, which 183 00:09:32,340 --> 00:09:36,000 stands for, obviously, Differentiated Learning and 184 00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:37,680 Integrated Theme Experience. 185 00:09:37,740 --> 00:09:39,600 Heidi: We can't help ourselves around an acronym. 186 00:09:39,840 --> 00:09:41,880 Emily: Even if no one else appreciates them. 187 00:09:42,660 --> 00:09:43,680 Heidi: Everyone needs a hobby. 188 00:09:44,160 --> 00:09:47,460 Emily: Each theme set for first through third grade includes a 189 00:09:47,460 --> 00:09:50,940 differentiated packet brain breaks, themed writing activity, 190 00:09:51,180 --> 00:09:55,965 task cards, differentiated whole class review activity, a themed 191 00:09:55,965 --> 00:09:59,565 closed reading passage and more. We have a space theme and a 192 00:09:59,565 --> 00:10:03,105 camping theme for only $5 each, and we'll link to those in the 193 00:10:03,105 --> 00:10:03,825 show notes. 194 00:10:04,065 --> 00:10:07,305 Heidi: We call our camping day Camp Learn A Lot instead of Camp 195 00:10:07,305 --> 00:10:10,545 Skeeter, but you could still apply a lot of Jamie's camp day 196 00:10:10,545 --> 00:10:11,505 suggestions. 197 00:10:12,525 --> 00:10:15,450 Emily: Chantal's class has a fort day. She has the kids bring 198 00:10:15,450 --> 00:10:18,930 cardboard boxes and blankets and then uses those on the students 199 00:10:18,930 --> 00:10:22,110 desks to create awesome forts and read with flashlights. 200 00:10:22,530 --> 00:10:25,110 Heidi: I have never heard that before, but that sounds like so 201 00:10:25,110 --> 00:10:28,710 much fun. I bet that's something the kids will remember forever. 202 00:10:28,710 --> 00:10:32,430 Emily: Yeah. Besides camp day and fort day, Melissa recommends 203 00:10:32,430 --> 00:10:35,250 a glow day, but if you don't want to commit to a whole glow 204 00:10:35,250 --> 00:10:38,235 day, you could still have a lot of fun with just a glow party. 205 00:10:38,475 --> 00:10:42,135 Heidi: Yes, Cindy says get donations from families, block 206 00:10:42,135 --> 00:10:45,855 windows with black paper, let kids tape the glow sticks on 207 00:10:45,855 --> 00:10:48,675 their clothes, turn off the lights and turn on the music 208 00:10:48,675 --> 00:10:49,815 when everyone is ready. 209 00:10:50,200 --> 00:10:54,160 Emily: That would definitely be kid heaven. Another fun idea is 210 00:10:54,160 --> 00:10:57,760 board game day. Mindy says she has her kids bring games from 211 00:10:57,760 --> 00:11:01,320 home with the stipulation that there are no electronic games. 212 00:11:01,800 --> 00:11:03,960 The kids must switch to different games after they 213 00:11:03,960 --> 00:11:07,140 finish each one, and the only rule is the child who brings the 214 00:11:07,140 --> 00:11:10,080 game must know how to play it and be able to teach it to 215 00:11:10,080 --> 00:11:13,380 others. If they bring chess, all players must know how to play 216 00:11:13,380 --> 00:11:13,860 already. 217 00:11:14,580 --> 00:11:16,800 Heidi: Those are the tips of a woman who has survived a game 218 00:11:16,800 --> 00:11:17,400 day or two. 219 00:11:17,400 --> 00:11:19,860 Emily: Yep. And one of my kids had a game day recently, and 220 00:11:19,860 --> 00:11:21,980 that was the rule. You can't bring a game once you know the 221 00:11:21,980 --> 00:11:23,120 rules to play it. 222 00:11:23,480 --> 00:11:25,580 Heidi: Yeah, you got to think ahead to keep these fun 223 00:11:25,580 --> 00:11:29,600 celebrations from tipping into overwhelm. But it is worth it to 224 00:11:29,600 --> 00:11:30,980 see the kids so delighted. 225 00:11:31,100 --> 00:11:33,500 Emily: And it is just fun to end the year with all these fun, 226 00:11:33,500 --> 00:11:37,400 happy memories. Another party idea comes from Sam, who 227 00:11:37,400 --> 00:11:40,640 celebrates everybody's birthdays at once with a big party for 228 00:11:40,640 --> 00:11:41,360 everyone. 229 00:11:41,840 --> 00:11:45,740 Heidi: I haven't done a big birthday party before, but if my 230 00:11:45,740 --> 00:11:49,445 birthday fell on a school day, I usually did a big un-birthday 231 00:11:49,445 --> 00:11:53,105 party for the class, and so we would celebrate my actual 232 00:11:53,105 --> 00:11:56,765 birthday and their un birthdays together. But I can see how it 233 00:11:56,765 --> 00:11:59,825 would be a really fun end of the year activity to do a whole 234 00:11:59,825 --> 00:12:01,025 birthday party with everyone. 235 00:12:01,020 --> 00:12:03,464 Emily: Yeah, I did it on my birthday too, because sometimes 236 00:12:03,340 --> 00:12:20,560 Heidi: So we are about to the end of our celebration ideas, 237 00:12:03,511 --> 00:12:06,144 mine would be right at the beginning of the school year, 238 00:12:06,191 --> 00:12:09,106 that's when my birthday is, but I really like it for an end of 239 00:12:09,153 --> 00:12:11,597 the year celebration. And that really keeps birthday 240 00:12:11,644 --> 00:12:14,465 disruptions to a minimum during the rest of the year, if you 241 00:12:14,512 --> 00:12:16,440 just do it all on one day and go all out. 242 00:12:20,800 --> 00:12:25,045 but I wanted to make sure and share this idea from Cindy. She 243 00:12:25,045 --> 00:12:28,945 says, Something I did earlier this year was a drive in movie. 244 00:12:29,305 --> 00:12:33,325 I had my lunch lady save big, sturdy boxes for me. I gave 245 00:12:33,325 --> 00:12:36,985 students time to work on their cars, then served them popcorn 246 00:12:36,985 --> 00:12:40,105 and a juice box and loaded a few Pixar shorts on a YouTube 247 00:12:40,105 --> 00:12:44,065 playlist. In all, the movie time was about the last 15 minutes of 248 00:12:44,065 --> 00:12:47,185 the day. We had already packed up and then students took their 249 00:12:47,185 --> 00:12:51,490 cars home that day. Just FYI, one bus driver would not allow 250 00:12:51,490 --> 00:12:54,310 the big boxes, so I had to contact families to come pick 251 00:12:54,310 --> 00:12:54,670 them up. 252 00:12:54,790 --> 00:12:58,090 Emily: Oh boy. Maybe just recycle the cars when you're 253 00:12:58,090 --> 00:13:02,170 done. If you can find a way to store the boxes like Cindy did, 254 00:13:02,290 --> 00:13:04,930 that would be such a fun activity. I'm sure the kids had 255 00:13:04,990 --> 00:13:07,810 a blast making their cars and then the fun of watching a 256 00:13:07,810 --> 00:13:10,795 movie. I wonder if she had to explain what a drive in movie 257 00:13:10,795 --> 00:13:11,095 is. 258 00:13:11,240 --> 00:13:13,280 Heidi: Oh, I'm sure she did. I don't think there are too many 259 00:13:13,280 --> 00:13:13,820 of them left. 260 00:13:13,820 --> 00:13:14,840 Emily: No, that makes me sad. 261 00:13:15,200 --> 00:13:18,320 Heidi: Thank you for sharing that, Cindy, and thanks for the 262 00:13:18,320 --> 00:13:22,340 heads up about the bus. There are always so many layers of 263 00:13:22,340 --> 00:13:24,260 things to think through when you are a teacher. 264 00:13:24,680 --> 00:13:27,380 Emily: And that's why we are so appreciative of all the teachers 265 00:13:27,380 --> 00:13:30,500 that have shared their ideas. We've got a hard job, and it's 266 00:13:30,500 --> 00:13:33,440 so helpful when someone else points out the potholes you 267 00:13:33,440 --> 00:13:36,785 might not be aware of yet. So a huge thank you to everyone who 268 00:13:36,785 --> 00:13:38,945 shared their tips with us for this week's episode. 269 00:13:39,425 --> 00:13:42,185 Heidi: Teachers do a great job of looking out for each other, 270 00:13:42,545 --> 00:13:45,185 especially at the end of the year, when we are all just 271 00:13:45,185 --> 00:13:46,625 limping toward that finish line. 272 00:13:47,645 --> 00:13:50,165 Emily: As you work on your end of year plans, we hope we've 273 00:13:50,165 --> 00:13:53,165 shared some ways to make it a real celebration. 274 00:13:53,765 --> 00:13:56,405 Heidi: Remember that a celebration doesn't have to be 275 00:13:56,405 --> 00:14:00,470 big to be meaningful. It can absolutely just be about filling 276 00:14:00,470 --> 00:14:03,110 time before the end of the school year in a way that 277 00:14:03,170 --> 00:14:04,910 doesn't have everyone pulling their hair out. 278 00:14:04,910 --> 00:14:08,390 Emily: Yep, those kids have to do something for six hours, and 279 00:14:08,390 --> 00:14:11,090 learning about coordinate geometry is probably not the 280 00:14:11,090 --> 00:14:13,850 solution to that problem two weeks before the last day of 281 00:14:13,850 --> 00:14:14,090 school. 282 00:14:15,350 --> 00:14:18,590 Heidi: But however you choose to mark the end of the year, we 283 00:14:18,590 --> 00:14:22,415 hope you find a way to do it that is meaningful to you. Look 284 00:14:22,415 --> 00:14:26,015 for tangible ways you can honor the magic of what has happened 285 00:14:26,135 --> 00:14:29,435 the past nine months in your classroom, acknowledge the 286 00:14:29,435 --> 00:14:32,495 upcoming transition and celebrate the bonds of your 287 00:14:32,495 --> 00:14:33,455 classroom community. 288 00:14:33,455 --> 00:14:36,395 Emily: We'd love to hear your thoughts on how to add 289 00:14:36,395 --> 00:14:39,635 celebration to the end of the school year. Please come join 290 00:14:39,635 --> 00:14:42,395 the conversation in our Teacher Approved Facebook group. 291 00:14:43,320 --> 00:14:46,860 Now let's talk about this week's Teacher Approved tip. Each week 292 00:14:46,860 --> 00:14:49,320 we leave you with a small, actionable tip that you can 293 00:14:49,320 --> 00:14:52,560 apply in your classroom today. This week's teacher approved tip 294 00:14:52,560 --> 00:14:56,340 is make a display reflecting on this year and anticipating the 295 00:14:56,340 --> 00:14:56,880 year to come. 296 00:14:57,620 --> 00:15:00,620 Heidi: So one way that I celebrated the end of the year 297 00:15:00,620 --> 00:15:04,160 as a second grade teacher was having the kids reflect on what 298 00:15:04,160 --> 00:15:08,060 we had done as a class. I started with a discussion about 299 00:15:08,060 --> 00:15:10,820 everything we had done during the year, and I listed the kids 300 00:15:10,820 --> 00:15:14,060 memories on the board. I kept going until we had a pretty long 301 00:15:14,060 --> 00:15:18,080 list, and then I drew names and let each student pick a memory. 302 00:15:18,260 --> 00:15:20,945 I didn't want anyone to get stuck with a lame memory, like 303 00:15:21,245 --> 00:15:25,265 the day the cafeteria ran out of tacos or something like that. So 304 00:15:25,265 --> 00:15:28,385 I made sure that our list of memories was longer than we 305 00:15:28,385 --> 00:15:31,865 actually needed, and that meant coming up with like 30 or so 306 00:15:31,865 --> 00:15:35,285 memories, which took some thinking, but we got there. 307 00:15:35,345 --> 00:15:40,265 Then once the kids had their assigned memory, their job was 308 00:15:40,265 --> 00:15:43,670 to illustrate it and then maybe write a sentence about it. At 309 00:15:43,670 --> 00:15:46,250 the very least, they needed to title it so I knew what the 310 00:15:46,250 --> 00:15:49,370 picture was. Sometimes, you know how kids drawings are, a little 311 00:15:49,370 --> 00:15:53,630 abstract. And then I arranged them in chronological order and 312 00:15:53,630 --> 00:15:56,690 hung them in the hall as a timeline. Because I knew where I 313 00:15:56,690 --> 00:15:59,870 was going to display this, I measured the wall ahead of time 314 00:15:59,870 --> 00:16:02,570 and then cut down paper so that they would fit in a row on that 315 00:16:02,570 --> 00:16:05,750 wall, and then I added the title, Looking Back at Second 316 00:16:05,795 --> 00:16:06,095 Grade. 317 00:16:06,095 --> 00:16:10,355 But then I left it up all summer, and before school 318 00:16:10,355 --> 00:16:14,135 started in the fall, I just changed out the title to Looking 319 00:16:14,195 --> 00:16:17,855 Ahead to Second Grade. This meant that I had something 320 00:16:17,855 --> 00:16:21,515 outside my room for back to school all ready to go, and it 321 00:16:21,515 --> 00:16:24,575 gave my new batch of second graders an idea of what they 322 00:16:24,575 --> 00:16:28,100 could look forward to. And that was fine, and it was so handy to 323 00:16:28,100 --> 00:16:31,760 have it done already. But the reason I really loved this was 324 00:16:31,760 --> 00:16:35,480 that it meant so much to my former students to see that they 325 00:16:35,480 --> 00:16:38,840 still had a place in the story of my class. They would often 326 00:16:38,840 --> 00:16:41,780 stop by and talk about what memories were jogged by seeing 327 00:16:41,780 --> 00:16:42,740 our pictures. 328 00:16:42,000 --> 00:16:44,580 Emily: Which is probably especially important at the 329 00:16:44,580 --> 00:16:47,040 beginning of the school year, when they're in a new class that 330 00:16:47,040 --> 00:16:49,620 they don't feel as comfortable yet, to walk down the hall and 331 00:16:49,620 --> 00:16:53,160 see those happy memories is just a happiness boost for everyone. 332 00:16:53,160 --> 00:16:56,280 If you want to do something like this, you don't have to display 333 00:16:56,280 --> 00:16:59,040 it in the hallway, if that doesn't work for you, and you 334 00:16:59,040 --> 00:17:02,340 don't have to put it in a chronological row. The idea is 335 00:17:02,340 --> 00:17:04,860 that it's just nice to do something now that will benefit 336 00:17:04,860 --> 00:17:07,065 you when life is crazy at back to school time. 337 00:17:07,679 --> 00:17:11,579 Heidi: I found that the key to making this successful, as I 338 00:17:11,579 --> 00:17:15,359 learned the hard way, was to consider what has to happen in 339 00:17:15,359 --> 00:17:20,399 your class during the summer. Because I was taping papers on a 340 00:17:20,399 --> 00:17:24,559 brick, they just were no match for the humidity of the swamp 341 00:17:24,559 --> 00:17:28,159 cooler and the industrial fans that were blowing on the newly 342 00:17:28,159 --> 00:17:32,179 cleaned carpets. If the point of doing this is to reduce your 343 00:17:32,179 --> 00:17:36,139 workload, you don't want to have to keep taping things up. So 344 00:17:36,439 --> 00:17:39,619 learn from my mistakes and find a way to make it sturdy enough 345 00:17:39,619 --> 00:17:41,019 to survive three months. 346 00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:41,223 Emily: I wonder if you could put out a big piece of butcher paper 347 00:17:41,223 --> 00:17:41,394 and tape everything to the butcher paper, and then you 348 00:17:41,394 --> 00:17:45,620 could take it down easily and put it back up easily. 349 00:17:45,620 --> 00:17:50,060 Heidi: Oh, handy dandy. You could probably even glue it on 350 00:17:50,120 --> 00:17:52,400 the butcher paper and then be even more solid. 351 00:17:52,400 --> 00:17:55,760 Emily: Yeah. Or you could cover it with butcher paper, like 352 00:17:55,760 --> 00:17:59,240 somebody had suggested to us recently about covering up your 353 00:17:59,240 --> 00:18:02,000 bulletin boards at the end of the year. For next year, you 354 00:18:02,000 --> 00:18:04,700 cover them with butcher paper. But I still think the things 355 00:18:04,700 --> 00:18:07,745 inside the butcher paper might fall with the humidity. So I 356 00:18:07,745 --> 00:18:10,865 think doing it on butcher paper, you take it down, roll it up, 357 00:18:10,865 --> 00:18:11,825 and then put it back up. 358 00:18:11,825 --> 00:18:13,865 Heidi: Or someplace where you could use push pins. We are 359 00:18:13,865 --> 00:18:15,365 going to problem solve this for y'all. 360 00:18:15,365 --> 00:18:18,905 Emily: Yes, I do think it's such a fun idea, though, and if you 361 00:18:18,905 --> 00:18:20,705 do this, we would love to hear about it. 362 00:18:20,825 --> 00:18:22,685 Heidi: Yeah, or send pictures. Please send pictures. 363 00:18:22,685 --> 00:18:23,105 Emily: Yes. 364 00:18:23,105 --> 00:18:26,465 Heidi: To wrap up the show, we are sharing what we're giving 365 00:18:26,465 --> 00:18:29,450 extra credit to this week. Emily, what are you giving extra 366 00:18:29,000 --> 00:18:34,040 Emily: I'm giving extra credit to the book Yours Truly by Abby 367 00:18:29,450 --> 00:18:29,990 credit to? 368 00:18:34,040 --> 00:18:37,700 Jimenez. I gave extra credit last year to another one of her 369 00:18:37,700 --> 00:18:40,820 books, Part of Your World, and this is actually the second book 370 00:18:40,820 --> 00:18:43,580 in that series, but that just means there are some of the same 371 00:18:43,580 --> 00:18:46,340 characters in both books. They're definitely standalone 372 00:18:46,340 --> 00:18:49,940 stories that you can read in any order. In Yours Truly, you get a 373 00:18:49,940 --> 00:18:53,780 little bit of everything. There's enemies to lovers, fake 374 00:18:53,825 --> 00:18:58,145 dating, epistolary romance, though, I don't know if I'd go 375 00:18:58,145 --> 00:19:00,845 as far as calling it that, when they only exchange letters for 376 00:19:00,845 --> 00:19:03,185 like, a small portion of the book. But I keep hearing this 377 00:19:03,185 --> 00:19:06,185 book described as that, so I threw that in too. 378 00:19:06,185 --> 00:19:09,905 Somehow it all comes together well. I don't know how, but she 379 00:19:09,905 --> 00:19:13,385 nailed it. I listened to the audiobook, which was fun because 380 00:19:13,385 --> 00:19:16,910 there are dual narrators, which I love, and the male narrator is 381 00:19:16,910 --> 00:19:20,630 my favorite male audiobook narrator ever, Zach Weber. If 382 00:19:20,630 --> 00:19:23,930 you like Emily Henry, I think you'll enjoy this book. It's not 383 00:19:23,930 --> 00:19:26,570 a flawless book. There are some things about it I would change, 384 00:19:26,570 --> 00:19:30,110 but overall, excellent read that I just zipped through. And I 385 00:19:30,110 --> 00:19:33,170 know everybody loves Emily Henry right now, and I do too, but I 386 00:19:33,170 --> 00:19:36,650 think Abby Jimenez might be my most favorite author in the 387 00:19:36,650 --> 00:19:38,450 adult romance genre right now. 388 00:19:38,810 --> 00:19:41,255 Heidi: Well, I will have to check that out. I'm way behind. 389 00:19:41,255 --> 00:19:43,715 It's been on my to be read for a long time. So 390 00:19:43,775 --> 00:19:44,255 Emily: Come on. 391 00:19:44,315 --> 00:19:44,915 Heidi: Gotta catch up. 392 00:19:44,975 --> 00:19:46,895 Emily: What is your extra credit going to? 393 00:19:46,895 --> 00:19:50,855 Heidi: I'm giving extra credit to a book too. It is Jane and 394 00:19:50,855 --> 00:19:54,695 Edward by Melody Edwards. Not confusing at all to have those 395 00:19:54,695 --> 00:19:58,235 double Edwards there, but we'll figure it out. So Jane Eyre is 396 00:19:58,235 --> 00:20:03,440 my favorite book, and I'm such a sucker for any Jane adaptation. 397 00:20:03,860 --> 00:20:08,120 And this happens to be a modern retelling, where Jane is a legal 398 00:20:08,120 --> 00:20:13,160 secretary and Edward is a high powered attorney, of course, but 399 00:20:13,160 --> 00:20:16,280 Melody, I think she did a really good job translating the story 400 00:20:16,460 --> 00:20:20,300 into a more modern setting without just a cookie cutter 401 00:20:20,300 --> 00:20:24,500 copy and paste of events. She's faithful to the original while 402 00:20:24,500 --> 00:20:28,145 still adding really clever updates. But even if you have 403 00:20:28,145 --> 00:20:31,265 never read Jane Eyre, I think you would still enjoy the story 404 00:20:31,265 --> 00:20:35,465 as a modern romance, if that's your jam. If it's not, I can't 405 00:20:35,465 --> 00:20:39,665 help you. The author also did a really great job at updating the 406 00:20:39,665 --> 00:20:43,025 more problematic parts of that storyline. 407 00:20:43,505 --> 00:20:44,825 Emily: What? In Jane Eyre? 408 00:20:44,825 --> 00:20:49,250 Heidi: I know! I really enjoyed it and, but I think I would 409 00:20:49,310 --> 00:20:52,550 maybe have liked it even more if the author had kept the story in 410 00:20:52,550 --> 00:20:55,970 the first person, the way that Jane Eyre is written. I think it 411 00:20:55,970 --> 00:20:58,670 would have really boosted the emotional impact of the story, 412 00:20:58,670 --> 00:21:01,610 but that's just a minor quibble in an otherwise very 413 00:21:01,610 --> 00:21:02,330 entertaining read. 414 00:21:02,760 --> 00:21:05,400 Emily: Now the real question is, while you were reading, did you 415 00:21:05,400 --> 00:21:07,800 picture Edward as Michael Fassbender? 416 00:21:08,160 --> 00:21:08,760 Heidi: Yes, I did. 417 00:21:08,780 --> 00:21:11,360 Emily: Okay, okay, then I will definitely read this book and 418 00:21:12,020 --> 00:21:12,980 picture that as well. 419 00:21:14,480 --> 00:21:16,760 Heidi: I even looked up pictures of him to make sure I had it 420 00:21:16,760 --> 00:21:17,120 right. 421 00:21:19,100 --> 00:21:20,120 Emily: That's dedication. 422 00:21:20,240 --> 00:21:24,860 Heidi: That is it for today's episode. Try out some of these 423 00:21:24,860 --> 00:21:27,260 teacher approved ideas for celebrating the end of the 424 00:21:27,260 --> 00:21:30,560 school year with your class, and remember our teacher approved 425 00:21:30,560 --> 00:21:33,725 tip to make a visual display of your year together with your 426 00:21:33,725 --> 00:21:34,265 students. 427 00:21:34,265 --> 00:21:37,025 Emily: Do you know a teacher friend who may enjoy this 428 00:21:37,025 --> 00:21:40,085 episode? Sharing with a friend is the number one way you can 429 00:21:40,085 --> 00:21:43,085 help us reach new listeners, and we appreciate it so much. 430 00:21:45,125 --> 00:21:48,425 Heidi: We hope you enjoyed this episode of Teacher Approved. I'm 431 00:21:48,425 --> 00:21:48,965 Heidi. 432 00:21:49,085 --> 00:21:52,325 Emily: And I'm Emily. Thank you for listening. Be sure to follow 433 00:21:52,325 --> 00:21:54,890 or subscribe in your podcast app so that you never miss an 434 00:21:54,890 --> 00:21:55,250 episode. 435 00:21:55,250 --> 00:21:58,070 Heidi: You can connect with us and other teachers in the 436 00:21:58,070 --> 00:22:01,250 Teacher Approved Facebook group. We'll see you here next week. 437 00:22:01,430 --> 00:22:02,270 Bye for now. 438 00:22:02,270 --> 00:22:03,110 Emily: Bye.