Seven Steps to a Happy Last Day of School - Part 6: Meet with each child

Hopefully, you're getting report cards done and getting packed up with minimal stress, since that last day is coming soon.

It's all crazy, I know, but the kids make it all worth it, and that last day should be all about them!

You can read about Step One here:  Read Your Favorite Book. 

You can read about Step Two here:Leave Out a Few Favorite Games. 

You can read about the third strategy here: Keep Out a Few Decks of Playing Cards.

You can read about Step Four here: Keep Out a Handful of Whiteboards, Markers, and Erasers.

Read Step Five here: Make Sure They Have Something to Read!

I know, that's not easy when there are a whole bunch of them, and they all want attention! But there are ways to do it! 

I like to use as much routine as I can on that last day.  Although I don't do any Guided Reading groups during the last few days, I organize my day the same way.

This blog post tells how I organize my groups during Guided Reading time:

Organizing Literacy Centers.

Although some of the options just don't work on the last day of school, I do use my literacy center cards to help organize things. You can find those as a freebie here: Literacy Center Cards Freebie.

I might set up a few stations to go with the things I've kept out for the kiddos: (The freebie doesn't have cards for all these, but you can use the blank cards.)

Reading 

Whiteboards

Games

Playing Cards

Work With Teacher

At the reading station, they can read any picture books I've kept out, or memory books. (See Step 5.)

At the Whiteboards station, they can play hangman or dictate sentences to one another. (See Step 4.)

At the games station, they can play the games I've left out. (See Step 2.)

At the Playing Cards station, they can play Salute, or Twenty-One. (See Step 3.)

What happens at the Work with Teacher Station? This is where you can give them individualized time! I've been known to play Apples to Apples with the children and laugh a lot. It's a great way to spend our last day together!

Another option?  Have no "Work With Teacher" station, and circulate throughout the classroom meeting with the children one at a time. I always make sure I ask questions about summer plans and make sure they know I'll be thinking about them!

This is your last crack at them... make it count!

Tomorrow we'll have the last of 7 Steps to a Happy Last Day of School!

Organizing Literacy Centers

I work with 2 of my 3 reading groups daily. What do I do with my other students?

Many teachers use the Daily 5, and have some great ways to organize the 5 choices.

My district has some specific guidelines on how we spend our reading time, but we can be flexible within those guidelines.

Every child must have Independent Reading daily.  That's easy! Reading groups need to meet so many times per week, with the lowest group meeting daily.

I use little cards with magnets on the back. At the beginning of the year, I teach the children the meaning of each card, and introduce them one at a time. We start with Independent Reading, then move on to the others.

Some people call these Centers, or Learning Centers. I call them Stations. I don't know why!

I have a section of my whiteboard in the front of the room that's always about literacy stations. On some days, it might look like this:

The children know that the first row of cards tells where the children go for the first station.  In my classroom, instead of "Group 1, Group2, and Group 3", I have the children's individual names on magnets.  I do change my groups often, depending on the needs of my students.  

I also have one child starred per group, per day. The starred child is in charge of handing out pillows for Independent Reading.  (I try to make this time as special as possible... who doesn't love curling up with a comfy pillow and a good book?)

In the above picture, for the first station, I'm working with Group 1, while Group 2 does word work, and Group 3 has Independent Reading. After a while, I switch the groups, and I'll have 2 groups at Independent Reading while I work with the third group.

Or it might look something like this.

In the red example, I work with Group 1, while Group 2 has Independent Reading.  Group 3 has their reading time at the Library. Later, I work with Group 3, while Group 2 has Independent Reading and Group 2 works at assigned computer activities.

On a day where I have to work with individuals, it might look like this, where I only teach one reading group.

For the first station, I work with Group 2 while Group 1 has Partner Reading and Group 3 has Independent Reading.  Later, I have 2 groups at Independent Reading and Group 3 has a written reading assignment. This is the time I would pull individuals for reading or writing conferences.

Here's a little freebie with some of the cards I use:
Literacy Center Cards Freebie

If you like this freebie, you might enjoy this full set of Guided Reading Management: 

How do you organize your students for reading?