Weekly Homework Planner

Week of: ____________________

Weekly Reflection

1. What challenges did I face this week when completing my homework?
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. What strategies helped me stay organized?
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. How can I improve my planning for next week?
   
   
   
   
   
   

Organization Strategies Chat

Objective: Reflect on current homework organization habits and brainstorm new strategies to improve executive functioning.


Discussion Guidelines:

• Listen actively and respect each other’s ideas.
  
• Explain your thinking and give examples from your own experiences.
  
• Build on each other’s suggestions.
  
  

Discussion Questions

1. Reflect on a Challenging Moment
   
   Think about a time you felt overwhelmed by your homework. What happened and how did you handle it?
   
   
   Follow-Ups:
   

   • What made that moment especially challenging?
     
   • Which steps did you take to try to get organized?
     
     

2. Current Strategies
   
   What tools or methods do you currently use to keep track of assignments (e.g., planner, checklists, phone reminders)?
   
   
   Follow-Ups:
   

   • Which of these strategies works best for you, and why?
     
   • Is there one strategy you find hard to stick with?
     
     

3. Brainstorming New Ideas
   
   Let’s come up with two new strategies you could try this week to manage your assignments more smoothly.
   
   
   Follow-Ups:
   

   • How would you fit these strategies into your daily routine?
     
   • What challenges might you face, and how could you overcome them?
     
     

4. Action Plan
   
   How will you use what you’ve learned today to stay organized this week?
   
   
   Follow-Ups:
   

   • What is one specific step you will commit to doing?
     
   • How will you remind yourself to follow through?
     
     

Use this chat as a guide whenever you feel stuck or need fresh ideas about staying on top of your schoolwork. Remember: trying new strategies and reflecting regularly helps build strong executive functioning skills!

Planner Relay

Objective: Practice breaking down a homework task into clear steps and estimating how long each step will take under time pressure to reinforce planning skills.


Time: 7 minutes


Materials:
- Weekly Homework Planner Worksheet
- Timer or stopwatch
- Dry-erase board or scratch paper and marker/pencil


Prep:
- Prepare 3–4 sample assignments on slips of paper (e.g., “Write a book report introduction,” “Solve 10 algebra problems,” “Study vocabulary words”).
- Set the timer for 1 minute per round.

Instructions

1. Introduction (1 minute)
   - Explain that today’s game is a race against the clock to break down an assignment into small steps and give time estimates for each step.
   - Show the student the format on the Weekly Homework Planner Worksheet for listing steps and times.
   
   
2. Round 1: Teacher’s Assignment (1 minute)
   - Teacher reads the first sample assignment aloud.
   - Start the timer; student writes 3–4 steps and time estimates on the worksheet within 1 minute.
   
   
3. Quick Reflection (1 minute)
   - Review the student’s steps: Are they clear and sequential? Are the time estimates realistic?
   - Provide one specific praise and one suggestion for making steps more detailed or times more accurate.
   
   
4. Round 2: Student’s Choice (1 minute)
   - Student selects a current homework assignment they need to do.
   - Start the timer; student fills out steps and times on their own planner.
   
   
5. Debrief & Compare (2 minutes)
   - Compare the student’s breakdown with the teacher’s feedback from Round 1.
   - Discuss what went well and which steps or time estimates could be adjusted.
   - Ask: "Which step felt hardest to estimate? How could you refine that next time?"
   
   
6. Wrap-Up (1 minute)
   - Encourage the student to use this quick breakdown method when they start new assignments.

Answer Key for Executive Function and Planning Test

This key provides correct answers, scoring guidance, and sample reasoning for each question.

Question 1: Likert (Self-Assessment)

Prompt: I feel confident breaking large homework assignments into manageable steps.
Answer: No single “correct” answer.
Purpose & Scoring: Use responses to gauge self-perceived confidence. No points awarded; record the student’s choice to track growth over time.

Question 2: Multiple-Choice

Prompt: Which of the following elements is most important to include for each assignment in your planner?
Options:

• Subject name only
• Due date, steps, and estimated time
• Only the title of the assignment
• Step count only

Correct Answer: Due date, steps, and estimated time

Reasoning:

1. Due date ensures the student knows when to finish.
2. Breaking into steps clarifies the work sequence.
3. Time estimates help with realistic scheduling.

Scoring:

• 1 point for the correct option.
• 0 points for any other choice.

Question 3: Open-Response

Prompt: Describe in 2–3 sentences how you would estimate the time needed to complete a 500-word essay using the weekly planner.

Scoring Rubric (0–3 points):

• 1 point: Student mentions breaking the essay into parts (e.g., planning, drafting, revising).
• 1 point: Student provides a specific method for estimating time (e.g., words per minute, past experience).
• 1 point: Student sums or allocates times to each part and explains how they’ll record these estimates on the planner.

Exemplar Response:
"First, I’d break the essay into brainstorming (15 min), drafting each section (20 min for intro, 30 min for body, 15 min for conclusion), and revising (20 min). I know I write about 50 words in 5 minutes, so I’ll use that rate to check my draft time. I’ll list each step and its time in my weekly planner under today’s date."

Question 4: Multiple-Choice

Prompt: If a peer is upset with you and ignores your apology, what is the best next step?
Options:

• Text them later with a joke
• Ask them calmly if you can talk and listen to their feelings
• Send them a gift to make up
• Ignore them until they come around

Correct Answer: Ask them calmly if you can talk and listen to their feelings

Reasoning:
This choice demonstrates respect, active listening, and genuine conflict resolution—key peer-interaction skills.

Scoring:

• 1 point for selecting the correct option.
• 0 points for any other choice.

Question 5: Open-Response

Prompt: Provide two strategies you learned in the "Organization Strategies Chat" that you plan to try this week.

Scoring Rubric (0–2 points):

• 1 point for correctly naming and describing a first strategy from the chat (e.g., setting daily reminders, using checklists, time-blocking).
• 1 point for naming and describing a second, distinct strategy.

Exemplar Response:
"1. I’ll use a daily check-off list that shows each step of my assignments and check off as I finish.
2. I’ll set a phone alarm right after school to sit down for 5 minutes and write all tasks into my planner, so nothing gets forgotten."

Question 6: Likert (Self-Assessment)

Prompt: After completing the Planner Relay activity, I am better at estimating how long each step of my homework will take.
Answer: No single “correct” answer.
Purpose & Scoring: Use responses to measure perceived improvement in time estimation. No right or wrong; record the student’s choice to monitor changes over time.

Total Possible Points (for scored items):

• Question 2: 1 point
• Question 3: 3 points
• Question 4: 1 point
• Question 5: 2 points

Overall Score Range: 0–7 points

Use this key to guide grading and to provide specific feedback on open responses.

End of Answer Key