Low-Prep and Engaging End of the Year Activities for Middle and High School Students

End-of-the-year activities for middle and high school English class can be fun, engaging and a great way to review the year's material, while at the same time, being creative and collaborative. One of the easiest ways to ensure all students in a class are engaged would be to offer a variety of options to cater to diverse preferences.

The end of the year is a time for celebration and fun and reflection, so let your students enjoy the process. By incorporating a combination of activities, you can create memorable and meaningful end-of-year experiences for your students. For younger years or to adapt to all learners in a classroom, simply adjust the complexity and scope of the activities based on your students' abilities.

Literary Trivia or Bingo

This an easy way to test your students' knowledge of the years readings in a fun and competitive way. Whenever I have played a Jeopardy game with my students, it usually lasts 30-40 minutes. I divide the class into 3-4 groups and then give them an opportunity to come up with a team name (just for added fun!) Each category of the game is titled based on novels or texts that we have read and the questions are simply facts about each category. It only takes a few minutes to create and it's worth the time based on the fun the class will have!

Book Swap

Another fun and easy way to engage all students would be to have each of them bring in a book that they enjoyed reading (as a class or individually) and participate in a book swap. Instead of actually exchanging books, students could each write down the titles and authors that may interest them for their summer or future class reading.

Interactive Games

Games and puzzles are a great way for a class to collaborate and celebrate. This End of the Year Escape Room does just that! This is great for the months of May and June (or even at semester turn around). In this escape room, students complete a variety of tasks using different skills, such as: problem-solving, reading comprehension, critical thinking and basic math. The best part? Different students will have different strengths in each area, so everyone truly participates in one way or another based on the skill needed for the particular task. Learn more about this resource HERE!

'Year in Review' Showcase

In this activity, students can create a visual or multimedia presentation summarizing their favorite pieces of work and skills throughout the year. This could be done via a poster, slideshow, video or even a play. This type of activity pairs very well with a final portfolio, where students compile their best work from the year. Check out this blog post that I wrote about why you should you try portfolios with your students!

Portfolio's are great because:

They measure student growth
They provide opportunities self-reflection
They provide opportunities for teacher reflection
They help promote organizational skills
They can guide future planning

Collaborative Novel

Students can work together to re-create a novel, short-story or play that they read during the semester. Not only is this fun to create, it also serves as a great keepsake for years to come. This end-of-the-year is a favorite for myself and my students. I wrote this blog post about how to complete the activity step-by-step.

While the project is quite informal in its presentation, the final outcome is very fulfilling! This project is posted in my TpT store, so if you're looking for a low-prep, but engaging activity to wrap up the school year, this might just be it! Click HERE to check it out in more detail.