Free End of Year Writing Prompts

By the time the end of the school year arrives, I am digging down deep in my bag of tricks and searching my resources for new ideas to engage my students. Often, we have used our best activities and resources well before the final month of school. This post will give you some fresh end of year writing prompts just for that final month of school (with ideas on how to make them more engaging for students who have checked out).

Using the End of Year Writing Prompts

These end of the year writing prompts can be used for:

• Writing centers or stations
• Early finisher activities
• Independent writing activities
• Warmups

Want to add in some instant engagement if your students are reluctant writers? Try these tips:

• Take them outside to write. Want prompts designed specifically for outdoor writing? Click here.
• Let the students write with partners.
• Allow the students to choose the prompts they want to write about.
• Make these a whole group (and silly) writing activity by choosing one prompt for all of the students to write. Give the students 3-5 minutes to start writing the essay/story. Then have them leave their papers on their desks and rotate to another desk. Give them a few minutes to read the story on the desk they are at now and then a few more minutes to add to it. Continue the activity for about 20-30 minutes. Then have the students return to their desks to read their original stories. This works really well with narrative or how-to prompts.
• Let the students write their essays/stories on dry-erase boards. You won’t be able to check them or save them, but your students will love the chance to actually write an essay on a dry-erase board.

Here are the writing prompts…free downloadable versions available at the end of this post.

Narrative Writing Prompts

• Thinking back on the school year, write a personal narrative describing your favorite memory and why it stood out amongst the other school days.
• Go back in time to the first day of school, and write a letter to yourself describing three of the things you will learn this year and why they’re important.
• It’s the last day of school and you get locked in after everyone leaves. Write about what happens next.
• Imagine that you’re an object in the classroom (i.e., desk, pencil sharpener, whiteboard, etc.), and write a story about the things that happened during the school year from the perspective of that object.
• Write a fictional narrative pretending that you switched places with a cafeteria worker for the day.
• You’re working as a school custodian. It’s the last day of school, and you enter the school gymnasium. Write a story about what you find and what happens next.
• The principal calls you to his or her office and explains that your teacher will be out for the rest of the school year. It’s up to you to teach the class for the rest of the year. Write a story explaining what happens next.
• Finish this story: I was walking by the art room on the last day of school when I suddenly saw…
• You’re helping your teacher pack up the classroom library when you find something unexpected behind the books. Write a story describing what you find and what happens next.
• Write a fictional narrative pretending that the school just announced that summer break has been canceled and that the new school year will start next week.

Persuasive/Opinion Writing Prompts

• Do you think schools should be year-round or follow a traditional school calendar with summers off? Write a persuasive essay supporting your opinion.
• In your opinion, should teachers give schoolwork over the summer vacation? Write an opinion piece that supports your stance.
• Many people believe that schools should have later start times to allow students to get enough sleep. Write a persuasive essay explaining your position on the issue.
• Students must turn in their tablets and computers at the end of each school year. Should they be allowed to take them home and use them during the summer instead? Write an opinion piece that clearly supports your position.
• In your opinion, which job is the most important at your school? Write an opinion piece that clearly supports your opinion.
• Write a letter to your principal persuading him or her to have field trips over the summer. Include the benefits of having summer field trips as well as possible locations in your letter.

Informational Writing Prompts

• Compare and contrast this school year and last school year.
• Write a letter to a student who is entering the grade you’re completing, and explain how to be successful next year.
• What is needed to have a fun summer? Write an informational essay explaining the things needed to have a fun and exciting summer. Include details about each thing and why it is important.
• Write an informational piece outlining a typical school day for a student in your grade.
• Write a how-to essay explaining how to have the best last day of school. In your essay, include the characteristics of an ideal last day of school.

Descriptive Prompts

• Describe the ideal summer day. Include details about the weather, the activities, and the people involved.
• Describe your school in detail. Include details about the activities offered, the mascot, the colors, and the academics.
• Describe the perfect day of school. In your description, include details about how the day would be, from beginning to end.

Digital End of Year Reflection Prompts

These free end of year writing prompts are now available in digital format with Google Slides. When you download the PDF (from the next section), you will find the links to access the digital end of year writing prompts on the first page.

 

Here are some ideas for using these free digital end of year writing prompts:

• Assign one prompt at a time.
• Assign several prompts at a time for completion within a specified time frame.
• Assign several prompts at a time but allow students to choose a specific number to complete from the total assigned.

Need help assigning Google Slides through Google Classroom? Click here!

Download the FREE End of Year Writing Prompts

Click the animated image below and then enter your email address in the pop-up. You’ll be able to download the resource immediately and it will also be sent to your inbox.

Want More End of the Year Activities for Literacy?

Interested in more end of the year activities for literacy? Click here or on the image below to see my End of the Year Literacy Activities for 4th and 5th grade.

The resource contains over 20 no-/low-prep activities for reading and writing, with TWELVE of those in digital format!