It feels like an understatement to say there’s a lot to do at the end-of-the-year at school. Sometimes it’s hard to keep track of everything, but it’s important for me to emphasize reflection at the end of the school year.
As an English teacher, I’m lucky that I can always encourage students to reflect through their writing. Sometimes student writing can be as revealing as a conversation. A journal can be a perfect place for students to collect their thoughts about their success and growth throughout the year.
Since the end of the year is stressful for everyone, I prefer low-stakes writing tasks. Students will take plenty of finals, so I like to keep reflection low-key. With that in mind, I want to share 5 of my favorite end-of-the-year journal prompts (and 4 alternatives if end-of-the-year journalling isn’t your thing).
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End-of-the-Year Journal Prompts
Since time is precious at the end of the school year, I am intentional about the end-of-the-year prompts I choose for students. First, I’m looking for prompts I think students will find engaging. However, I also want end-of-the-year prompts that are going to encourage students to think reflectively.
Over the years, I have tried different end-of-the-year journal prompts. However, these 5 have been tried-and-true. You’ll notice the prompts either make positive presumptions or engage in hypotheticals. Those two strategies seem to generate the most thoughtful responses from students.
- What parts of this school year made you feel proud? Why?
- What word would you choose to capture this school year? Why?
- If you were making a playlist to represent this school year, what songs would you include? Why?
- If you could make a memory book for this school year, what moments would you want to include? Why?
- What is something you want to leave behind in this school year? What is something you want to stop carrying?
Since these have been such successful end-of-the-year journal prompts for me, I wanted to share them with you. You can grab all 20 of my favorite End-of-the-Year Journal Prompts. They even come in Google Forms, so you can quickly make adjustments.
4 Alternatives to End-of-the-Year Journals
While I value end-of-the-year journals, sometimes you want to mix it up.
First, an End-of-the-Year Bucket List is a fun way to help students reflect on their goals. Sometimes I do a bucket list at the start of the year and bring that back out for students again at the end. It’s fun to see how students react to reading about themselves at the start of the year. As a teacher, it’s sometimes easier for me to see students’ growth than it is for them to see their progress, and this is a perfect way to make that clear for them!
Second, I like to ask students for classroom library recommendations at the end of this year. Students share what books they have read this year that they think I should add to the classroom library. This is a good way to keep my classroom library lively, fresh, and relevant.
If you’re looking for a more academic end-of-the-year activity, these two poems are good options:
- “The Summer Day” by Mary Oliver is a perfect end-of-the-year poem. The final question can be the perfect thing to send students with into their vacation. It’s the kind of question that lingers and sticks with readers long after the poem ends. Read it here.
- “Summer Morn in New Hampshire” by Claude McKay is a summertime snapshot. It captures small moments, and the quiet builds toward something breathtaking. After reading this poem, teachers can ask students to create their own end-of-the-year snapshot. Read it here.
