Making it to the last day …
Before a workshop near Dallas, Texas, a visit to the Dirk Nowitzki statue!
Summer break is getting close! (At least for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere.)
Based on our “last day of school” thread in the DTT online community, it looks like lots are done in late May, but several have their last day of school in June.
PS: Have you joined our new online community? It’s free and it’s a great place to get ideas, to interact with other educators, and to share what works.)
PS #2: If you’ve joined the community, have you downloaded the mobile app? It’s the easiest way to interact and share on the go. Get it here: (iOS/Apple) (Android/Google)
I’m done on May 20 (next Wednesday) even though our official last day is May 21. (My final exams will all be complete on Wednesday!)
However, this week I took a quick detour! I hosted an AI workshop for the fantastic Innovative Teaching Coalition in Waxahachie, Texas. It’s right near Dallas, and my daughter (who just finished her second year in college) decided to tag along with dad! We spent Tuesday seeing sights in Dallas before the workshop Wednesday (including a quick photo above at the American Airlines Center where the Dallas Mavericks/Stars play). We head home today.
If you’re like me, you’re full speed ahead on wrapping up the school year — but also starting to think about the summer ahead.
In today’s newsletter, we have some fun tech-free activities to try — and a summer reading book recommendation — plus more!
Inside:
📙 Summer reading suggestion: AI for Educators
👀 DTT Digest: 4 resources worth checking out
👥 Community: Our best end-of-year projects
🎯 Quick Teaching Strategy: Academic “Minute to Win It” Game
💡 The Big Idea: 15 tech-free activities to try tomorrow
😄 Smile of the day: You can do it!
👋 How we can help
📙 Summer reading suggestion: AI for Educators
Want to understand the basics of AI, its implications on the classroom, and how you can use it?
My book, AI for Educators, is a quick read. It includes chapters on how AI impacts education, how it can be used in the classroom, how to navigate cheating and academic integrity, and what it means for the future.
Teachers have told me it’s been helpful to give them a baseline understanding — and others have used it as a book study with large groups.
AI for Educators will help you approach next school year better equipped and informed to understand this growing technology — and how it can support you in your work as a teacher.
👀 DTT Digest
4 teaching resources worth checking out today
🔐 End the year with a digital escape room — Need a filler for those rowdy afternoons? Try a digital escape room for 45 minutes of no-prep fun.
🎸 Rock the end of the year with Google — The end of the year is unique. Google tools can help! This post shares 20 ways to use them in class.
📚 A library full of resources — Did you know that Figma Edu has a library of FREE lessons, activities, and classroom templates, created by teachers for teachers? They’re perfect for community building and brain breaks this time of year. 🥳
ICYMI 💻 Creative Chromebook projects to try — This post contains 30 project ideas. Try one out -- at the end of the school year or any time. It may give your students a jolt of creativity that they need!
👥 FROM THE COMMUNITY 👥
📅 Our best end-of-year projects
Doug Showell’s students try to create an airbag with vinegar and baking soda.
After recently sharing 30 creative Chromebook projects to try at the end of the year in a recent newsletter, we asked our DTT online community …
What is your favorite end-of-year / end-of-semester project? (whether it’s on a Chromebook or not … techy or no-tech …)
They came up with some fantastic ideas! Below are three great ones … and you can read all of their responses inside our free online community!
View the post — Favorite end-of-year projects — to all the ideas
I loved having the out-going 8th graders use Google Vids this year to make a “Ted Talk” based on something they think teachers or adults should know.
Using a years worth of chemistry knowledge. My students build an airbag to save Ken and Barbie from a deadly crash! They calculate the amount of vinegar and baking soda needed to fill the bag. Then engineer a deployment system. This [posted in the community] is a slo mo version of an unsuccessful attempt. My room currently reeks of vinegar!!
When I taught 8th grade Science, I would have an end of the year Survival Game (Survivor without the voting off). This would last several days with a big prize at the end. They would work in groups to create pasta cars to race (think Pinewood Derby), review games, etc. Each day would have a different review activity leading up to their exams. It is one of the things students remind me of the most.
🎯 QUICK TEACHING STRATEGY 🎯
🎮 Academic Minute to Win It Game
Get ready for some fast-paced fun! These printable game cards contain 16 different “1 Minute to Win It” challenges. Each card lays out a fun one-minute task, with simple instructions and a quick rundown of the materials you’ll need to dive right into the action.
How to Play:
Setup: Prepare the materials needed for the chosen “Minute to Win It” challenge at each student’s designated area.
Question Time: Before a student can begin the physical challenge, they must answer a question posed by the game leader (teacher). The question should be age-appropriate and related to a topic you’ve covered in class.
Answering the Question:
The student has one chance to answer the question.
If the student answers the question correctly on the first try, they may proceed to the physical challenge.
If the student answers incorrectly, they must try to answer a new question. This process repeats until they answer a question correctly.
Winning:
The student continues with the physical challenge until either:
The one-minute timer expires.
They successfully complete the objective of the chosen game.
📅 More end-of-year games and activities
Grab 19 more ideas like these plus more Minute to Win It resources in this post 20 Low Prep End-of-Year Activities for Students.
💡 THE BIG IDEA 💡
🙋♂️ 15 tech-free activities to try tomorrow
Image created by Google Gemini
Technology helps us to access information, to create unique experiences, and to provide timely feedback. It can truly be a catalyst to great learning in the classroom.
But it isn’t everything! There’s a lot to be learned — and some variety to be had — when we turn off the devices and do something fun, unique, and creative together.
We have asked our Ditch That Textbook community over the years — via social media in the past and now in our new DTT online community — what no-tech activities they love to use.
Below are 7 creative tech-free activities they suggested that you can use in class tomorrow …
… and you can read more about them PLUS others in the full post!
1. Table-Top Graffiti Walls
Cover your student desks or tables in butcher paper. Pose a "big question" or a central theme in the middle of each table. Students move from table to table, "tagging" the paper with their thoughts, questions, or sketches. It turns the entire room into a collaborative, living document.
Shared by @mccartney2grade on Twitter/X
2. "Character Interviews" (The Hot Seat)
Instead of reading a biography, have one student "become" a historical figure or book character. Other students prepare and ask "juicy" interview questions. The student in the "Hot Seat" must answer based on their knowledge of the person’s life and motivations, fostering deep empathy.
Shared by @HowardKiyuna on Twitter/X
3. Academic Vocabulary ABC’s
Have students curate an ABC book of unit vocabulary. They define the word, use it in a sentence, and hand-illustrate the concept. It creates a colorful, personal reference they’ll actually want to keep.
Shared by Katie Natuzzi in the Ditch That Textbook Community
4. Interactive "Human Timelines"
Give each student a specific event or date on a piece of paper. Without talking (or with limited talking), students must organize themselves in the correct chronological order across the room. Once in line, they "present" their event to show how one led to the next.
Shared by @tamaraletter on Twitter/X
5. Survivor Style Review
Transform your final exam prep into a multi-day team competition where students work in "tribes" to complete daily hands-on challenges. Groups earn points by tackling curriculum-based tasks—like engineering pasta cars for a physics race—replacing the stress of exams with a memorable classroom tradition.
Shared by Tammy Applegate in the Ditch That Textbook Community
6. Guess Who? Review Game
Print boards featuring historical figures, novel characters, or artists. Slide them into plastic sleeve protectors and let students play using dry-erase markers. It’s a perfect, reusable review game that gets kids talking and comparing traits.
Shared by Danette Krueger in the Ditch That Textbook Community
7. The "Bill & Ted" Historical Cosplay
Have students select a historical figure and analyze how they would react to your local town in the present day. Students move beyond basic facts to provide a live "in-character" take on modern society. This encourages deep critical thinking as they imagine a person from the past navigating our world today.
Shared by Rimmey in the Ditch That Textbook Community
Want the full list of 15 ideas?
We've got 8 more tech-free activity ideas waiting for you, from Physical Instagram Stories to Blackout Poetry.
😄 Smile of the day
This meme goes out to all you teachers moving classrooms or having summer school in your room. We see you…
Source: Bonnie Kathryn Teaching via EducationtotheCore.com
👋 How we can help
There are even more ways I can support you in the important work you do in education:
Read one of my six books about meaningful teaching with tech.
Take one of our online courses about practical and popular topics in education.
Bring me to your school, district or event to speak. I love working with educators!
