This document provides guidance for teachers to help students finish the school year strongly. It recommends having students brainstorm ways to succeed and creating a master list. Teachers should then lead a class discussion about challenges students may face and who can support them. Finally, students will journal about what they learned from the lesson and whether finishing the year well is important to them. The goal is for students to identify actions they can take to build on their successes in preparation for the future.

1. Advisory
4-9-14

2. Objective
•You will be able to identify ways to
finish this year in a positive way that
builds on success for the future.

3. Run the race to win.
1. Take a minute and free-write, what
does it take to “run the race to win”?
2. Discuss as a class.
3. Now make a list of things a student
can do to finish the year successfully.

4. Continued…This one is for you
maestros (That’s you teachers!)
1. Do a Round Robin having students call out on
item off their list. Write it on the board,
document camera, or overhead.
2. Ask students to cross items off their lists as a
“master list” is constructed.
3. Continue in this effort until all appropriate
answers are exhausted, then open it up for a
group call out of any final responses.

5. Class Discussion…a.k.a. “Free
Style!” 
• Ask the following questions and allow students
to engage in a class wide discussion:
• What are some of the barriers (Things that get
in the way) to finishing the year strong?
• Who can help them if they have problems?
• Why is it important to finish the year on a
good note?

6. Journal and Finish-up
• Ask students (Teachers feel free to join in and model as
we have to finish strong too!) to journal what they have
learned today. Focus on if they think it is important to
run the race to win…you see, if they don’t think it’s
important they won’t. So have them journal about the
learning objective and if they think it is important.
• Final activity: A couple of students, only those who are
comfortable, share some of what they journaled.