Grade 5 Executive Function Program Parent Partnership Lauren DiGennaro Learning Specialist

Definition of Executive Function Skills I always show the definition, but I explain that whenever you purposely manage your thinking or behavior to a desired outcome, you are engaging those skills. Very important to learning and the social emotional domain. I usually give a few examples of ways the parents have engaged their skills that day, making coffee, deciding what to wear….

Why are they important? These skills allow easier access to reading, writing, math, and technology. Focus on how they support access to the hard skills of school

they also lend themselves to greater success with everyday activities. But… they also lend themselves to greater success with everyday activities. Tie the skills to hobbies, athletic activities, music, getting to school on time…. I usually cite some studies that show that in the job force, these skills tend to be looked at more closely than the actually grades earned in college. Grades get you in to the interview, EF skills get you the job

Planning/Strategizing Metacognitive Strand Executive Attention Organization Task Initiation Working Memory Self-Monitoring Time Management Goal Setting Planning/Strategizing Sequencing Task Persistence Set Shifting Show all the skills, but explain the skills in read are those we will focus on. I prioritized them specifically for 5th graders.

More difficult if you do not have the right tools Cracking the nut… If I gave parents a nut and asked them to open it, but did not give a nut cracker, they might become frustrated with the task. They likely will get it open eventually, but they will be frustrated and angry…the same a child feels when we give a school task when they do not have the skills to get the job done. More difficult if you do not have the right tools

Filling up the Toolbox… to help themselves. Focus of the program is to teach the students skills so they don’t have to rely on adults all the time…in an attempt to make them more independent. The program allows them to learn tools for their toolbox, experiment with them, and decide which ones work well for them

How do these skills develop? Talk about the development of the skills. Focus on the fact that the second biggest time of development of gray matter in the brain is around the fifth grade. Very important time for these students

I teach with Essential Questions. Now, I begin to explain how I go about teaching their children. I always use an essential question and review that question during the presentation.

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I teach with questions. I use carefully scribed questions to teach

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Example…I do talk about the examples for a few seconds, like I would with their children so they can see the conversation each question can ignite

I teach using comics. Comics are great and can actually be a leaning experience as we talk about play with words, etc.

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Example..talk about comic

Example…had to talk about what the words “quality control” means to see why this was funny

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I teach using whole group discussion. I use whole group discussions at times

Example..might share some experiences from the discussion…what children shared

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I teach using thought bubbles and talking bubbles. LOVE thought bubbles, allow students to share thoughts anonymously

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Example..actually shared that many students did not know where the lost ad found was located

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I teach through small group problem-solving. Sometimes we go to groups to work

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I teach using tools…lots of tools. And the tools…one of the most importnt things

Use a timer as a Tool example

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You can use Noise Canceling Headphones as a tool. example

Did you know that using a post-it as a tool will help your self-monitoring? Put your name on the paper first. Bring a pencil to math class WATCH YOUR OPERATION SIGNS example

Did you know that sleeping can be a tool for memory? Sleep is essential to learning, poor sleep can cause a delay of memory up to 3 days. Has more impact on HOW TO memory than memorization skills

You can start with the hardest assignment as a tool Are you kidding? Why would I start with the most difficult work? example

I teach and learn about their progress through their responses to thought bubbles Share that they give me feedback at the end of each session

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Example that a student wrote

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The Rain Umbrella Covers a smaller amount of information, so there is some time to learn a bit more about pieces of information The Beach Umbrella Covers a lot of information, so there really isn’t time to learn much depth about any one piece of information explanation The Parasol Umbrella This umbrella covers a very small piece of information so there IS time to learn a great deal about information

I extend my teaching through… monthly brochures. Explain how important the brochure are for parents to connect with what has been taught. They can support the use of tools at home

What you can do this year? Check out presentation on school site Read the brochures that come home Create routines Use a whiteboard for school events for the week/month Use post-its and reminders Celebrate accomplishments with these skills Practice decision-making Prepare for school the night before Reinforce the value of the agenda