Winding down (4/27)

We have been busy working with our cubicles the past few weeks in EFC. This past week, we talked about how there are only THREE MORE EFC sessions left (so hard to believe!). We made a plan for the rest of the club and began working on our EF workbooks. These workbooks will serve as a reference for the students to look back at this summer, and can be used for those 5th graders entering middle school! The first page we worked on was testing what we have learned in EFC and bringing back all of the terms we learned at the beginning of the year: flexibility, time management, organization & planning.

We started our session with sketching time, filled out a "get ready-do-done" activity, and then worked on our workbooks. Below are some pictures from our session this week!

We used our "get ready-do-done" strategy to get our workbook done. We also made sure to include our time timer so we knew how long we had to finish our workbook page. 

All about working memory (4/6)

Today was our first session after spring break! We hope everyone had a great break (despite the weather). 

In EFC today, we practiced sketching time, and then talked about the EF skill of memory. The kids did a wonderful job explaining what they perceive as "memory" and how we might use this EF skill throughout the day. They did a fantastic job coming up with times when memory is used and were able to make the connection (on their own) that the EF skill of memory ties in with so many other EF skills we have been practicing (planning, organization, etc.). 

After our discussion, we had fun playing some games that specifically target the use of our memory. Below are some pictures of the games! It is very important to practice your memory skills (through use of games or puzzles) to strengthen the area of the brain in which your EF skills are housed. Memory games can be very fun...and very beneficial! Try practicing your memory skills by playing games at home. 

Here is a great resource for some memory games!

This game was very fun, yet very challenging! One partner had 20 seconds to build a shape using 7 small shape cards. Partner 2 then ahd 15 seconds to look at the shape before it got swiped away. They then had to reconstruct the shape exactly how their partner had built it. Lots of memory skills being used!

The variety of games we had to choose from to practice our memory skills. 

Fall session P-A-R-T-Y! (3/23)

This week we participated in the party that we planned during last weeks session. All students had a great time watching a show, eating donuts, and playing games that help with a variety of executive functioning skills. Below is a list of games we played, in addition to some pictures from the party! We hope everyone has a wonderful and relaxing spring break! See you all in April for the Spring Session!

Games to Play

Checkers (planning)

Memory (memory)

Chicken Cha Cha Cha (memory)

Sequence for Kids (memory & planning)

* All games also target flexibility*

Those donuts did not last long!

 

Planning 101 (3/16)

This week in EFC, we worked on our planning skills. We talked a lot about how, when doing many things throughout our day, it is important to make a plan first. We used the "Get ready-Do-Done" strategy to 'make a plan' for a math assignment. After practicing our strategy, we began to make a plan for the party we will be having next week! Because we have been working so hard on our cubicles and have been learning so many strategies, we decided to reward the students with a "pre Spring Break" party!

Below you will find pictures of the promethean board activity we used in order to plan our party.

This is the Get Ready-Do-Done template that we used to make the overall plan for our party. We discussed what materials we will need, how lunch each task will take, what we need to do our activities, and what our activity will look like when we are done. 

While we were planning our party, we had to make sure we allotted the right amount of time for each of the activities. We made sure to 'sketch time' and practice the strategies we have been learning. 

Finished Cubicles (3/9)

THEY'RE DONE! We have finally finished constructing our homework cubicles and we couldn't be more excited! Each student's cubicle is unique and individualized to fit their needs, which is amazing! They are all taking great pride in their work and we had enough time this week to do some homework using our cubicles. We will continue to teach the strategies found within the cubicles during each session so the students can independently use them! Check out the pictures below of all of us with our cubicles! Enjoy!!

 

               

Final Construction of Homework Cubicles (3/2)

This week we all finished the construction of our homework cubicles! We are so excited to begin to use them and show you all what the finished product looks like (pictures will be posted next week!).

Mrs. Lagone and I are very proud of the hard work that all of the students put into their cubicles. Each one of them is built to fit their needs and style, and they are taking a lot of pride in their work, which is wonderful!

Stay tuned for pictures of the finished product!

Most of the materials used to make our cubicles!

Phase 1: Constructing the Homework Cubicle (2/23)

This week at EFC we started our session by 'sketching time' so we made sure to stay on track during the hour. We have been doing a lot of practice with 'sketching time' at the beginning of each session and the students are becoming pros!

After sketching time, we dove right in and started to construct our Homework Cubicles. Each student received their large trifold that will be used as the base of our cubicles. They used their planning sheets from last week to sketch out where everything will go on their final product.

The Homework Cubicles will be a work in progress for the next few weeks but we are so excited to begin to use them! Thanks again to the 112 Foundation for the grant..we would not have been able to build these without it!

Trifold on left: student sketch for their final produce
Trifold on right: Ms. Didier's "finished" trifold
Trifold in middle: student sketch & plan for their final product 

Planning our Homework Cubicle- 2/16

We had a great time at EFC this week! We welcomed Mrs. Lagone who will be replacing Mr. Brandstrader each Thursday for the remainder of the club.

This week during EFC, we made a plan for our 'homework cubicles' that we will be constructing in the next few weeks.  We had a great conversation about how it is very important to make a plan before you begin to create something, or do a task. Many of the students gave great examples, such as, when building with Legos, it is important to make a plan before putting the pieces together otherwise it might take longer than expected to build, or you may not get your desired product.

Students: Be sure to remember to make a plan before beginning your homework! Use your get ready-do-done strategy and decide what order you want to do your homework in. Remember: the harder you work on your homework, the faster it will get done and the more time you will have to "party, party party" :)

Parents: When doing homework with your students, have them make a plan to determine what homework assignments they will do first, how long it might take them and what they want their homework to look like when they are done.

STOP and Read the Room 2/9

This week in EFC we learned a new strategy called STOP and Read the Room. With this strategy, students learned the expected choices to make, and the steps of what to do when they walk into a classroom (or community environment).  The students did a fantastic job picking up on the strategy!  The following acronym can be used in all environments: 

Space: What is going on in the room you're in?

Time: What time of day is it? What is happening at the moment? What will come next?

Objects: Parts, location, purpose

People: Face, body, appearance, mood, pace saying

In addition to learning a new strategy, we also had a mini celebration to say "goodbye" to Mr. Brandstrader. We are very excited to announce that, beginning next week, Mrs. Lagone will be joining us at EFC! Enjoy the pictures below of us celebrating Mr. B :) 

Sketching Time-2/2

Today during Executive Functioning we learned how to 'sketch time' using analog clocks and dry erase markers. The students learned how to shade in the amount of time they had to work on their homework at the end of EFC (5 minutes for silent read and 10 minutes for math/science homework). Below are some pictures of the students doing their homework with their clocks! Ask your student to show you how to 'sketch time'!

* The clocks and markers were purchased with a grant from the 112 Foundation*

Notes from 1/27 session

Today we used our 3-colored template to plan the construction of our special, after school snack.