Ep 173: A Fun End-of-Year Activity You’ll Want to Do (A Literature Parade)

Thank goodness – the end of the school year is on the horizon! If you’re looking for an engaging reading activity to wrap up your year, take a listen to this episode, as Caitlin and Jessica talk about an awesome alternative to the book report: a literature parade!

Caitlin and Jessica will walk you through this activity, which will help you and your students create a special moment before you head out for summer break. Students will have so much fun reading self-chosen books, creating parade floats, and writing scripts, they won’t even realize that they’re learning or reviewing conflict, characterization, theme, and more!

So take a listen to learn how to prepare and implement this amazing reading experience. It’s engaging, rigorous, and even easy to grade! Best of all, it can bring your school community together in a great ELA learning experience.

Tune in now to hear:

• [01:20] It’s the time of year where both you and your students are counting down the days until summer break. Caitlin talks about the importance of leaning into engagement at the end of year
• [01:50] Bonus of the literature parade activity: it’s easy to grade!
• [02:30] Note to members of the EB Teachers’ Club: This resource comes out on April 27. You can save prep time by using your free coupon code to grab it
• [02:50] Jessica gives some background on the literature parade, which actually started in her 5th grade classroom as a social studies project
• [05:00] Think of the literature parade as a book report that your students actually want to do 
• [05:30] Jessica explains the simple prep you’ll want to to do in advance (like scheduling reading time for students and determining how students will get to choose what they read)
• [06:40] Another part to think about in advance: where and when you will host the parade
• [07:30] Set your students up for success by giving them items to focus on while they read (conflict, characterization, evidence, etc.). A graphic organizer will help immensely! (This is included in the EB resource, but you can also design your own)
• [08:20] Giving students a template to use as they write their float description (script) will help them to focus on the activity’s objectives and also keep the parade moving along smoothly with concise, organized descriptions
• [11:20] A good parade needs an audience! Hype up your activity with invitations that students send out to staff and/or family. Posters are a great idea, too!
• [12:40] The significance of creating this special moment for your students and the school community
• [31:50] If you do this amazing activity with your class, please tag us on Instagram at ebacademics to share your experience! If you’re an EB Teacher, share in our Facebook group and Instagram! We love hearing from you.

Click here to listen now!

Click here to watch on Youtube!

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