The final week of term has finally hoved into view (we shall not speak of the lucky souls already on holiday). You’re tired; pupils are tired; bubbles are bursting left, right and centre.
But there are still a few lessons to fill before sending your charges on their merry ways until September. So how should you ensure that this time is productive without resorting to a film? Here are some ideas that should ensure that you have a suitable “fun” end-of-term vibe - while still helping to boost pupils’ learning.
End-of-term lesson ideas
1. ‘Show what you know’ posters
Did I just say poster? Yes, yes, I did - but not the type of “poster lesson” we’ve come to recognise as a massive waste of time for everyone who isn’t explicitly teaching media studies.
A “show what you know” poster may well include the use of coloured pens and paired work, but the twist is that you’re looking for the key learning points from across the year - whether online or in person.
You can add a competitive element in the form of allowing a quick look back in the books or at the knowledge organisers beforehand. Extra cool points from you if these are good enough to be learning aids for your walls.
2. Retrieval clocks
Although I am a veteran of teaching, I have had the pleasure of working with wonderful trainees this year who have introduced me to a simple, yet effective activity: the retrieval clock.
A clock face is printed in the middle of a page, with the hour segments extended out to the edges to provide 12 “slices”. Each slice represents a five-minute slot in which pupils note down all that they can recall about a specific topic.
The real beauty of this is that 12 x 5 is a full 60-minute lesson with no input from you other than to display a countdown timer and state the topic for each slice.
3. Wider reading
Reading around a topic is vital for any subject, but often we overlook what’s in the news, which can be photocopied and discussed.
A quick peruse of a news website or internet search of your most recent topic is sure to throw up an engaging article that you can then read and discuss as a group.
Alternatively, search CommonLit - a free website with a whole host of articles that can be filtered by reading age, each of which has a handy comprehension quiz and discussion prompt included.
For example, having looked at the dystopia genre, my Year 8s will be reading and debating an article on the pros and cons of surveillance in our society in the next week.
4. Paired quizzing
In pairs, pupils use their exercise books, workbooks or knowledge organisers to prepare a “quiz of the year”. This can be focused on what they’ve just finished studying or divided into rounds.
You can get the pairs to test each other, pit girls against boys or even play “beat the teacher”.
5. A taste of what’s to come
Nothing can be more tantalising than a taste of what is to come - if you pitch it right.
So utilise this and prepare a taster session for the next topic that your pupils will learn about. Many of the topics we study have “big questions” around them - whether ethical, moral, philosophical or just plain intriguing. Hooking pupils into the fascinating topic in store for them when they return in September is a sure-fire way to end on a high.
A great way to structure this without giving away the structure of what you will be doing is to simply pose a question for “think, pair, share”. For example, if you’re starting with a study of Gothic fiction, you might pose the question “why are humans afraid of the dark?” and take it from there.
We’ve almost made it through another tough year, so making these final lessons useful, practical and enjoyable will be worth it.
Laura May Rowlands is head of English in a secondary school in Hampshire
