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End-of-Year Reflection Activities to Celebrate Student Growth

  • hometownhappyteach
  • May 6
  • 2 min read

Celebrate Reading Growth with this easy bulletin board craft for reflection.

As a first-year reading interventionist, I’ve experienced just how quickly a school year can fly by. It feels like one moment I was learning my students’ names and the next, we were setting goals for spring testing. Through all the guided groups, assessments, and one-on-one support, the most rewarding moments have been watching my students grow as readers.


That’s why, as we approach the end of the year, I knew I wanted to do something that allowed them to reflect on just how far they’ve come. Celebrating progress, even the small steps, builds confidence and reinforces that they are readers. And they’re proud of it.


What Makes a Great End-of-Year Activity?

As I started planning, I knew I didn’t want just a cute project, I wanted something:

  • Engaging and student-centered

  • Reflective and academically meaningful

  • And bonus points if it made a bulletin board or hallway display


The best end-of-year activities are fun while reinforcing the learning that’s happened all year long. They give students a moment to pause and say, “Wow, look what I did!” And when parents, teachers, or peers walk by and see that work, it becomes a celebration of effort, not just outcomes.


How We Celebrated Student Growth in Reading

That’s exactly what the Blooming Reader Craft does. This flower-themed activity invites students to think about their reading progress, whether that’s decoding, fluency, comprehension, or simply learning to enjoy reading. Each student gets to reflect on their growth, set a goal, and "bloom" into a more confident reader.


What’s Included:

  • Flower templates

  • Reflection writing prompts and goal pages

  • A flower pot and bulletin board headers: “Look How We’ve Bloomed as Readers”


You can use it with your intervention groups, guided reading time, or even as a full-class activity. I personally used it in my small groups during the month of intervention, and it turned into a cute sendoff display.


Here’s how we did it:

  1. We each chose a reading goal we had worked on this year.

  2. We reflected on how we had grown—some students shared how they now love reading “long books,” others talked about using strategies like chunking or rereading.

  3. They completed their blooming flowers and decorated them with care.

  4. We put them together on a colorful spring bulletin board outside my intervention room.


Blooming Reader Craft | Spring Bulletin Board & Reading Intervention Display
Celebrate literacy achievements with the Blooming Reader Growth Tracker. This vibrant spring bulletin board or RTI display showcases students' progress in reading sight words, helping them visualize their growth and achievements throughout the year. Perfect for inspiring young learners to reach their literacy goals.

As teachers, we’re always moving forward, new groups, new data, new skills. But pausing to look back reminds us (and our students) how much has been accomplished.


If you’re looking for a low-prep, meaningful way to close out your reading groups, the Blooming Reader Craft might be just what you need. It's simple and student-centered—just the way I like to end the year.


Check it out here on TPT if you’d like to use it in your own classroom.

Wishing you all the best as you wrap up your school year!


Happy Teaching,

Carrie Mayville @ Hometown Happy Teacher




Hometown Happy Teacher


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