Last-Minute Lesson Plans for the End of the Year
Keep your students engaged with these summer-inspired lesson plans and activities
Ah, summer. It’s the perfect time of year for trips to the beach, backyard barbecues, and swimming in the pool. Every teacher is guilty of daydreaming about summer break. Some teachers even keep a secret calendar to count down the days until the end of the year (don’t worry, we won’t tell).
With only a few days left of school, we know it’s hard for teachers to keep students focused in class. (Who can blame them when they’ve got summer fever, too?) So, we’ve put together a list of last-minute lesson plans that you can easily implement into your class AND keep your kids engaged with these cool tech tools.
Tell Your Story!
Grades: 1, 2
Technology: ToonTastic
Want to animate your students about learning, even on the last day of school? One of the hottest tech tools in education right now is ToonTastic – a cartoon creation tool for storytelling and soundtrack creation. In this lesson plan, students create their own cartoon stories complete with soundtrack. You can ask your students to create a story about their perfect summer vacations, or favorite summer activities. It definitely beats watching a movie all day!
Virtual Dream Vacations – Travel 101
Grades: >12
Technology: Google Earth
We’re all dreaming about summer vacations, so why not take your students on a virtual one? In this lesson plan, students use Google Earth to visit cities all over the globe, from Paris to Milan to New York and Los Angeles. No passport necessary. Ask your students to choose a city that they’d like to visit this summer. Then, teach them how to create a virtual tour to present to their fellow classmates, or “travel companions.” It’s fun, easy, and free. Bon voyage!
Students Create Animated Avatars Using Voki
Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12
Technology: Voki
Voki Classroom is a fun, free service that lets your students create customized avatars with a voice function. In this lesson plan, students design and create a speaking avatar that uses text-to-speech to report on their favorite subjects and activities. You can easily add a summer theme by asking your students to describe their plans for the summer. Watch as your students have fun presenting their avatars to the entire class. It’s a great welcome back activity for the beginning of the year, too.