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May 17, 2022 · Leave a Comment

The Best End-of-the-Year Books

Classroom Community· End of the Year· English/Language Arts· Pictures Books

The end of the year is the perfect time to wrap up the school year with some amazing picture books! Here are my personal favorites that will help your students reflect on their memories and inspire them as they look to the future.

Disclosure: The links are affiliated links, meaning that I will earn a commission if you click through the links and make a purchase.

  1. A LETTER FROM YOUR TEACHER ON THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL by Shannon Olsen & Illustrated by Sandie Sonke – This is a wonderful book that reflects back on the school year filled with beautiful memories, teachable moments, and lessons learned together from a teacher’s perspective. It’s heartwarming and gives insights into the love of a teacher for her students.
  2. WHAT DO YOU DO WITH A CHANCE? by Kobi Yamada & Illustrated by Mae Besom- This beautifully written story follows a child as he follows his heart and sees the possibilities of what could happen if he learns to be brave and takes a chance.
  3. DEAR BOY by Paris Rosenthal AND Jason B. Rosenthal & Illustrated by Holly Hatam- Written as a companion to DEAR GIRL, this book offers sweet and meaningful advice to little boys as they grow and find their own path
  4. DEAR GIRL by Paris Rosenthal AND Jason B. Rosenthal & Illustrated by Holly Hatam- This book is truly a sweet and endearing love letter to little girls as they navigate through the journey in life and find their own voice and path.
  5. I WISH YOU HAPPINESS by Michael Wong & Illustrated by Baratashvili – A book filled with loving wishes for the reader no matter what path they may choose and luminous illustrations that will take your breath away.
  6. I BELIEVE I CAN by Grace Byers & Illustrated by Keturah A. Bobo- This book is perfect to remind students that they have agency, courage, and all that it takes to be the best version of themselves every day.
  7. I AM ONE (A BOOK OF ACTION) by Susan Verde & Illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds  – This is a lovely, inspirational book that reminds students that while each of them is only one person, they too can make a difference and a change.
  8. STICK AND STONE by Beth Ferry & Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld- Stick and Stone work together to help Stick search for his family. However, Stone learns that maybe, he has already found it all along.
  9. A LETTER TO MY TEACHER by Deborah Hopkinson & Illustrated by Nancy Carpenter- Written from a child’s perspective, this endearing story follows the footsteps of a student as she traces back the classroom memories that brought her joy and her teacher closer to her.
  10. LAST DAY BLUES by Julie Dunneberg & Illustrated Judy Love- Wrap the school year with the beloved teacher who had First Day Jitters to her last day of school as she experiences the last day blues.

For more End-of-the-Year activities and resources, click on the images below!

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Hello There!

My name is Ha. I am a Primary STEM teacher from Texas, a passionate educator of little ones, a teacher-author of interactive educational resources, a lover of Makerspace and STEM, a mother to two, a wife to my high school sweetheart and a forever learner. Welcome to my site!

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Ha ~ Happy Days in First Grade
Where are all of my Rainbow Bright teachers at?!!! Where are all of my Rainbow Bright teachers at?!!! 🌈🎉

Grab this Meet the Teacher slideshow now on Google Slides including the printable on SALE now for 24 hours! 🥰 Link in bio! https://bit.ly/3OMdCfx
🚨FLASH SALE for 24 hours!!! 🚨 Get a head st 🚨FLASH SALE for 24 hours!!! 🚨

Get a head start by snagging up this EDITABLE Farmhouse Slideshow for your Meet-the-Teacher Night and Back to School!!! 🥳

It has all the slides you need to introduce yourself to your students and it’s EDITABLE!!!! Buy now, edit later!🪴 

Snag it up now while it’s on SALE!!!Link in bio! https://bit.ly/3uqvW5T
Are you planning on doing a photo op for your stud Are you planning on doing a photo op for your students on Meet-the-Teacher Night?! 🌟

📣If so, here’s a fun and easy hack! 📣

Turn your anchor chart rack to a cute and easy photo op for your students using a glue stick and streamers! 🍎🎉

Pair with these FREE Speech Bubble Props for PreK-5th Grade! Link in bio! https://bit.ly/3jNdpMl
May we always carry the ideals of what make Americ May we always carry the ideals of what make America loving, kind, generous, and inclusive with us wherever we go and pass it onto our future generations. 🇺🇸

For a more perfect union, we will continue to put in the work, stay informed, and vote for the future that ALL of our children deserve. ❤️🤍💙
I believe in a loving and generous America- the Am I believe in a loving and generous America- the America that opened her arms and provided refuge to my family and allowed us to start anew and build our own American dreams.

I believe in the freedom that is the cornerstone of our democracy and the belief that we are all born FREE to make our own choices, walk our own path, and choose our own destiny wherever it may lead us.

I believe we are better when we are together, UNITED, and accepting of all Americans. 

I believe in these ideals that built our great country and the belief that ALL are welcome.

May all of our students always feel this way in our classroom and and in our schools. 

These activities can be found in the link in bio as part of the Back to School Activities currently on SALE. https://bit.ly/2TfR0w5
This activity right here is one of my favorite act This activity right here is one of my favorite activities for the beginning of the year! 🌟

I make a BIG speech bubble out of black butcher paper and cut out yellow circles for Emojis. ☺️😀😍🥳🤩😟😫

As one of the things on our class Scavenger Hunt during Meet-the-Teacher Night, the kids are asked to take one of the yellow circles and draw the face of an emoji that best describes how they feel about being a first grader. 

This activity is so simple and fun but gives me such information on how the kids are all feeling even before the first day of school!

Using this simple tool, I am able to address any anxiety or stress that they may have during our FIRST Morning Meeting! It’s so powerful to know even before school begins what I need to do to help ease them into first grade! 💕 

We also use the data collected for a graphing activity and then discuss what we can do to help make everyone feel happy and better. 

I love this activity and will definitely be doing this again this year! Swipe to see the before picture.

For the more Back-to-School activities, you can click to the link in bio to grab them on SALE for a limited time! https://bit.ly/2TfR0w5
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