Although many places have just finished Spring Break, plans for the end of the school year are top of mind for many teachers. Finishing the year strong, making sure students have learned the skills necessary to continue to the next level of Spanish with learner portfolios and Spanish projects, classroom organization for your language classroom, and Spanish curriculum updates are all things to consider as you look towards that finish line in May or June. It can seem overwhelming, but I am here with six easy things you can do to make this end of year – and back to school next year – as painless and productive as possible.
Prioritize What Matters Most
First of all, prioritize the things that matter most to you and your students. Making sure students have acquired the skill set they need for their current level and have the foundation in place for the next level should be the focus here. Reviewing and reinforcing should be the first priority. Keeping things as simple as possible for you is also a great idea so you can focus more energy on your students’ needs.
Keep Things Fun
Next, keep all that reviewing and reinforcing fun with learner portfolio projects! You can, of course, create your own projects to review the material you have covered. Alternatively, you can make things easier on yourself and use these learner portfolio review projects for Spanish 1 and Spanish 2. These comprehensive, full-year mastery projects will help you review your entire Spanish curriculum, but they allow student choice and autonomy as well. Son perfectos for finishing the year strong or starting the new year with fun review activities.
Use learner portfolio Spanish projects as easy end-of-year class activities to simplify your Spanish curriculum and make back-to-school easier!
Plan for Next Year
As we know, the end of the school year is also a great time to plan for next school year. You might consider:
- What changes will you make to your Spanish curriculum?
- Are there areas you feel are overemphasized?
- What about areas you feel need more focus?
- Which activities do your students want more of?
- Do any activities need a refresh?
Self reflection now can save a lot of time during the busy back to school season that we all know is coming.
Let Go of Things You Don’t Use
Part of planning for the next school year is letting go of things in your classroom or Spanish curriculum that no longer serve a purpose. The activities and supplies that you no longer turn to but have held onto “por si acaso” – letting go of all of that extra stuff will give you space to discover the next great thing for your classes. You might consider gifting or donating resources you aren’t using to teachers who can give them a second life.
Check for Resources You Need
This is also a great time to check your favorite Spanish teacher communities for things that are on your wish list. As they say, one teachers’s trash is another teacher’s treasure. Maybe someone else is letting go of exactly what you need for your classroom. It never hurts to see if you can find what you need for free or reduced cost – or reduced time investment.
Make Sure Your Curriculum is Organized
If you are looking for a quick way to organize your Spanish curriculum, ya lo sabes, profe – I have curriculum maps for Spanish 1 and Spanish 2. These maps give you timelines, content topics, related topics, cultural connections, grammar connections, and suggested assessment activities. Everything you need to get a big picture look at your Spanish classroom. Click on the links below to get either – or both – Spanish Curriculum Maps and sign up for my email list. I promise to send content with lots of value your way!
During the last few weeks of school, I use this list like a checklist to finish my Spanish classes strong this year and have a head start on back to school for next year. Prioritizing my time and sanity, as well as my students’ learning, seems like a win-win para todos!. I hope you will join me in the low-stress club!
