In the ever-evolving field of special education, teaching executive functioning skills and goal setting can be as challenging as it is vital. These skills are crucial for students with special education needs to navigate both academic and daily life challenges successfully. As spring approaches, it offers a perfect metaphor for growth and achievement. That’s where our “Spring into Action Garden” comes into play. A no-prep executive functioning spring craft that special education teachers can use to inspire their students to set, nurture, and achieve their goals.
Understanding Executive Functioning in Special Education
Executive functioning skills are the mental processes that enable us to plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and juggle multiple tasks successfully. For students with unique learning needs, developing these skills is essential for achieving academic success and independence.
Introducing the Spring into Action Garden Craft
The “Spring into Action Garden” craft is designed to help students visualize their goals and the steps needed to achieve them, similar to how a seed requires care and conditions to grow. This printable PDF craft allows students to create a visual representation of their goals as plants in a garden, with each plant symbolizing a different objective or task.
Materials Needed:
- Printable “Spring into Action Garden” PDF
- Coloring materials (crayons, markers, or colored pencils)
- Scissors
- Glue
Lesson Plan Overview
Objectives:
- To teach students the importance of setting goals and the steps needed to achieve them.
- To develop executive functioning skills through planning and organizing personal goals.
- To create a visual and tangible representation of goal achievement through the craft.
Duration: 30-45 minutes
Activities:
1. Goal Setting Discussion (5 minutes) Start with a brief discussion about goals and why they are important. Explain how like plants need water, sunlight, and soil to grow, our goals need planning, effort, and care.
2. Introducing the Spring into Action Garden (5 minutes) Introduce the craft and explain how each plant in their garden will represent a goal or task they want to achieve. This could range from reading a book to completing a household chore.
3. Crafting the Garden (20-25 minutes) Hand out the printable “Spring into Action Garden” sheets and let students color and cut out their goal plants. As they work, encourage them to think about the steps they need to take to “grow” their goals.
4. Sharing and Discussion (5-10 minutes) Allow students to share their gardens and discuss the goals they’ve set. This not only fosters a sense of community but also allows them to articulate their plans and understand the process of setting and achieving goals.
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Conclusion
The “Spring into Action Garden” craft offers a unique and creative way to teach executive functioning and goal setting to students with special needs. By integrating this activity into your lesson plans, you’re not just helping students learn to set and achieve goals; you’re also encouraging them to see their growth and potential. This spring, let’s help our students bloom by nurturing their skills and aspirations, one goal at a time.
Remember, every student’s garden will grow at its own pace, and that’s okay. The journey is as important as the destination, and with the “Spring into Action Garden,” you’re providing a nurturing environment for growth in all its forms.
Sample Video
Students learn best from watching real students their own age model skills. Try out this sample video lesson below from our fifth-grade SEL curriculum. We offer our entire Social-Emotional Learning platform free for 14 days here!
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