Alphabet Countdown 2025

In 2020, my students and I started a tradition of counting down the LAST 26 DAYS until summer break. Every year the letters stand for slightly different things. The suggestions come the students and teacher, take little preparation on the part of students, and are a fun way to add variety and novelty to the end of the year.

Note: Once an activity is introduced and highlighted, it continues until the end of the year.

Here is this year's line up.

1. A is for Assist, art . It's a good day to assist your classmates and spend some extra time making art.

2. B is for Book, Beauty (art). Our countdown always starts after FREE COMIC BOOK DAY. This is the day that those books are unveiled to our classroom.

3. C is comics. Students were introduced to the process of creating their own comic.

4. D is for Donuts. We all ate gf df donut holes for snack and wrote a poem about it.

5. Everything that ever happened. Extra snack.

6. FUN , FRIENDSHIP CHALLENGE . What exactly IS the Friendship Challenge? Well, you agree to spend the day with a classmate that is currently a "stranger". You spend most of the day with them, learning at least 5 things you have in common / 5 facts about them. When complete, both participants share a "Pie" or a snack of their choice. How did we come up with this? Well, read "Enemy Pie" by Derek Munson and LEARN HOW TO MAKE ENEMY PIE. If you know, you know.

If you haven't read this book yet. Click on the image above.

7. Ganbatte and G.O.A.T. Here are the questions for the week: Name one these two GOATS! or Greatest of All Times. Answers can be found in the Athlete section on Pebble Go.

   1. Born as Lewis Alcindor, he is famous for his "Sky Hook." After he retired from the NBA with the MOST CAREER Points he later started his career as a successful author who has written books for both children and adults. Who is He?

   2. She was drafted by the Seattle Storm. This israeli- American point guard has won 2 NCAA championships, 3 WNBA titles, and 4 Olympic Gold Medals for basketball. Her wife is also a GOAT in the realm of soccer. Her partner won the Soccer World Cup for the USA in 2015 and 2019 and later played for the Seattle Reign . Who is She?

   3. Prizes: 1 sticker per first answer per GOAT. 1 sticker per additional fact per GOAT. 1 sticker per 3 (WRITTEN) facts about ANY FAMOUS PERSON WITH A PUBLISHED BIOGRAPHY.

8. HAJIMIMASHITE. This is the first day of our Japanese language practice books. Hajimimashite means "this is a beginning" and it's what you say when you meet someone for the first time.

9. ikemashou means "Let's go!" Let's do our best to finish the week strong!

10.