In the dynamic environment of middle school, developing executive functioning skills is crucial for students, especially those in special education. This blog post introduces a lesson plan centered around the “Free Middle School Executive Functioning Goal Poster” from Everyday Speech. The plan is designed to help students improve skills like organization, time management, and task prioritization.
Understanding Executive Functioning
Why Focus on Executive Functioning?
Executive functioning skills are the mental processes that enable us to plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and juggle multiple tasks. For middle school students, honing these skills is key to academic success and everyday life management.
Lesson Plan Overview
Objective: To teach middle school students executive functioning skills using the “Free Middle School Executive Functioning Goal Poster.”
Materials Needed: “Free Middle School Executive Functioning Goal Poster,” pens, sticky notes, calendars.
Duration: 30-40 minutes.
The Lesson Plan
1. Introduction to Executive Functioning (5 minutes)
- Start with a discussion on what executive functioning is and its importance.
- Explain how these skills help in school and everyday activities.
2. Exploring the Goal Poster (10 minutes)
- Distribute copies of the goal poster.
- Discuss each step: creating a daily schedule, using a planner or to-do list, breaking tasks into steps, and using labels, color-coding, or phone reminders.
3. Personal Planning Activity (15 minutes)
- Have students create their own daily schedule or to-do list.
- Encourage them to use techniques like breaking tasks into smaller steps and color-coding.
4. Group Discussion and Reflection (10 minutes)
- Facilitate a group discussion about how these strategies can be applied in their daily lives.
- Encourage students to share their thoughts and experiences with these techniques.
Conclusion
The goal poster provides a tangible and interactive way for students to understand and practice executive functioning skills. By incorporating these strategies into their daily routines, middle school students, especially those in special education, can significantly improve their organizational abilities, leading to enhanced academic performance and better overall life management.
Sample Video
Students learn best from watching real students their own age model skills. Try out this sample video-modeling lesson below. We offer our entire Social-Emotional Learning platform free for 30 days here!
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