Executive Function Category: Planning and Organization, Motivation

Purpose: When work is broken down into smaller parts, a student can feel less overwhelmed by the workload and feel more motivated to get started and accomplish tasks a little bit at a time.

Learning Goal: The student will break assignments into more manageable parts in order to get started and accomplish the work.

Materials: List of assignments, paper/pencil

Options for Use:

1. Use post-its or a calendar to outline what assignments to complete each day of the week, or which order to complete within 1 work session.

2. You can simply use paper/pencil and write out which assignments to complete and in which order or on which day.

Lesson Steps:

1. At the start of the week, identify and review the assignments to complete for the week as sent out by your student's teachers.

2. Determine the way your student would prefer to break down the tasks.

• For older students, they may need support with determining which assignments to complete on each day of the week.

• For younger students, they may need support with determining which assignments to complete in which order for one day.

3. If the amount of assignments is overwhelming your student, contact your student's case manager and ask which assignments are essential or top priorities. Some assignments may be able to be removed or saved for later.

4. Write down, in order, what assignments will be completed each day or throughout one day.

5. The student may want to cross them off or check them off as completed. Some students need only one assignment presented at a time. The lessons Setting Up a Work Space and use of a First, Then visual may support your student with this process as well.

6. The student may work to earn a break or reward depending on what is motivating to the individual.

• For example, the student may do best with working for a set amount of time. In this case, set a timer, have the student complete the work, and when the timer rings the student can earn the break/reward for a set amount of minutes before returning to complete more work.

• A student may do best without a timer and with the expectation to complete 1 short activity before earning a break or reward.

7. You may find that your student needs assignments broken down even within one assignment. If that is the case, they may complete half or a portion of it and then revisit it later.