As the end of the school year approaches, it’s a good time to reflect on the school year with activities that are both fun and educational. Poetry and writing assignments are a great way for students to put their feelings and thoughts about the past year into words. The following are three poetry activities for students of all ages to take part in.
3 Writing Activities for the End of the School Year
Write an Ode to the School Year
An Ode is typically long, written with great emotion, and originally meant to be sung. After a brief lesson on the history and meaning of an ode, students can begin by brainstorming about all their favorite activities and fondest memories of the previous school year. This can be turned into a project that is worked on over the course of several days. Children can even work in pairs or small groups when creating their ode. Using colored pencils, each student can write their specific part of the poem with a single color. The result is a meaningful ode to the school year written by a variety of students in a rainbow of colors.
Fill in the Blank Poems
This is an activity that can be used for younger children who are just learning to read and write. A poem is already written except for the rhyming words at the end of each sentence. Poems can be about any event or learning activity the children have experienced throughout the year. A box of words to choose from can be located at the top of the paper. Choosing words from the same word family, such as spring, sing, and bring, will not only instill a love of poetry but also reinforce phonics skills. Display students’ poetry on a brightly colored bulletin board for all to see.
Create Musical Poetry
This can be used with children of all ages, but will work particularly well with students in middle and high school. Choose several of the top ten pop songs that are currently popular with the students. Without telling students the title, read the words to the song as a poem. Understanding lyrics from a poetic perspective is a fantastic way to expand a student’s grasp of language and poetry. Finally, the students can create their own rap or pop song poem about the school year.
More End of the School Year Ideas
If your second semester is coming to an end and both you and your students are looking forward to a break, check out these end of the school year celebration ideas. Not only will you find inspiration to make the end-of-the-year bash memorable and fun, but you’ll also give your students something to look forward to during these final months and weeks of the school year!
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