Let’s Wrap This Up: A Guide to Packing Up Your Classroom

The end of the school year is exciting, but let’s be honest, it can also feel overwhelming when it’s time to pack up your classroom. Whether you’re changing grade levels, staying put, or simply heading into summer break, a smart system can make all the difference. Here’s a quick guide to wrapping up your classroom with less stress and more strategy:

1. Keep What You Need, Donate or Store the Rest

If you know what you’ll be teaching next year, save only the materials you’ll actually use. Be realistic. If it’s just taking up space or doesn’t fit your curriculum anymore, donate it, share it, or store it elsewhere. A lighter load now means an easier start later.

2. Declutter Like You Mean It

Go drawer by drawer, bin by bin. Broken crayons, dried-out markers, half-used notebooks—toss them. Old anchor charts you’ll never reuse? Recycle them. Decluttering now clears mental and physical space for a fresh start next year.

3. Pack by Category, Not Chaos

Stay organized by packing similar items together:

• All decor in one set of boxes

• All desk materials (like pens, staplers, sticky notes) in another

• All student supplies grouped neatly, this will make unpacking next year a breeze, and you’ll know exactly where everything is when you need it.

4. Organize and Label Everything

Label every box clearly on the top and at least one side. Be as specific as possible: “Bulletin Board Borders,” “Math Manipulatives,” “Teacher Desk Supplies.” Future You will be so thankful when it’s time to unpack!

5. Take Pictures of Your Classroom Layout

If you love your current classroom setup or theme, snap pictures before you start packing. It’s so much easier to recreate a bulletin board or desk arrangement when you have a visual guide. Plus, you can tweak it even better next year!

6. Make an Amazon Wish List for Next Year

As you pack, keep a running list of supplies you’ll need or want for the upcoming year. Set up an Amazon Wish List now so you—and even others who want to support your classroom—can start checking things off before school starts again.

7. Reflect: What Worked and What Didn’t?

Before you completely check out, take a few minutes to jot down what worked well this year and what you want to change. Was your classroom library a hit? Did your desk arrangement need tweaking? Reflection now can save you frustration later.

8. Prepare to Rest

Once your classroom is packed and organized, it’s time to rest, recharge, and celebrate everything you and your students accomplished this year. You’ve earned it!

Keep It Fresh! Engaging Test Prep Strategies

Test prep doesn’t have to be dull! While students need to practice the skills and question types they’ll see on the state test, drilling the same worksheets day after day can lead to disengagement. The key? Vary your approach to keep students on their toes while reinforcing essential skills.

Here are some dynamic, engaging strategies to make test prep both effective and exciting:

1. Turn Practice Questions into a Game 🎯

Instead of handing out another packet, make test review interactive:

• Kahoot! / Quizizz / Blooket: These online platforms turn multiple-choice practice into a competitive, fast-paced game.

• Jeopardy-Style Review: Create categories based on test sections (reading comprehension, writing, math problem-solving, etc.) and let students compete in teams.

• Basket Toss: Write questions on slips of paper and have students toss a ball into a basket before answering one.

2. Speed Rounds for Timed Practice ⏳

Students need to manage their time wisely on the test. Make it fun with speed challenges:

• Lightning Rounds: Set a timer for 1–3 minutes and have students answer as many questions as they can correctly.

• Team Relay: Split the class into groups, and have students take turns answering a question. The first team to finish (correctly) wins!

• “Beat the Teacher” Challenge: Give students a question and let them race against you to solve it.

3. Stations with a Purpose 🔄

Set up rotations where students practice different test-taking skills:

• Task Card Station: Break down practice questions into bite-sized challenges.

• Annotation Station: Give a reading passage and have students practice highlighting key details and making notes.

• Peer Coaching Station: Pair students to explain their reasoning for answers, reinforcing comprehension.

4. Think-Alouds & Strategy Talks 💡

Students often struggle with how to approach test questions. Model your thinking aloud:

• Walk through eliminating wrong answers in multiple-choice questions.

• Show how to break down a word problem step by step.

• Read a passage and model how to annotate effectively.

Then, let students practice doing their own “think-alouds” in partners or small groups.

5. Engaging Writing Practice ✍️

For writing tasks, make preparation interactive and structured:

• Story Scramble: Give students mixed-up sentences from a strong essay and have them rearrange them in logical order.

• Color-Coding Responses: Have students highlight different parts of their writing (claim, evidence, elaboration) to ensure their essays are complete.

• One-Sentence Expansions: Start with a basic sentence and challenge students to expand it with detail, evidence, or explanation.

6. Test-Taking Strategy Olympics 🏅

Make reviewing test-taking strategies a fun competition!

• Multiple-Choice Elimination Challenge: Give a tricky question, and have students work through eliminating wrong answers before selecting the best one.

• Brain Dump Race: Have students list as many test-taking tips as they can in one minute.

• Annotate & Defend: Give students a passage and let them compete to make the best annotations, justifying why their notes are effective.

7. Real-World Connections 🌍

Make test prep relevant by connecting it to students’ interests:

• Use song lyrics for figurative language practice.

• Analyze sports stats for math problems.

• Break down social media captions to practice sentence structure.

• Have students write “advice columns” on how to tackle test questions effectively.

Keep the Energy High!

The more variety in your test prep, the more engaged students will be. A mix of discussion, movement, games, and structured skill practice ensures they stay motivated while mastering what they need to know for the test.

What’s your favorite way to make test prep engaging? Drop your ideas in the comments!