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Brain Boss Skills

Lesson Plan

Brain Boss Skills Lesson Plan

Students will understand and apply key executive functioning skills—planning, organization, time management, and self-monitoring—to manage academic tasks more effectively. They will practice using a planning template and a self-monitoring checklist to develop and reflect on their organizational strategies.

Strong executive functioning skills help students break down assignments, manage their time, and monitor progress. Building these skills in 7th grade fosters independence, reduces stress, and improves academic performance across subjects.

Audience

7th Grade Middle School Students

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Combine direct instruction with hands-on practice and reflective self-monitoring.

Materials

Prep

Prepare Lesson Materials

10 minutes

Step 1

Warm-Up Discussion

5 minutes

  • Prompt students: “How do you plan and organize your homework and projects?”
  • Ask them to brainstorm weekly tasks (assignments, sports practices, chores) and list on the whiteboard
  • Give each student a sticky note to jot one challenge they face with planning
  • Collect and quickly group similar challenges for later reference

Step 2

Executive Functioning Overview

7 minutes

Step 3

Strategy Application Activity

10 minutes

  • Pair students and assign each pair a sample academic task (e.g., a science project due next week)
  • Instruct pairs to choose strategies from the Executive Functioning Strategies Chart to approach the task
  • Have them map out steps on the Daily Planner Template, scheduling tasks across days
  • Use the timer or stopwatch to keep each pair on track; circulate to support and guide decisions

Step 4

Self-Monitoring Reflection

5 minutes

  • Distribute the Self-Monitoring Checklist
  • Ask students to individually reflect on which strategies they used during planning and note successes or roadblocks
  • Encourage them to mark at least one area they want to improve next time
  • Collect checklists to gauge understanding and areas needing reinforcement

Step 5

Cool-Down & Next Steps

3 minutes

  • Invite volunteers to share one strategy they’ll apply on their next assignment
  • Summarize key takeaways on the whiteboard under “Brain Boss Action Plan”
  • Assign homework: use the Daily Planner Template this week and bring back a reflection on its effectiveness
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Slide Deck

Brain Boss Skills

Mastering Executive Functioning for Academic Success

Welcome students. Introduce today’s lesson on strengthening executive functioning skills. Say: “Today you become Brain Bosses — you’ll learn how to plan, organize, manage time, and monitor yourself to ace your tasks.”

What Is Executive Functioning?

• Planning: Setting goals and steps to reach them
• Organization: Keeping materials and information in order
• Time Management: Estimating and allocating your time wisely
• Self-Monitoring: Checking your progress and adjusting as needed

Define each function in your own words and invite student examples. For planning: ask “How do you decide what to work on first?” For organization: “Where do you keep your materials?”

Why It Matters

• Break large assignments into doable steps
• Stay on top of homework, projects, and activities
• Reduce stress and last-minute rushing
• Build confidence and independence

Emphasize why these skills matter: share a story about a missed deadline vs. on-time success. Encourage students to name times they felt stressed by poor planning.

Key Strategies

Planning:

  • Set clear goals for each task
  • Break tasks into smaller steps

Organization:

  • Use folders or binders for each subject
  • Keep a checklist of materials needed

Time Management:

  • Prioritize tasks by deadline and importance
  • Use timers or alarms to stay on schedule

Self-Monitoring:

  • Track your progress on a chart
  • Reflect on what went well and what to improve

Display the full Executive Functioning Strategies Chart if available. Ask students to pick one strategy from each category that sounds helpful.

Activity: Apply the Strategies

  1. Pair up and pick a sample task (e.g., science project due next week)
  2. Choose strategies from the Executive Functioning Strategies Chart
  3. Map out steps on the Daily Planner Template
  4. Use a timer to keep on track — you have 10 minutes!

Explain instructions clearly and model one example: map out three steps for a book report using the planner template. Circulate to support groups.

Reflect & Self-Monitor

• Which strategies did you use during planning?
• What went well? What roadblocks did you face?
• Mark one area to improve on your next task

Distribute the Self-Monitoring Checklist. Model one reflection: “I set a clear goal but didn’t track time well; next time I’ll use my timer.”

Brain Boss Action Plan

• Choose one strategy to apply this week
• Use your Daily Planner Template for assignments
• Bring back a reflection on how it worked

Summarize the day’s key takeaways on the board under “Brain Boss Action Plan.” Remind students to complete their homework planner template and bring reflections.

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Worksheet

Executive Functioning Strategies Chart

Planning

Strategies:

  • Set clear, specific goals for each task
  • Break tasks into smaller, manageable steps
    My Notes:





Organization

Strategies:

  • Use folders or binders for each subject
  • Keep a checklist of materials needed
    My Notes:





Time Management

Strategies:

  • Prioritize tasks by deadline and importance
  • Use timers or alarms to stay on schedule
    My Notes:





Self-Monitoring

Strategies:

  • Track your progress on a chart or checklist
  • Reflect on what worked and what to improve
    My Notes:





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Worksheet

Daily Planner Template

Date: _________________________

1. Schedule

TimeTask / To-DoPriority (H/M/L)Notes
7:00 – 8:00 AM
8:00 – 9:00 AM
9:00 – 10:00 AM
10:00 – 11:00 AM
11:00 – 12:00 PM
12:00 – 1:00 PM
1:00 – 2:00 PM
2:00 – 3:00 PM
3:00 – 4:00 PM
4:00 – 5:00 PM
5:00 – 6:00 PM
6:00 – 7:00 PM
7:00 – 8:00 PM
8:00 – 9:00 PM

2. Task Breakdown

Main Task: _________________________________




Step 1: _________________________________


Step 2: _________________________________


Step 3: _________________________________


Step 4: _________________________________


Step 5: _________________________________

3. Reflection

What went well today?




What could I improve for tomorrow?




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Worksheet

Self-Monitoring Checklist

Name: _________________________ Date: _____________________

Task / Activity: _________________________________________________

1. Strategy Use (check all that apply)

  • I set clear, specific goals for my task.
  • I broke my task into smaller, manageable steps.
  • I organized my materials (e.g., folders, binders).
  • I created a checklist of needed materials.
  • I prioritized tasks by deadline and importance.
  • I used a timer or alarm to stay on schedule.
  • I tracked my progress on a chart or checklist.
  • I reflected on what worked well and what to improve.

2. Reflection Questions

a. Which strategies did you use?





b. What went well? Describe your successes:





c. What roadblocks or challenges did you face?





d. What is one area you will improve next time?





e. How will you apply this improvement on your next task?





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Cool Down

Brain Boss Cool-Down

1. Exit Ticket: Quick Reflection

  1. Which executive functioning skill do you feel most confident about after today’s lesson? Why?



  2. Which skill do you want to improve on your next assignment, and what strategy will you try?



  3. How will you use the Daily Planner Template this week to stay on track?



2. Homework: Action Plan

  • Use the Daily Planner Template to organize at least two of your upcoming assignments or activities this week.
  • Bring your completed planner and a one‐paragraph reflection on how it helped you manage your tasks to our next class.



Remember: Being a Brain Boss means choosing one strategy to practice and reflecting on what works. You’ve got this!

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