May 15, 2025 • 16 mins
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!
The final weeks of school don't have to be a countdown to summer filled with movies and worksheets. This pivotal time offers a golden opportunity to help your students reflect on their journey and recognize just how far they've come in your classroom.
Ready to finish your year strong? Listen now to discover how intentional reflection can create the perfect bookend to your students' ELA journey.
Caitlin's Journaling Spotify Playlist:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6NTHZhBj1LwIvfRF5gAFd8?si=368bcb58b9084045
📗 6-Word Memoirs Examples:
- “Wrote an essay. Survived. Barely.”
- “I found my voice in writing.”
- “Books changed my brain this year.”
- “Started shy, ended loud and proud.”
- “I read. I wrote. I grew.”
- “Grammar still haunts my dreams. Help.”
- “I never liked reading… until now.”
📝 Example Prompts to Use in Hexagons:
- “A time I felt proud of my work…”
- “Something I learned about myself as a reader…”
- “One writing skill I improved this year…”
- “A story or book that stuck with me…”
- “A challenge I faced and overcame…”
- “What I’ll remember most about ELA…”
- “I used to think ___, but now I know ___.”
- “This year in one word: ____”
To stay connected with us about promotions, freebies, events, and professional development opportunities, Please join our EB Teacher's ELA Portal Priority List: ebteacher.com/portal
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well, hey there teachers, and welcome back to
the Teaching Middle School ELApodcast.
I am so glad you are here todaybecause we are talking about
something that really matters asthe school year winds down.
You know you've poured yourheart into teaching all year
long.
You've guided your studentsthrough stories that made them
think right, which is what welove about being English
teachers.
(00:20):
You forced them to write inways that perhaps stretched them
outside of their comfort zone,and perhaps there were lessons
that built their confidence bitby bit, and you just watched
them start to emerge into whothey're supposed to become like.
And that's the beauty of beingan ela teacher.
It's just such a remarkablesubject that we get to teach,
(00:42):
but now we are at the finishline, and so, before we send our
students off into summer,there's this little window of
time that we get to teach, butnow we are at the finish line,
and so, before we send ourstudents off into summer,
there's this little window oftime that we have that we can
help them stop, look back andrealize just how far they've
come in your class.
So today's episode is all aboutfresh, flexible ideas that are
meaningful, that are low prepand, most importantly, that are
(01:06):
going to be memorable for yourstudents at the end of the
school year.
So if you are looking for waysto make these final days
intentional without burningyourself out, then you are in
the right place.
And let's dive in to today'sepisode.
Hi there, ela teachers, caitlinhere.
Ceo and co-founder of EBAcademics, I'm so excited you're
(01:26):
choosing to tune into theTeaching Middle School ELA
podcast.
Our mission here is simple tohelp middle school ELA teachers
take back their time outside ofthe classroom by providing them
with engaging lessons, planningframeworks and genuine support
so that they can become the bestversion of themselves both
inside and outside of theclassroom.
(01:47):
And we do this every single dayinside the EB Teachers ELA
portal.
This is a special place we'vedeveloped uniquely for ELA
teachers to access every singlepiece of our engaging, fun and
rigorous curriculum so that theyhave everything they need to
batch plan their lessons usingour EB Teacher Digital Pl
planner that's built right intothe app.
(02:08):
Over the years, we've watchedas thousands of teachers from
around the world have foundsuccess in and out of the
classroom after using EBacademics programs, and we're
determined to help thousandsmore.
If you're interested inlearning more, simply click the
link in the podcast descriptionand, in the meantime, we look
forward to simply click the linkin the podcast description and,
(02:29):
in the meantime, we lookforward to serving you right
here on the podcast every singleweek.
All right, so we are diving intoone of my favorite kinds of
episodes creative classroomideas that you can actually use
during one of the busiestseasons of the year.
So today's episode is aboutfresh, creative reflection ideas
that will help your studentswrap up the year and really give
you that sense of closure, yourstudents that sense of pride
(02:52):
and ownership of their learningjourney.
Right, it's really.
These are great ideas to havelike a nice, like bookend at the
end of this chapter of theirlives, as opposed to just saying
goodbye.
So before we talk about strategyand ideas, I want to talk about
why and why reflection matters,especially now.
(03:12):
So obviously this time of year,students are very excited for
summer, they've already gottheir summer energy and I know
it's really really tempting tothrow on a movie, print out a
packet, really really temptingto throw on a movie, print out a
packet, whatever it might be,and just call it a day, but
reflection has so much power.
Even you as an adult, know howimportant it is to reflect on
(03:36):
your practices, to reflect onyour life, to reflect on periods
of challenges, of trial, right.
I went through this massivelyin the last year through my
divorce, through my healthchallenges, all of the things
that I had going on right Like Iwent through this massively in
the last year through my divorce, through my health challenges,
my all of the things that I hadgoing on Right.
And so reflection matters forour students too.
So when we give our studentstime and we give them the space
(03:57):
to really think about man, whatdid I just go through?
What did I read?
What did I write?
What did I learn?
How did I grow Not justacademically right, but
personally we are helping themmake meaning of their lives.
We're helping them make meaningof this 45 minutes that I spent
sitting in Mrs Mitchell's ELAclass.
(04:19):
Every single day, we're helpingthem realize something really,
really important, and that isthat they've grown, that they've
changed, and that school isn'tjust something that happens to
them.
It is something that they'veco-created, that they've
participated in and that they'veshaped.
(04:40):
And so this is your chance, atthe end of the school year, to
create a bridge between wherethey were, where they are and
where they're going.
So I'm going to give you acouple ideas that I think are
really neat for the end of theschool year that I highly
suggest that you use with yourstudents.
And if you do use any of these,please tag me on social media
(05:06):
at EB Academics so that can see,because I love to look into
your classroom, and if you're anEB teacher, put this in our
Facebook group inside of ourcommunity.
Okay, the first couple are verysimple and then they get like
deeper and deeper as they go on,all right.
So idea number one and thisone's really cute is a class
timeline gallery walk.
So, instead of summarizing likea book or a unit, or have your
class create a class timelinegallery walk.
So, instead of summarizing likea book or a unit, or have your
class create a collaborativetimeline of something that
(05:29):
they've read or a literary piece.
They're actually going to dothis for the entire school year.
So each student in your classis going to pick out one moment
from the year that stands out tothem.
Maybe it's a specific lesson ora specific story, or a specific
class discussion, or a specificfield trip, or just a specific
(05:49):
moment in time that they had inyour class and they're going to
illustrate it and write a shortdescription of it, why they
chose that as, like, the onemoment that they want to put on
the class timeline, and thenyou're going to post it on a
timeline that spans yourclassroom.
So, however you choose to, um,display this in your room, right
(06:13):
, and then your students can doa gallery walk and see what
everybody else put and come backand discuss and reflect as a
class.
So this is such a great visualway, right, to review, review
the year.
But it also gives every studenta moment of ownership, like
they all got to participate inthis, and it also shows how much
(06:33):
you guys all accomplishedtogether.
So that's idea number one.
Idea number two is simple, but Ilove it.
Oh my gosh, I love it so much.
I hope you all do this.
It is a playlist of the year,so your students are going to
curate a soundtrack for theschool year.
So every student is going tochoose one song that represents
(06:54):
a moment or a theme from class.
So it can't just be like theirfavorite song, right, it has to
be something that has meaning,something that represents
something, um, so it's not justsome random.
Oh, I love this song and I wantto throw it in Right.
I'm thinking of one that Imentioned in a past Sunday stack
newsletter um, by Chance Penathe Mountain.
(07:16):
Is you right?
That would be a song for mylast year, for my 38th year of
my life, because, holy cow,right?
It represents so much to me.
So it's something that yourstudents really have to be
thoughtful about.
So not only are they picking asong, but they're going to write
a short explanation as to whythey chose it.
They can either link it to likea character or one of the
(07:36):
stories, but really like thiscould probably have the most
impact by having them link it totheir own personal growth.
Now here's where it gets evenmore fun.
You can take this and create areal playlist on Spotify.
Obviously, you want to makesure it's school appropriate,
but put it on Spotify, share itwith families, include it in the
end of the year email.
That is such a fun modern twiston a reflection project and
(08:00):
your students are going to havethat playlist for forever.
Like I think back to gosh whenI was in high school and we
would make burn CDs right off ofLimeWire of our favorite songs,
right, and it's like fall 2024.
I don't know if any of you guysname your playlists that, but
(08:20):
that's what I named mine, right?
And so this is your class'scurated soundtrack for the year.
So cool, love that idea, allright.
Idea number three pretty simple,always brings a smile, though
is to host a mini awards show inyour classroom.
But students are nominatingbooks, characters or even
(08:41):
writing pieces for differentawards.
So you can ask ChatGPT to comeup with superlatives or award
titles to use, and that makes itsuper, super low prep for you.
But you're thinking things likemost likely to inspire a sequel
.
So which book would that be?
Or a character I'd want as abest friend, or a plot twist of
(09:01):
the year.
So it's not about your studentsper se, it's about the texts
that you guys have read, and sothen students can obviously
submit votes anonymously.
You could do this in a Googleform, whatever it might be.
Maybe students create littlecertificates or slides or
whatever it might be.
Um, but it's a celebration ofthe stories that you guys read,
and really it's a reflectiontool, kind of in disguise.
(09:23):
Okay, idea number four Lovethis one.
You've probably heard of itbefore, some of you have
probably done it, but it's worthrepeating is a six word memoir
for students journey throughoutthe year.
So it is powerful, but it'squick.
So, essentially, the idea isexactly what it sounds like
You're going to ask students towrite a six word memoir or
(09:44):
reflection that captures theirexperience in your ELA class
this year.
So they can be funny, they canbe heartfelt, they can be poetic
, they can be honest Anythingthat feels true to who they are
right.
So I'm going to put someexamples in the show notes for
you that I came up with, butI'll share some of them with you
right now too.
Wrote an essay, survived barely.
(10:05):
I found my voice in writing.
Books changed my brain.
This year started shy, endedloud and proud.
I read, I wrote, I grew.
I never liked reading until now, so things like that.
(10:26):
So you teach your directionsfor you guys, introduce the
concept, explain what a six wordmemoir is.
It's a super short, powerfulway to sum up their experience
or their journey through theyear.
Only six words, that's it,nothing else.
Um, you can share examples.
You can use the ones that Ijust um set out loud to you.
(10:47):
I'll put those in the shownotes.
Uh, you want to give studentstime to brainstorm, right?
Maybe put some music on Um.
I can include my journalingplaylist for you guys in the
show notes.
I love it.
I think I've put it in a pastpodcast episode for you too, um
and have them draft their memoir.
They can put it on anythingthat you want.
You can put it on index cardsthat they design, um and like,
(11:08):
decorate and hang those uparound the room.
However you choose to do this,you can get super creative, and
then I would have studentsvolunteer to read theirs out
loud.
You can post them around theclassroom afterwards too.
Whatever it is that you want todo along those lines, it could
even be a fun bulletin board forthe end of the school year.
Okay, next one.
I think this is the last one.
(11:28):
Yeah, this is the last one,okay, so last idea reflection
hexagons.
So we know hexagonal thinkingor hexagonal thinking.
This is like that, but it'smore based on reflection than
anything.
So we are going to takehexagonal thinking and put this
reflection lens on it.
(11:49):
So, instead of connectingcharacters or themes, students
are going to reflect on theirELA journey by responding to
prompts inside of the hexagonsinstead.
So then students will connecttheir hexagons with each other's
based on shared experiences,and this will create, like that
meaningful visual web of all oftheir learning, all of their
(12:10):
growth and how really importantwe're all connected, right?
So I'm going to put someexamples of prompts to use in
the hexagons in the show notesfor you guys.
But there are things like atime I felt proud of my work,
one writing skill I improvedthis year, what I'll remember
most about ELA, et cetera, andI'm going to give you directions
(12:30):
now for how to actually, likeexecute on this.
So, number one you'll prep thehexagon.
So print out hexagon templates.
You can use colorful paper thatmakes it look a little bit
prettier, right, when we'rehanging it up.
Um, you want to have hexagonsthat are relatively larger,
since students are going to bewriting reflections on them.
So I would do like five to sixinches maybe.
Um, choose your prompts, sopick, you know, five or so
(12:54):
reflection prompts and eitherassign them or let students
choose their favorites, and youcan either print different
prompts on each hexagon or printthe blank hexagons.
Um, and display the prompts onthe board for students to write
the prompts onto the hexagonsthat you gave them.
So you don't have to, like, doa ton of prep.
If you do it that way.
Okay, then you're going to givestudents like 15 to 20 minutes
(13:16):
of writing time.
So students are going to writetheir responses and complete
sentences inside each hexagonand you want to encourage
students to be honest, to becreative.
Maybe they even do a littledrawing on their hexagon, right?
They can illustrate them ordecorate them if they have time.
Whatever it might be, okay.
So that's the first kind oflike setup.
But now we're going to connectthe hexagons and that's where
(13:39):
the collaboration comes intoplay.
So, once all the hexagons aredone, you're going to ask
students to walk around and lookfor connections.
They're going to place theirhexagons next to others that
relate to a similar theme, asimilar moment, a similar
feeling, and they can use tape,magnets, sticky tacks or however
you choose to do this on awhiteboard or a wall, pushpins,
(14:02):
whatever.
And what you'll start to seeare clusters of shared
experiences Students who grew inwriting, students who overcame
speaking fears, students whodiscovered a love of reading and
it's so special because itbecomes this beautiful visual
representation of the class'scollective journey Like this is
(14:25):
how we are all connected.
We are all intertwined right Inthis experience from this year
together.
So some bonus ideas for this.
You can let students read eachother's reflections with like an
interactive gallery walk, andyou can have them walk around
with sticky notes and addcompliments to their classmates
(14:45):
written responses.
You would also do this in adigital version, although I
think it's going to be a lotmore beautiful and more
meaningful and touch them moredeeply if it is visual in person
.
And then what's cool is you canactually keep it up for next
year, right?
So at the beginning of theschool year next year, like this
could be your welcome backbulletin board.
(15:05):
Like this is what last year'sclass experienced together and
this is what I'm excited to getto experience with you this year
.
So it's like future pacing yournext year's class.
Okay, all right.
So I hope today's episodesparked some ideas that you're
excited to try.
Whether you go with one of these, maybe you use some of them,
(15:25):
maybe you use it as inspirationand you come up with your own
spin on it.
I just want you to rememberthis your students are going to
remember how they finished yourclass.
It doesn't have to be fancy, itjust has to be intentional.
Let your students see just howfar they've come.
(15:46):
Give them a moment to feelproud before they walk out of
your door for the last time.
Okay, all right.
Thank you so much for listeningto the podcast.
If this episode gave you afresh idea, I would love it.
If you would please take just30 seconds to leave a quick
review on iTunes.
It helps us reach more teachers, just like you, and it means
(16:09):
the world to us at EB.
All right, until next time.
Keep showing up with heart,keep teaching with purpose.
Love you guys.
Well, hey there teachers, and welcome back to
the Teaching Middle School ELApodcast.
I am so glad you are here todaybecause we are talking about
something that really matters asthe school year winds down.
You know you've poured yourheart into teaching all year
long.
You've guided your studentsthrough stories that made them
think right, which is what welove about being English
teachers.
(00:20):
You forced them to write inways that perhaps stretched them
outside of their comfort zone,and perhaps there were lessons
that built their confidence bitby bit, and you just watched
them start to emerge into whothey're supposed to become like.
And that's the beauty of beingan ela teacher.
It's just such a remarkablesubject that we get to teach,
(00:42):
but now we are at the finishline, and so, before we send our
students off into summer,there's this little window of
time that we get to teach, butnow we are at the finish line,
and so, before we send ourstudents off into summer,
there's this little window oftime that we have that we can
help them stop, look back andrealize just how far they've
come in your class.
So today's episode is all aboutfresh, flexible ideas that are
meaningful, that are low prepand, most importantly, that are
(01:06):
going to be memorable for yourstudents at the end of the
school year.
So if you are looking for waysto make these final days
intentional without burningyourself out, then you are in
the right place.
And let's dive in to today'sepisode.
Hi there, ela teachers, caitlinhere.
Ceo and co-founder of EBAcademics, I'm so excited you're
(01:26):
choosing to tune into theTeaching Middle School ELA
podcast.
Our mission here is simple tohelp middle school ELA teachers
take back their time outside ofthe classroom by providing them
with engaging lessons, planningframeworks and genuine support
so that they can become the bestversion of themselves both
inside and outside of theclassroom.
(01:47):
And we do this every single dayinside the EB Teachers ELA
portal.
This is a special place we'vedeveloped uniquely for ELA
teachers to access every singlepiece of our engaging, fun and
rigorous curriculum so that theyhave everything they need to
batch plan their lessons usingour EB Teacher Digital Pl
planner that's built right intothe app.
(02:08):
Over the years, we've watchedas thousands of teachers from
around the world have foundsuccess in and out of the
classroom after using EBacademics programs, and we're
determined to help thousandsmore.
If you're interested inlearning more, simply click the
link in the podcast descriptionand, in the meantime, we look
forward to simply click the linkin the podcast description and,
(02:29):
in the meantime, we lookforward to serving you right
here on the podcast every singleweek.
All right, so we are diving intoone of my favorite kinds of
episodes creative classroomideas that you can actually use
during one of the busiestseasons of the year.
So today's episode is aboutfresh, creative reflection ideas
that will help your studentswrap up the year and really give
you that sense of closure, yourstudents that sense of pride
(02:52):
and ownership of their learningjourney.
Right, it's really.
These are great ideas to havelike a nice, like bookend at the
end of this chapter of theirlives, as opposed to just saying
goodbye.
So before we talk about strategyand ideas, I want to talk about
why and why reflection matters,especially now.
(03:12):
So obviously this time of year,students are very excited for
summer, they've already gottheir summer energy and I know
it's really really tempting tothrow on a movie, print out a
packet, really really temptingto throw on a movie, print out a
packet, whatever it might be,and just call it a day, but
reflection has so much power.
Even you as an adult, know howimportant it is to reflect on
(03:36):
your practices, to reflect onyour life, to reflect on periods
of challenges, of trial, right.
I went through this massivelyin the last year through my
divorce, through my healthchallenges, all of the things
that I had going on right Like Iwent through this massively in
the last year through my divorce, through my health challenges,
my all of the things that I hadgoing on Right.
And so reflection matters forour students too.
So when we give our studentstime and we give them the space
(03:57):
to really think about man, whatdid I just go through?
What did I read?
What did I write?
What did I learn?
How did I grow Not justacademically right, but
personally we are helping themmake meaning of their lives.
We're helping them make meaningof this 45 minutes that I spent
sitting in Mrs Mitchell's ELAclass.
(04:19):
Every single day, we're helpingthem realize something really,
really important, and that isthat they've grown, that they've
changed, and that school isn'tjust something that happens to
them.
It is something that they'veco-created, that they've
participated in and that they'veshaped.
(04:40):
And so this is your chance, atthe end of the school year, to
create a bridge between wherethey were, where they are and
where they're going.
So I'm going to give you acouple ideas that I think are
really neat for the end of theschool year that I highly
suggest that you use with yourstudents.
And if you do use any of these,please tag me on social media
(05:06):
at EB Academics so that can see,because I love to look into
your classroom, and if you're anEB teacher, put this in our
Facebook group inside of ourcommunity.
Okay, the first couple are verysimple and then they get like
deeper and deeper as they go on,all right.
So idea number one and thisone's really cute is a class
timeline gallery walk.
So, instead of summarizing likea book or a unit, or have your
class create a class timelinegallery walk.
So, instead of summarizing likea book or a unit, or have your
class create a collaborativetimeline of something that
(05:29):
they've read or a literary piece.
They're actually going to dothis for the entire school year.
So each student in your classis going to pick out one moment
from the year that stands out tothem.
Maybe it's a specific lesson ora specific story, or a specific
class discussion, or a specificfield trip, or just a specific
(05:49):
moment in time that they had inyour class and they're going to
illustrate it and write a shortdescription of it, why they
chose that as, like, the onemoment that they want to put on
the class timeline, and thenyou're going to post it on a
timeline that spans yourclassroom.
So, however you choose to, um,display this in your room, right
(06:13):
, and then your students can doa gallery walk and see what
everybody else put and come backand discuss and reflect as a
class.
So this is such a great visualway, right, to review, review
the year.
But it also gives every studenta moment of ownership, like
they all got to participate inthis, and it also shows how much
(06:33):
you guys all accomplishedtogether.
So that's idea number one.
Idea number two is simple, but Ilove it.
Oh my gosh, I love it so much.
I hope you all do this.
It is a playlist of the year,so your students are going to
curate a soundtrack for theschool year.
So every student is going tochoose one song that represents
(06:54):
a moment or a theme from class.
So it can't just be like theirfavorite song, right, it has to
be something that has meaning,something that represents
something, um, so it's not justsome random.
Oh, I love this song and I wantto throw it in Right.
I'm thinking of one that Imentioned in a past Sunday stack
newsletter um, by Chance Penathe Mountain.
(07:16):
Is you right?
That would be a song for mylast year, for my 38th year of
my life, because, holy cow,right?
It represents so much to me.
So it's something that yourstudents really have to be
thoughtful about.
So not only are they picking asong, but they're going to write
a short explanation as to whythey chose it.
They can either link it to likea character or one of the
(07:36):
stories, but really like thiscould probably have the most
impact by having them link it totheir own personal growth.
Now here's where it gets evenmore fun.
You can take this and create areal playlist on Spotify.
Obviously, you want to makesure it's school appropriate,
but put it on Spotify, share itwith families, include it in the
end of the year email.
That is such a fun modern twiston a reflection project and
(08:00):
your students are going to havethat playlist for forever.
Like I think back to gosh whenI was in high school and we
would make burn CDs right off ofLimeWire of our favorite songs,
right, and it's like fall 2024.
I don't know if any of you guysname your playlists that, but
(08:20):
that's what I named mine, right?
And so this is your class'scurated soundtrack for the year.
So cool, love that idea, allright.
Idea number three pretty simple,always brings a smile, though
is to host a mini awards show inyour classroom.
But students are nominatingbooks, characters or even
(08:41):
writing pieces for differentawards.
So you can ask ChatGPT to comeup with superlatives or award
titles to use, and that makes itsuper, super low prep for you.
But you're thinking things likemost likely to inspire a sequel
.
So which book would that be?
Or a character I'd want as abest friend, or a plot twist of
(09:01):
the year.
So it's not about your studentsper se, it's about the texts
that you guys have read, and sothen students can obviously
submit votes anonymously.
You could do this in a Googleform, whatever it might be.
Maybe students create littlecertificates or slides or
whatever it might be.
Um, but it's a celebration ofthe stories that you guys read,
and really it's a reflectiontool, kind of in disguise.
(09:23):
Okay, idea number four Lovethis one.
You've probably heard of itbefore, some of you have
probably done it, but it's worthrepeating is a six word memoir
for students journey throughoutthe year.
So it is powerful, but it'squick.
So, essentially, the idea isexactly what it sounds like
You're going to ask students towrite a six word memoir or
(09:44):
reflection that captures theirexperience in your ELA class
this year.
So they can be funny, they canbe heartfelt, they can be poetic
, they can be honest Anythingthat feels true to who they are
right.
So I'm going to put someexamples in the show notes for
you that I came up with, butI'll share some of them with you
right now too.
Wrote an essay, survived barely.
(10:05):
I found my voice in writing.
Books changed my brain.
This year started shy, endedloud and proud.
I read, I wrote, I grew.
I never liked reading until now, so things like that.
(10:26):
So you teach your directionsfor you guys, introduce the
concept, explain what a six wordmemoir is.
It's a super short, powerfulway to sum up their experience
or their journey through theyear.
Only six words, that's it,nothing else.
Um, you can share examples.
You can use the ones that Ijust um set out loud to you.
(10:47):
I'll put those in the shownotes.
Uh, you want to give studentstime to brainstorm, right?
Maybe put some music on Um.
I can include my journalingplaylist for you guys in the
show notes.
I love it.
I think I've put it in a pastpodcast episode for you too, um
and have them draft their memoir.
They can put it on anythingthat you want.
You can put it on index cardsthat they design, um and like,
(11:08):
decorate and hang those uparound the room.
However you choose to do this,you can get super creative, and
then I would have studentsvolunteer to read theirs out
loud.
You can post them around theclassroom afterwards too.
Whatever it is that you want todo along those lines, it could
even be a fun bulletin board forthe end of the school year.
Okay, next one.
I think this is the last one.
(11:28):
Yeah, this is the last one,okay, so last idea reflection
hexagons.
So we know hexagonal thinkingor hexagonal thinking.
This is like that, but it'smore based on reflection than
anything.
So we are going to takehexagonal thinking and put this
reflection lens on it.
(11:49):
So, instead of connectingcharacters or themes, students
are going to reflect on theirELA journey by responding to
prompts inside of the hexagonsinstead.
So then students will connecttheir hexagons with each other's
based on shared experiences,and this will create, like that
meaningful visual web of all oftheir learning, all of their
(12:10):
growth and how really importantwe're all connected, right?
So I'm going to put someexamples of prompts to use in
the hexagons in the show notesfor you guys.
But there are things like atime I felt proud of my work,
one writing skill I improvedthis year, what I'll remember
most about ELA, et cetera, andI'm going to give you directions
(12:30):
now for how to actually, likeexecute on this.
So, number one you'll prep thehexagon.
So print out hexagon templates.
You can use colorful paper thatmakes it look a little bit
prettier, right, when we'rehanging it up.
Um, you want to have hexagonsthat are relatively larger,
since students are going to bewriting reflections on them.
So I would do like five to sixinches maybe.
Um, choose your prompts, sopick, you know, five or so
(12:54):
reflection prompts and eitherassign them or let students
choose their favorites, and youcan either print different
prompts on each hexagon or printthe blank hexagons.
Um, and display the prompts onthe board for students to write
the prompts onto the hexagonsthat you gave them.
So you don't have to, like, doa ton of prep.
If you do it that way.
Okay, then you're going to givestudents like 15 to 20 minutes
(13:16):
of writing time.
So students are going to writetheir responses and complete
sentences inside each hexagonand you want to encourage
students to be honest, to becreative.
Maybe they even do a littledrawing on their hexagon, right?
They can illustrate them ordecorate them if they have time.
Whatever it might be, okay.
So that's the first kind oflike setup.
But now we're going to connectthe hexagons and that's where
(13:39):
the collaboration comes intoplay.
So, once all the hexagons aredone, you're going to ask
students to walk around and lookfor connections.
They're going to place theirhexagons next to others that
relate to a similar theme, asimilar moment, a similar
feeling, and they can use tape,magnets, sticky tacks or however
you choose to do this on awhiteboard or a wall, pushpins,
(14:02):
whatever.
And what you'll start to seeare clusters of shared
experiences Students who grew inwriting, students who overcame
speaking fears, students whodiscovered a love of reading and
it's so special because itbecomes this beautiful visual
representation of the class'scollective journey Like this is
(14:25):
how we are all connected.
We are all intertwined right Inthis experience from this year
together.
So some bonus ideas for this.
You can let students read eachother's reflections with like an
interactive gallery walk, andyou can have them walk around
with sticky notes and addcompliments to their classmates
(14:45):
written responses.
You would also do this in adigital version, although I
think it's going to be a lotmore beautiful and more
meaningful and touch them moredeeply if it is visual in person
.
And then what's cool is you canactually keep it up for next
year, right?
So at the beginning of theschool year next year, like this
could be your welcome backbulletin board.
(15:05):
Like this is what last year'sclass experienced together and
this is what I'm excited to getto experience with you this year
.
So it's like future pacing yournext year's class.
Okay, all right.
So I hope today's episodesparked some ideas that you're
excited to try.
Whether you go with one of these, maybe you use some of them,
(15:25):
maybe you use it as inspirationand you come up with your own
spin on it.
I just want you to rememberthis your students are going to
remember how they finished yourclass.
It doesn't have to be fancy, itjust has to be intentional.
Let your students see just howfar they've come.
(15:46):
Give them a moment to feelproud before they walk out of
your door for the last time.
Okay, all right.
Thank you so much for listeningto the podcast.
If this episode gave you afresh idea, I would love it.
If you would please take just30 seconds to leave a quick
review on iTunes.
It helps us reach more teachers, just like you, and it means
(16:09):
the world to us at EB.
All right, until next time.
Keep showing up with heart,keep teaching with purpose.
Love you guys.
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