Middle School Momentum
Organization: More to Keep Track Of
With multiple subjects and classrooms - and the supplies that go with them - middle school demands good organizational skills. Students are expected to juggle assignments from several courses, and to determine the amount of time needed for each.
The work itself demands a high level of mental order - classifying, bringing together pieces of information, following steps in sequence. For children who struggle with memory, focus, and time management, structure and support are essential.
WHAT TEACHERS CAN DO
- Provide schedules and checklists. Post a master monthly calendar in the classroom showing upcoming activities, projects, and deadlines - and be sure to allow time for students to transfer this information into their personal planners. Hang up checklists for procedures and projects (lab safety, library research), and hand out three-hole punched copies to students.
- Have a group clean-up. Provide time and assistance for students to clean out their binders, backpacks, and desks. Hold periodic desk and notebook inspections, and award prizes, such as a homework pass or tokens redeemable at the school store, for having a tidy desk and notebook.
- Give advance notice about upcoming projects and reports, and consider giving ADHD students a head start. Help them to choose a topic, and offer to look over outlines and rough drafts.
- Offer structure for long-term projects. Establish checkpoints for your ADHD students and monitor their progress. Make sure they have all necessary materials. Post deadlines and refer to them frequently. Contact parents to make them aware of the projects and due dates.
- Teach note-taking skills, using index cards or standard outline forms.
WHAT PARENTS CAN DO
- Make sure assignments come home. Help your child line up someone in each class who can be contacted, if necessary, to get the homework assignment. If your child has trouble copying the homework assignment in class, have her read it into a small cassette recorder.
- Avoid locker litter. Work with your child to decide what he needs in his locker, and get rid of the extras. If necessary, make the space more efficient with additional shelves, hooks for sneakers and a gym bag, and a hanging organizer for small items. Plan a cleanup schedule - perhaps weekly or before a school break. If your child doesn't have time to stop at her locker between classes, get her a book bag on wheels.
- Teach list-making. Encourage your child to keep a "to do" list. Show her how to prioritize by dividing the items into two groups: Important (do it now!) and Less Important (do it anytime). Each evening, review her list for the next day, and remind her about things due the next morning.
- Post sticky notes with reminders on mirrors, doors, and elsewhere. Encourage your child to post reminders for himself.
- Enlist the teacher. Many middle school teachers assume that their students already have organizational skills. If your child still needs help in this department, let his teachers know which strategies have proven effective.
