A class Memory Wall is essentially a way to work as a group to remember the highlights of the school year. While individual projects like memory books and end-of-the-year essays are great, the advantage of the Memory Wall is that by working as a group, you remember more – one person’s memory of an event sparks another memory from someone else. It’s also great way to bring events to the surface that might otherwise have been forgotten. In addition, it will give you all a feeling of accomplishment to see just how much you did over the year. You should be able to make a Memory Wall in about 45 minutes.

You will need:

A large space – part of a wall, a whiteboard, or a bulletin board
A large piece of butcher paper to cover the space
A lot of sticky notes – ideally large-sized and in multiple bright colors
Markers for every student – Sharpies or something similar in multiple dark colors

Prep:

Put the butcher paper on the wall
Use a marker to divide it into three large sections: Fall, Winter, Spring
If possible, have students bring chairs to gather around the wall
Distribute markers and sticky notes

Activity:

Explain that you will be creating a wall of memories using sticky notes. Students can write or draw simple pictures on the notes. Students should only put one idea on each note (a sentence or a phrase) and write large and legibly. Ask students to think back to fall – the beginning of school through about Thanksgiving. Have a few students tell you things they remember to spark more memories. Then, have students write their ideas on sticky notes. As they write them, they can bring them up to the board and stick them in the “Fall” section, roughly chronologically (so “Thanksgiving Potlatch” should go after “Halloween Parade”).

They don’t need to be neat and tidy, and they can overlap if you have a lot of them. Make sure that students know that if their idea is already up there, they don’t have to add it again. You can add your ideas, too. Optional: Add photos of some events. Repeat for winter and spring. Students will enjoy remembering highlights and sharing them. At this point it is fun to have students share personal stories from the year.

End-of-year reflections and essays are great, but why don't you try making a class memory wall this year? It's a collaborative activity that the whole class can do, and you can take a photograph of it to send out in a final newsletter or post on your class website!

I would also suggest leaving the wall up for the rest of the year. Take a picture of it before you take it down. If you have included photos, it might make a nice picture to post on your class website and also something to show to next year’s class so they will know what an exciting year they are in for!