When is the best time to introduce or reinforce an executive function strategy? Any time — even at the end of the school year. Our SMARTS Curriculum Extensions require little preparation and are flexible enough to fit into what you’re already teaching.
What Are Extensions?
SMARTS Curriculum extensions (found at the end of each SMARTS lesson plan) are easy and efficient ways to teach executive function strategies. SMARTS extensions allow you to weave bits of executive function instruction into existing content. Small but mighty, SMARTS extensions:
- Stand on their own as quick mini-lessons or serve as a way to review and reinforce a strategy taught in the full lesson
- Require little to no preparation
- Offer various options to embed executive function strategies in natural moments within instruction and to extend the learning from a single lesson over time
SMARTS Secondary Extensions
SMARTS Secondary offers over 400 extensions, which are organized into six categories:
- Creating strategic learning communities
- Reflection/self-advocacy
- Test strategies
- Projects
- Math/science
- ELA/social science
These categories offer a way to easily align strategy instruction with your unique teaching setting and learning goals.
SMARTS Elementary Extensions
SMARTS Elementary features extensions for every lesson. You can also use our new lesson sorter to curate lessons by areas such as active reading, flexible thinking and problem solving, self-understanding, perspective-taking, and more.
Got Time? Run a Full Lesson
If your end-of-year schedule allows for full lessons, there are a number of strategies that students can use to set themselves up for summer success. Goal setting is an appropriate strategy to help students think about how they can make the most of their summer break. Purposeful highlighting is useful for test taking and summer reading.
- Caitlin Vanderberg, M.Ed., SMARTS Associate
SMARTS Executive Function Curriculum: smarts-ef.org
Research Institute for Learning and Development: researchild.org
The Institute for Learning and Development: ildlex.org
