June Monthly Objectives: End of Year Review!

Image from Bespoke ELA

Each school year brings different challenges, twists and turns, so as the end of the school year approaches, it is an excellent opportunity for you and your students to reflect on accomplishments and growth over the year.

This June, use myBlueprint’s All About Me and Education Planner platforms to support reflection on the school year. Scroll and read today’s blog post to learn more!

K-6 Newsletter (or K-5)

Title: End of Year Review

When students look back at what they have done and think about what they did well, and what they could have done better, and identify new goals for moving forward, they celebrate their past achievements while developing a growth mindset.

Elena Aguilar said, “The opportunity to reflect on an experience is professional development — and boosts resilience.” As an educator, year-end self-reflections allow you to review the goals set for yourself and your class at the beginning of the school year and identify opportunities for growth and development for next year.

Here are four questions you may use to prompt student reflection:

1. What did you learn about yourself during the school year?
2. What one word would best describe this school year?
3. What is a new skill you learned this year?
4. How will you prepare yourself to succeed in the next academic year?

Tips to support a Growth Mindset using All About Me (K-6) Portfolio:

1. Have students review all previous S.M.A.R.T. Goals and reflect on how they achieved their goal OR how they refined their goal/action plan and why.
2. Have students write an About Me journal for what they want their next teacher to know about them (e.g., My skills, My interests, My fears, My expectations, a concern, a wish for next school year, etc.)
3. Create a Teacher Tag so that students can select and tag their 5 favourite memories and achievements from the year.
4. Have students add a journal entry to reflect on their favourite memory from this school year.

Implementation Ideas for JUNE!

1. Invite students to name their emotions. This could be overall, towards a specific prompt, or a situation. Invite them to add this to their All About Me portfolio (Add Box > Add Media > Add Audio or Video > add title #GetReal) and reflect on how others might feel during this time.
2. Help students mindfully build essential competencies — June’s focus is Adaptability. Adaptability is the ability to adjust to different or changing conditions or circumstances. Watch this month’s episode to learn more: S1E5 of Competencies without a Classroom. Use the Teacher Guide and Student Handouts to help guide the discussion.

7–12 Newsletter (or 8–12)

Title: End of Year Review

As an educator, you have likely set goals for yourself and your class at the beginning of the school year and developed positive strategies to overcome everyday challenges. Now is the perfect time to celebrate your accomplishments and identify opportunities for growth and development next year.

Likewise, the end of the school year is an excellent time for your students to reflect on their achievements, adaptability, and resilience. Students may reflect on the goals they set back in September and throughout the school year, while also highlighting the learning moments that stood out to them.

Reflecting on hard work and progress towards goals can inspire students to set new targets and develop a growth mindset. It’s helpful to encourage students to celebrate their unplanned successes as well.

Five questions you may use to prompt student reflection:

1. What did I learn about myself this academic year?
2. What areas/subjects have I made the most progress in?
3. Which concepts and skills do I feel most confident with now?
4. What lessons do I want to remember as I move to the next academic year?
5. How will I prepare myself to be successful in the next academic year?

Use these tips to support your students in using Education Planner for their End of Year review:

1. Have students review all previous S.M.A.R.T. Goals and reflect on how they achieved their goal OR how they refined their goal/action plan and why.
2. Have students add a journal entry in a Portfolio to share one thing they are most proud of accomplishing this school year or write a letter of advice to share something they learned with a student entering that grade next year.
3. Invite graduating students to complete the Transitioning to Post-Secondary Activity (5 things to do before you leave high school & 5 things to do the summer before you head out to post-secondary) and Portfolio Checklist.
4. Create the Teacher Tag #ExitInterview so students can select and tag their 5 favourite memories and achievements from the year in a Portfolio.
5. BONUS: Use your Student View to add a journal and share one way you’ve displayed adaptability this school year!

Implementation Ideas for JUNE!

1. Create an Exit Survey on myBlueprint (for Grade 7–12 students)
2. Use the Reports feature in your account to glean insights into your student population to help customise programs, courses, and events for the end of this academic year and in preparation for the new one
3. Help students mindfully build essential competencies — June’s focus is Adaptability. Adaptability is the ability to adjust to different or changing conditions or circumstances. Watch this month’s episode to learn more: S1E5 of Competencies without a Classroom. Use the Teacher Guide and Student Handouts to help guide the discussion.

Want to learn more? Email support@myBlueprint.ca, sign up for a drop-in webinar or watch our bite-sized video tutorials.