As you enter the end of the school year, student engagement starts to become a rarity. This becomes even more accurate when you teach 8th grade because students will be moving on to high school.
So how do you get students to buy in during those last couple of week? My suggestion (and all time favorite activity) is this real life budgeting project.
This end of the year budgeting project has students create a week long summer vacation. And here’s the best part: Based on their destination, they have to look up actual prices and rates.
Staying at the Motel 6 in Seattle? Look up the rates. How are you getting there? Car, train, plane? What is the price of a round-trip flight to Seattle? What restaurants will you be eating at? Want souvenirs?
The questions and possibilities are endless!
This real life summer vacation budgeting project helps students see how much money it takes to go on vacation. It’s a reality check that increases financial awareness.
In this end of the year activity, students will plan a 1 week vacation on a budget. It must include a detailed itinerary of how they will travel, where they will stay and what will they eat. This activity will give students a taste of how to budget money for either a solo or group vacation.
I’ve done this project at the end of every school year (minus the first pandemic year 2020). It can span from 2 days to a full week depending on how detailed you want students to be with the budget project.
I have to say, living on the west coast, the majority of my students plan a trip to Disneyland. And with that, it’s so cool to see, even with going to Disneyland, how different their trips are based on what they prioritize.
With the end of the school year approaching, teaching middle school becomes even more challenging. Alleviate the stress, overwhelm, and anxiety with these 10 End of the Year activities for middle school. With a mix of games, projects, and fun activities, your count down just got a little sweeter.
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