I love doing this Skittles End of Year Writing activity with my students! Every year my students enjoy this Skittles Thanksgiving writing activity. But this year we were remote during Thanksgiving and didn’t get to do it. So I adapted this fun activity for the end of the school year.
Materials for Skittles Writing Activity:
- Each student needs one pack of skittles. The small snack sizes (if you can find them) work best.
- Colored pencils, crayons
- Black Marker or Fine Tip Sharpie
- Put skittles in a bag or give students a napkin so they can sort them by color
Step 1:
First, students sort their Skittles by color.
When I do this in my classroom, I purchase a large bag of skittles and divide them up into snack size bags before class. I like doing this because I can control exactly how many Skittles my students get. Sometimes the snack bag sizes vary. I also like that I can ensure the students get some of each color. It takes me 5-10 minutes to sort them out this way, but I think it’s worth it. BONUS: If you give them snack bags, they can see the Skittles through the bag. They can sort them without having to dump them out & possibly spill them on the floor.
Step 2:
After sorting their Skittles, students complete the brainstorming sheet to help plan their writing. For each skittle, students complete the included graphic organizer to tell things about their year. They write about their memories, things they read, things they’ll miss, something about their teacher, things about their friends, etc.
For example, on this project: For each purple Skittle they have, students will write about something they learned this year.
I ask my students to write in complete sentences, but you don’t have to do that. I like how the sentences share a complete thought or memory about the school year.
Step 3:
Once the brainstorming is complete, students transfer their writing to the final paper. I read my students’ writing before I give them the final copy paper. I help them edit for misspelled words and capital letters.
Step 4:
Students color each section on the writing frame to match the skittles color. All purple sections will be colored purple on the final writing page. To make the rainbow effect, students will spread their colors out around the paper.
These will make a great bulletin board or classroom decoration for the last few weeks of school. In my school, we display them on the students’ lockers for the last few weeks. I laminate them so they’ll last for a long time. At the end of school, I send them home as a keepsake.
I use my personal laminator because I like the thicker lamination to cover their work. I think it will make their masterpieces last longer.
Want to use this Skittles end of year writing activity with your students?
I have created a Ready-to-Go resource that you can download and use with your students today. Click here to grab your copy of this Skittles end of year writing activity.
