How to motivate 8th graders at the end of the school year

It’s no secret that motivating students at the end of the school year is difficult. As an 8th grade Spanish teacher, that time period between Spring Break and graduation can be brutal! 

Students are already in high school mode. Some may have decided to drop Spanish, while others are gearing up for a placement exam. 

So what do you do? How do you still keep a rigorous pace for the students who want to learn Spanish while also engaging the less motivated 8th graders?

Validate and acknowledge their differences. 

Explain to the whole class that you understand they have different goals. Your goal is for everyone to feel respected so they can get what they need from this learning environment

Share this survey with students and then place them all into differentiated learning groups based on the results. 

How to manage differentiated learning groups

1. Set clear expectations. If you are working with Group A and someone in Group B has a question, they need to consult their groupmates first before interrupting you. 
2. Allocate space for each group: Whichever group you start with meets near the board, another group meets on the other side of the room and the third can use the hallway. Stress that it’s important to stay with your group and help each other.
3. Give deadlines at the start of class: “Your goal today is to complete (insert activity here) by the end of class.”
4. Check in: Leave 3 minutes at the end of class to check in as a full group on progress and think about a plan for tomorrow.
5. Use packets: Photocopy these ahead of time so students have plenty to work on during their independent time. Paper packets rather than online activities will cut down on the need to monitor off task behaviors .
6. Provide answer keys: Create an answer key to the packet that students can check when they finish their work. This way they can ask you questions when you rotate to their group.
7. Book Clubs: This is a time when students can read a level appropriate book together and discuss in Spanish. If any group is more than 4 students, consider splitting them into smaller groups for book clubs and giving them a choice of something they will enjoy reading. You can read more about Spanish book clubs here.

I will not lie to you, dear teacher friend – this is a lot of work to set up. But all the planning is front loaded. Once you introduce this learning approach to students, it runs so smoothly that you may even find yourself bored at times. Students feel a sense of agency over their own learning and really rise to the expectation. They learn more because they are invested in something that matters to them, and you stay sane because they are calm. It makes the end of the year in Spanish class so much more enjoyable!