10 Low-Energy ELA Activities to Wrap Up the Year

Simple, engaging, and just enough effort to make it to summer.

By the time May hits, most teachers are running on caffeine, countdowns, and classroom fans that barely work. The students are checked out. You’re checked out. But somehow, there are still days left.

The good news? You don’t need to overthink it. These 10 low-energy ELA activities are fun, purposeful, and require minimal prep — so you can finish strong without burning out.

1. End-of-Year Memory Writing

Let students reflect on their school year with writing prompts like:

“My favorite memory from this year…”

“What I learned about myself this year…”

“One thing I’ll never forget…”


This is a great way to sneak in some personal narrative practice without calling it that.


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2. ELA Bingo

Create a bingo board filled with fun, low-stakes challenges:

Write a haiku

Find a simile in a song

Read under your desk

Recommend a book to a friend


Students complete tasks in any order. Keep it relaxed and let them go for a blackout if they’re feeling ambitious.


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3. Character Awards

Let students nominate characters from the books they’ve read this year for awards like:

“Most Dramatic”

“Best Plot Twist”

“Should’ve Had a Spin-Off”


They’ll reflect on characters, themes, and details — without even realizing it’s review.


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4. Teacher Time Capsule Letter

Students write a letter to your next year’s class, sharing tips, warnings, and highlights from this year. Bonus: You’ll have a ready-made activity for the first week of school next year.

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5. Pass the Prompt

Start with a writing prompt on the board. Each student writes 1–2 sentences, then passes the paper to the next person. By the end, they’ve created hilarious collaborative stories. Read them aloud for a laugh-filled class period.


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6. ELA “Would You Rather?” Game

Pose fun and thoughtful “Would You Rather” questions with an ELA twist:

Would you rather be the villain or the sidekick?

Would you rather read poetry for a year or only write essays?


Students can journal their responses, debate in small groups, or vote with their feet (stand on one side of the room for each option).


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7. ELA Pictionary or Charades

Use vocabulary words, literary devices, book titles, or characters.
Let students act out or draw the term while others guess.
Minimal prep, maximum engagement.


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8. Sentence Surgery

Give students a boring sentence and ask them to improve it.
Example: “The cat sat on the mat.”
Can they add adjectives, interesting verbs, or figurative language?
You can even turn this into a competition for the most dramatic rewrite.


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9. “One-Pager” Story Analysis

Have students summarize a short story, poem, or novel on a single page using a mix of:

Key quotes

Symbols or drawings

Short reflections or theme statements


No essay writing, no grading dread — just a creative way to review comprehension.


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10. Character Playlist Showdown

Students create a playlist of 3–5 songs that represent a character.
They must justify each song choice with a short explanation tied to the character’s traits or story arc.
Turn it into a class challenge or gallery walk!

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Wrap-Up:
The end of the school year doesn’t have to feel like dragging your feet through molasses. These low-energy ELA activities will keep your students thinking, laughing, and learning — all while giving you the break you deserve.

Looking for ready-made resources to pair with these ideas? Check out my Teachers Pay Teachers store or Etsy shop for fun, classroom-tested tools made with tired teachers in mind.

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