End of the Year Math Projects for Middle School

Keeping students’ interest during the last month of the school year can be tough! One of my favorite ways to keep interest is to incorporate a project for students to complete during the last few weeks of school. Below are two engaging real-world projects for the end of the year, both found in my TpT shop!

Plan a Trip Project

This project can be found here in my TpT shop and includes a teacher guide, an editable, printable, and digital version of the project as well as a grading rubric. This project can be done individually or in pairs.

As a way to make the task of planning a vacation less overwhelming students are guided through six steps of the project. The steps include the following.

Choosing a destination. Students will research different places they may want to go and decide on their top pick.
Air Travel: Students will then compare prices of plane costs between three airlines. Once looking at the differences students will choose the best option, which may not be the lowest price.
Accommodations: Next, students will look at different hotel accommodations in their destination, thinking about cost as well as location.
Daily Budget: Next students will complete a chart that shows a budget for each day of their trip. Categories include daily transportation, food, and fun.
Calculations: Students will then calculate how much they are spending in each category as well as the percent of the total budget they are using.
Reflection Questions: Finally students will reflect on their planned trip by answering reflection questions.

I love this project because it helps students to realize all that goes into planning a trip as well as the cost!

2. Real World Job & Salary Project

The other project that is perfect for the end of the year is this Real World Job and Salary Project! This is by BEST selling resource with over 2,900 sold.

I created this project over 10 years ago when a group of 7th-grade students were interested in the cost of the real-world and wanted to know when they would use these math skills. I wanted a project that would keep them engaged as well as have them learn about the cost of the real world.

Included with this resource are two sets of activities to complete as a class before students start the project. One set includes important vocabulary terms as well as a crossword puzzle. The second activity includes a matching game for students to match the occupation with the correct salary. This activity will provide great discussion before students start the project.

The project includes a step-by-step guide for students and is meant to be completed individually. Students will complete their finished project either on digital slides or on a poster. The project includes the following five parts.

Occupation Research: After assigning students an occupation they will research the job to discover the salary and how math might be used in this occupation.
Monthly Income and Expenses: Next students will calculate their approximated monthly income after taxes and insurance. Students will also calculate expenses based on given percentages.
Rental Details: This might be your students’ favorite part as they search for a rental that falls into their budget and think about transportation costs.
Savings: Then students will calculate how much they will save each month.
Reflection: Finally students will reflect on their research and calculations as they think about their future.

This project also includes a grading rubric for students to complete first and then you as the teacher who will give the final grade.

Not many students have any idea of the cost of living or how much different occupations make but I hope through this project students will have a better understanding of the real world. Grab it here.

One More Idea

Looking for an engaging something on a smaller scale? Check out my Math Behind Theme Parks resource which includes worksheets where students learn facts about theme parks and the tallest coasters in the world as well as a mini project for students to research numeric facts about a local theme park.