The End of Fifth Grade

The end of fifth grade is a special time.  For my students, it marks the end of their elementary school career.  The end of recess.  The end of being a "child" and the start of being a "teen" (or pre-teen).  It's a very emotional time, filled with field trips to middle schools, a moving up ceremony and a slide show of pictures throughout the year.  It's the start and end of something wonderful, so I want to make sure I end the year on the right emotional note.

Read Alouds:

It goes without saying that is must be read during the last week of school:

I love Dr. Seuss and the "Oh, the Places You'll Go" ties in quite well with fifth grader's emotions.

This goes along with First Day Jitters, which we read at the beginning of the year:

It'd be a nice read-aloud before our awards ceremony.



Gifts:

Money is tight as an educator and with three dozen students, I simply can't afford to purchase them individual gifts.  So instead, I opt for the heart-felt, home made gifts.

Wordle:
I have the students write their name on a piece of paper and pass it around to their classmates.  I then take their responses and create free wordles to pass out.

(To learn how to create wordles, visit this post.)  I usually laminate the wordles and have students sign the backs with sharpies as an alternative to a yearbook (since not all my students can afford a yearbook).

Pencils:

A practical, heart-felt gift that requires markers, cardstock and some creativity.

Bookmarks:

I love paint chip book marks and this would be a simple, meaningful gift:

 It's time to start crafting!