Desert Island Survival: The End-of-Year ELA Activity Your Students Will Actually Love

The final weeks of school are always a bit… chaotic. Between classroom cleanup, year-end assessments, and students who are already mentally on summer vacation, it can be tough to find lessons that keep them learning and engaged.

That’s exactly why I created my Desert Island Survival: ELA Edition — a low-prep, high-engagement activity that gets students writing persuasively, collaborating in groups, and (most importantly) having fun.

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The Scenario

Your students have just crash-landed on a desert island. They’ve found 10 quirky survival items—but they can only bring five. Each group member may only bring one item, and they’ll need to argue persuasively to convince their group to choose theirs.

It’s a perfect blend of creativity and ELA skills:

• Persuasive speaking
• Strong writing and reasoning
• Teamwork and respectful debate
• Decision-making with purpose

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What’s Included?

Everything you need is in one ready-to-go package:

• A full teacher lesson plan
• Student-friendly survival item list
• Persuasive writing worksheet
• Group decision log
• Optional presentation planning page
• Exit ticket reflection options
• Editable Canva/Google Slides intro presentation
• A thank-you slide with links to other resources

Whether you’re in person, hybrid, or virtual—this works. You can print everything or assign it digitally through Google Classroom or your LMS.

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Why Teachers Love It

Let’s be honest: our students are not the only ones who are exhausted in June. This activity gives you:

• Built-in collaboration so you can sit back and guide
• Student choice and ownership
• Real ELA skill reinforcement in a non-boring way
• Minimal prep with maximum payoff

Plus, it works beautifully as a sub plan, a “fun Friday” lesson, or a year-end wrap-up.

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Get It Here

You can grab the full activity now in my TPT store or Etsy shop:

Teachers Pay Teachers – The Pottie Spot
The Pottie Spot on Etsy

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Wrap-Up

If you’re looking for a stress-free way to review persuasive writing and critical thinking at the end of the year, this Desert Island Survival Challenge might just be your new go-to. Give it a try and watch your students get invested, creative, and even a little competitive. 😉

And don’t forget to tag me on Instagram if you try it with your class — I’d love to see how your students survive the island!
@thepottiespot

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