Too Much to Cover or Nothing to Teach?

The end-of-year curriculum crunch

It’s usually not more than eight weeks – ten, tops.

For some, it feels more like five months. For others, three days.

Approach any teacher during those air-conditioner-blasting, summer-fever-burning school days and tell her you need her class for an hour.

She’ll either bless you or plead the verge of tears, promising you anything at all, if you just let her continue teaching for that precious hour.

What’s your core challenge in those last weeks of school – too much to cover or nothing to teach?

It’s all dependent on an endless list of factors, such as grade level, subject, class temperament or learning style, teacher personality, the interplay between Hebrew and secular calendar, and testing schedules.

Throw in a few unforeseen circumstances, performances, trips, state tests, reviews, finals, memory-making, etc., and the short few weeks are shortened by another one or two weeks, at least.

A select (and much-envied!) few seem to have it down to a science, breezing right through May and June while others rush to cram it all in.

No matter your style – we get you – and we’ve got you covered.

Which one are you?

So little time and still so much to cover!

1. Work backward and be realistic.

Shevy sits down with a calendar and plans the next two months. She works backward from the last teaching day, factors in 2-3 days for review or school functions, plus a bit of wiggle room here and there.

She sees exactly how much time she has left, and then plans which units to cover, writing down a realistic objective for each day. (Spoiler: It’s always less than she thought she would teach.)

Set goals that are truly possible, even if it means dropping some of your dreams.

Try this! Once your curriculum has been pared down to a realistic size, you may even need some of our tips for teachers who are left with a few extra days.

2. Teach only what is absolutely necessary.

That riveting mashal you love that takes up a fifteen-minute chunk of the lesson? It hurts, but it may have to go.

Change the way you teach.

Have students prepare and summarize perakim/chapters at home
Use more handouts, worksheets,and flashcards

So much time and not enough to teach!

You’ve decided on the last unit for this year, but you find yourself with a few extra days. While it’s not enough time to start an entirely new unit, there’s still ample opportunity to teach something meaningful. Here are some ideas to help you make the most of that time.

Consider integrating these “extra” lessons throughout the last few weeks instead of saving them for the end, so you don’t give the impression that you’re merely trying to fill time.

Here are some ways how:

1. Connect!

There’s something special in the air those last few school days – students are craving last-minute moments of connection and engagement. You’ll be surprised how sweet and delightful this time of year can be – it might just become your favorite.

Check out Micro-Moments for some great ideas you can implement today.

2. Lessons for Life

Now’s the time to have discussions that your students will remember beyond the material they studied for the test. Pick topics you’re passionate about or messages you feel your students this year need to hear.

English teachers: This is for you, too!

Explore niflaos haBorei, analyze thought-provoking quotes, poetry, or pieces of literature. Have students journal on topics of self-growth while incorporating elements of writing skills.

This is also a great time to incorporate some history of Jewish communities during significant historical eras.

3. Points of Interest

Wrap up the subjects you teach with an intriguing extra.

Guest Speaker

Bring down an author to speak about the publishing process, an immigrant to speak about another country, or an eyewitness to an event or time period.

Field trip

Organize a brief excursion to see science in action or arrange a day at a factory or museum.

Additional ideas: teach a song, show a video or slide presentation, or hand out worksheets with a twist.

4. Student Teaching and Interactive Review

Let your students take the lead! Assign them new material to present or to lead a review. Interactive teacher-led reviews can also be exciting, especially when you incorporate resources from Torah Umesorah’s “must-haves.”

Don’t forget to try again next year!

Learn from this experience – try to track where things glitched off-track and plan accordingly for the year to come, be”H.

When ‘just don’t finish’ is just not an option

This is often the case with many high school teachers, especially when it comes to Regent/state test subjects, where students are counting on you to help them get the best grade possible.

Raizel, a 9th-grade biology teacher in Brooklyn (where students take NYS Regents), will offer to teach a double or extra period instead of a teacher who is out or who won’t mind taking the period off. She often needs to do this at the end of the year, but from time to time during quiet periods of the school year, she tries to be proactive and get in some valuable learning time to beat the frenzy later.

Mrs. W., a venerated and beloved mechaneches teaches biurei Tefillah in 12th grade. During some school years, she has not managed to cover all the Tefillos she typically teaches. After requests from her students, she held three optional classes over the phone during the summer. Students called in from their bungalow colonies, camps, and even tours overseas.

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