Study Skills for Teens: Executive Functioning Activity
This session teaches study skills for high school students, helping them find methods that fit how they actually learn, from flashcards to teaching the material to someone else. They watch a short video, discuss which strategies would work best before a big test, and play a quick game where they weigh two ways to handle a busy study week. The goal is a study plan that holds up under real deadlines.
Extension activity
- Skill
- Self-Regulation
- Goal
- Executive Functioning
- Grade level
- Middle & High School
Get everything you need to teach the skill
These materials are part of a no-prep session designed by our clinical team, with all the structure, scaffolding, and support you need to teach included.
Engaging materials
Video modeling lessonStudy Skills
In this video, students learn effective study strategies, including making a plan, choosing study methods that fit their learning style, and practicing healthy habits.
- Extension activity
Study Skills
In this interactive Moonwalk module, students strengthen their study skills by choosing the most effective strategies. Through engaging gameplay, they practice prioritizing tasks, selecting study methods that fit their learning style, and building healthy study habits to set themselves up for success.
Plus everything you need to teach them
Warm-up
- Video: 4-7-8 Breathing2:13
- Video: Obstacles into Opportunities Visualization1:19
- Video: Yoga Pose Library
Session Opener
Guiding Question: What makes a study plan easier to stick to?
Practice
- Discussion Question
- Role-Play Activity
- Mini Game
How to use it with your students
- 1Watch Play the video modeling lesson so students see the skill in action.
- 2Practice Try the skill together with a discussion prompt, role-play, or mini game.
- 3Extend Use the extension activity to help students carry the skill further.
What's Covered
In this lesson, students learned how to study more effectively by making a plan, choosing a study space free from distractions, and committing to set study times. They practiced picking study methods that fit how they learn, like rewriting notes or making visual maps, and worked on healthy habits such as short focused sessions with breaks instead of cramming. These strategies help studying feel less overwhelming and help information stick.
Key Terms
- Pomodoro Technique
- A study method where you work in focused blocks of time with short breaks in between. It keeps studying manageable so you can concentrate without burning out.
- Retention
- Your brain's ability to hold onto what you've learned so you can remember and use it later. Good study strategies strengthen it, like a save folder you can open when you need the information.
Sample IEP Goal This Session Supports
-
Executive Functioning
Given a multi-step task, learner will use at least one self-selected organizational strategy (e.g., visual planner, breaking the task into steps, visual timer) to initiate and work through the task with decreasing adult support in 4 out of 5 opportunities independently/given X prompt(s).
Send this tip home to support generalization
At home or in the classroom, when a student mentions an upcoming test, try asking when and where they plan to study and which method they want to use. Naming the plan out loud makes it easier to follow through.
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Frequently asked questions
Is this intervention free?
Yes, this ready-to-teach session on Executive Functioning Activity is free. You can access this intervention free for 14 days through the Everyday Speech Session Library. Every user gets three free sessions, but you can get more or extend your access by sharing the Session Library with friends and colleagues.
What ages is this for?
These materials are designed for middle and high school students.
What's included?
You'll get access to your choice of warm-up videos, a session opener, a core material on Study Skills, three practice prompts, and an extension activity, Study Skills.
What skill does this intervention teach?
This ready-to-teach session is on self-regulation - more specifically, executive functioning.
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