Ability to put information or materials together to independently complete a task (structuring information, categorization, sequencing).
Explicitly teach organizational skills
Set up a notebook system color-coordinated with folders. This system must be carefully and consistently monitored to develop a habit for the student.
The student will be provided visual supports (daily schedule, visual reminders of rules, visual prompts, etc.) to promote an understanding of school expectations, increase the ability to self-monitor behaviors, and assist in anticipating upcoming activities.
The student will use an assignment notebook/planner to communicate homework and notes home to and from parents.
Closely monitor this system consistently. It is the student's responsibility to write in their planner, but the adult will have to reinforce this system by following the classroom teacher's expectations positively. *SCAFFOLD PROMPTS
Schedule times (i.e., Wednesdays during release) weekly to clean and organize the student's desk/cubby, notebooks, folders, backpack, and locker.
Set up a daily routine: Write it in the notebook and make a visual schedule for the student. This is important to have done during the first few weeks of school.
Segment the work into small initial steps by breaking the assignment down into “first, then” or “1, 2, 3.”
Fold student’s paper in halves, quarters, accordion patterns, and praise/reward for each section finished. You could also cover portions of the document if it cannot be folded.
Check with the student that instructions are clear by having the student retell directions back to you. Always approach this in an instructional, positive manner. Don’t criticize or threaten.
Provide samples of well-organized work or notes. Reinforce these expectations.
Classroom instructors, in consultation with the IEP Manager, will break larger projects into short, sequential steps; dividing work into smaller short "mini-assignments," provided feedback at the end of each segment.
Use peer-based instruction like reciprocal teaching or peer tutoring as this provides another explicit model of how to think, organize, cue and self-manage while teaching content.
Teach students to sub-vocalize to self-regulate
Teach note-taking strategies
Use curriculum with built-in visual cues and organizers
Use visual timers or other timers to show the passage of time; explicitly teach the student to feel and estimate the passage of time
Explicitly teach self-cueing strategies so they will remember to act at the moment they need to (ie. leave yourself a message, or a calendar, etc)