ABC Countdown

The end of the year is here! I know so many of you have already begun your countdowns but I wanted to share a few more ideas with all of you that I ran across in several classes during my last practicum.

Have you heard of the ABC End of the Year Count Down? It is such a great idea! I love this! =)

Each day you have a special end of the year activity to do beginning with a specific letter of the alphabet. One of the classes I was in used the book "Let Us Draw" by Frank Webb to turn the letter of the day into a picture.

This is one for the letter H. I removed the teacher's first and last name from the example. Can you see the H? The students copied each step of this and were so excited. They were "predicting" and using their "inference" skills to guess what it would be! They even had a chance to work on their handwriting!

Here is the finished product. Sorry about the flash!

I copied all the letters she had but she was missing I and J. =( And the book it out of print. I am searching for an alternative as this was so much fun, the kids loved it, it teaches them art (which many schools are no longer doing), and works on their fine motor skills (which even adults could use some practice with).

 A lot of these are fun but there is still more learning to do. In a different class I was in, they had a packet to complete that went with the letter/theme of the day. It was primarily review but it still provided proof of mastery over the concept.

I got to thinking, this count down could be used to fill in the wholes and to do one last "make sure you got it" before the end of the year. A could be for addition, S for subtraction, F for Fractions, N for Nets, S for the Scientific Method, T for Technology, B for balance, P for planets, plants, or photosynthesis. Whatever last minute concepts that need to be taught or reinforced.

What about using this idea at the beginning of the year? A quick review of things learned in previous grades, while introducing the procedures, expectations, and topics of the current year. A - Addition. B - Buddy system (homework buddies, reading buddies, finding a new buddy to play with at recess), C - Classroom Management, etc...

What about a backwards countdown starting from Z?

The ideas are endless! I created a freebie for all of you with some ideas for each letter to get you started. It is available at my TpT store. Enjoy!