Students with ADD and ADHD are often very intelligent, but may have trouble paying attention, sitting still, participating appropriately, or completing assignments and projects. The strategies below can help these learners overcome such challenges.
- * assigning active learning tasks
- * breaking tasks into smaller steps
- * chunking information
- * embedding brain breaks throughout instruction
- * establishing clear signals for attention
- * explicitly teaching study strategies
- * giving just-in-time feedback (especially positive feedback)
- * highlighting key information
- * including novelty and variety to continuously re-engage learners
- * integrating social-emotional learning strategies (deep breathing, positive affirmations, supporting self-esteem)
- * modeling planning and organizational strategies & tools
- * peer teaching
- * presenting information and instructions in bite-sized chunks (1-5-7 formula)
- * providing structured opportunities to move and talk
- * using multisensory methods and materials
Attention |
Social & Emotional Learning |
Sitting Still |
Students with ADD/ADHD may be easily distracted by their environment, peers, and their own minds. They may also struggle to pay attention for extended periods of time. These strategies may help.
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Students with ADD/ADHD may struggle with impulse control and emotional regulation. They may also have trouble completing large projects, studying effectively, taking notes, and turning in assignments. These strategies may help:
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Students with ADD/ADHD may be easily distracted by their environment, peers, and their own minds. They may also struggle to pay attention for extended periods of time. These strategies may help.
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ATTENTION STRATEGIESAttention SignalsClassroom Management - Attention Signals - A 1:59 min. professional development video for teachers that explains what attention signals are and how to use them in 5 easy steps
Games: Attention Getters - A 1:49 min. video of a teacher using a variety of different interactive physical and verbal techniques in English to regain students' attention after group work
You've got to see how this teacher gets her students' attention - A dynamic and engaging 2:03 min. video of a teacher leading her students through various attention-getting techniques in English, followed by techniques for expressing group praise besides applause
Spanish Attention Getters - Free download from Teachers Pay Teachers
Brain BreaksBrain Breaks for Foreign Language Classes - Free download from Martina Bex on Teachers Pay Teachers
Danse et Fige Brain Break - Freeze Dance (French) - A 6:31 min. video of various yoga postures (with sentences in French), followed by gifs and videos of different silly characters dancing
Face-off! Brain Break with TPR Gestures - The teacher calls out various words and expressions and students do the TPR actions to them with partners
Five-minute Brain Breaks for the World Language Classroom - An excellent list of fun, language-focused brain breaks
Meme Mood - A 5:58 min. video in English of situations likely to generate an emotion. Students have 10 seconds to decide how they feel, then 20 seconds to do the matching physical activity (teachers could adapt this idea for their own classes in the target language)
NFLC Summit (2020): Games & Brain Breaks to Keep Students Engaged - A 32:19 min. webinar filled with a host of really good game and brain break ideas for the world language classroom (with examples in Arabic)
One Hundred, Unprompted Unique Sentences in Level 1 - Brain break by Bryce Hedstrom
Partes del Cuerpo Brain Break from La Maestra Loca - A 1:14 min. video showing the activity in Spanish
¿Qué prefieres: Comida Latina? - A 5:33 min. video with choices of foods from two different Spanish-speaking countries, labeled in Spanish, followed by a model of the physical exercise students must use to demonstrate their choice. Countries are represented with flags
¿Qué prefieres? - A 4:58 min. video with choices in Spanish, followed by physical exercises that demonstrate your choice
Zoom Brain Break from La Maestra Loca - A 0:17-second video showing a Spanish teacher doing a quick, physical brain break with students
Clear InstructionsMultisensory Methods & MaterialsAlphabet Song by Barbara McArthur - Do with ASL fingerspelling
Germany: Multisensory teaching for improved learning results (Learning World: S5E25, 3/3) - A 3:09 min. video that shows a plethora of different ideas for teaching elementary learners in multisensory ways, many of which work well in DLI and WL classrooms
Playdough Chinese Mats - From theTeach Me Chinese blog
Jessica Crawford, Spanish Teacher - Horizon Middle School - A 1:21 min. video of a Spanish teacher using TPRS and multisensory strategies to engage her students
Signal Cards/Student Response CardsTeacher Toolkit: Student Response Cards - A 1:41 min. video of a French teacher describing how she uses student response cards in her classes with video footage of students participating in the activity
Vocabulary Squares Puzzle - An example from Maris Hawkins
Yoga Stories: Teaching Language with Movement - An excellent blog post with videos that show a multisensory technique that integrates drawing, storytelling, TPR, and yoga to engage learners in the target language
Novelty, Variety, & PacingReciprocal TeachingPeer TeachingWhole Brain Teaching & LearningWhole brain teaching - teach English in Taiwan - ESL / WBT - A 9:55 min. video that shows how an EFL teacher teaches and uses the whole brain learning technique with elementary language learners
Whole Brain Teaching Two Way Dual - A 6:01 min. video that shows how a two-way Spanish dual language immersion teacher uses multisensory strategies to engage elementary learners in a language arts lesson
Whole Brain Teaching High School Spanish - A 0:48-second video that shows high school students reviewing weather vocabulary using whole brain teaching techniques (Another example from the same teacher)
SimulationsStructured TransitionsTotal Participation Techniques |
SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING STRATEGIESBreathingBox Breathing (a.k.a. tactical breathing)
Calm Breathing (from Anxiety Canada) Calming Square Breathing Technique Mindfulness Breathe Boards (from Pathway2Success) Emotional Regulation & Impulse ControlStrategies to Help Kids Learn Impulse Control - A list of strategies from the OT Toolbox
Apoyo visual ejercicios controlar ira y ansiedad (from Cuentame un cuento especial)
FeedbackHow to Use Pear Deck in World Language Classes - A formative assessment tool with a plethora of fun, interactive options for assessing students' comperhension that works well in both face-to-face and remote teaching environments
Positive AffirmationsPositive Thinking Affirmations - Distance Learning & Google Classroom (from Pathway2Success)
Strategies That Support Executive FunctioningConcept Maps & Graphic Organizers
Goal Setting in the Classroom - From the Reflections of an Intentional Teacher blog
Habit TrackersFree habit tracker printables (+50 ideas of habits to track) (from Unexpectedly Domestic)
Habits Tracker (from Chronic Illness Warrior Life) My Self Care Activities [Habits trackers] (from Sherrie's Berries) Study SkillsStudy Cards Foldables for World Languages from Profe Hanson
TransitionsSupporting Self-Esteem |
STRATEGIES FOR ACTIVE LEARNINGActive Learning StrategiesActive learning strategies give students opportunities to make connections between themselves and the content they are learning by DOING something with the content. These strategies are especially effective when they include physical movement.
Continuum of Active Learning Strategies - A 1-page PDF of a continuum of strategies that work well in large university classes
Residential to Remote: Active Learning Strategies by Instructional Modality - A chart that shows how to adapt different active learning strategies for remote , synchronous, remote asynchronous, and physically distanced classes
Cooperative Learning StrategiesCarrousel or Gallery WalkThe QR Code Gallery Walk - A blog post in English from Wesley Hilliard explaining how he used QR codes to pique students' interest in Che Guevara
STARTALK Activities: Independent Learning - Gallery Walk - A 4:07 video of students in an Arabic class participating in the activity
Four CornersSTARTALK Activities - Four Corners (Mandarin Chinese) - A 4:52 min. video of students participating in the activity in Chinese (with English subtitles), accompanied by explanation of the activity in English from teachers
How to use station method in ESL class! - A 4:46 min. video of ESL students and their teacher participating in a 4 corners activity based on places in the city
Human GraphingVote with Your Feet - A PDF with instructions for the activity
Vote with Your Feet - A 1:41 min. video in an ESL classroom that shows how to use this activity as a reading and oral response activity
Vote with Your Feet Demonstration - A 5:26 min. video of a teacher using this activity as a competition between himself and his students
Inside/Outside CirclesInside/Outside Circles - [Done in rows]
A 1:30 min. explanation with video footage of students participating in inside/outside circles done by rotating desks in a secondary French classroom STARTALK Activities - Inside Outside Circle (Mandarin Chinese) - A 4:03 min. video of a Chinese teacher explaining the activity with footage of students participating and reacting to it
Model Pembelajaran Kooperatif Tipe Inside Outside (IOC) Pada Anak Usia Dini - A 30 min. video that shows how to incorporate inside/outside circles into a content-based lesson on internal organs in an elementary class in Indonesia
Learning Centers/StationsChat Stations for Class Discussion - A 5:31 min. animcated professional development video that explains how to use chat stations
Inquiry-based Learning StrategiesDigital Choice Boards Templates - Free download from Teachers Pay Teachers
Structured Opportunities to Move & TalkCootie CatchersDice GamesJuego para practicar los pasados - Free download in French and Spanish
Information Gap ActivitiesCircumlocution Speaking - A 1:49 min. video that explains and demonstrates a circumlocution game played in pairs with a picture worksheet
Interactive MixersArt Buzzword Bingo - An example of a Buzzword Bingo mixer worksheet in Spanish
Special Needs Zoom Buzzword Bingo - Two different examples of how you might use annotation tools in Zoom for formative assessment of content and vocabulary, followed by oral responses
Scavenger HuntsOnline Warm Up Game| Scavenger Hunt | Teach English Online Demo | Learn English Zoom| Show and Tell - A 4:37 min. video that demonstrates how to do a scavenger hunt with secondary ESL students on Zoom
Sorting ActivitiesHow to Do a Card Sort - A 2:08 min. explanation of different ways to use the activity
SnowballsSnowball - A 1:43 min. video demonstration of how a teacher might use the activity to practice body parts vocabulary
A 1-Minute Teaching Tip: The Snowball Fight - A 1:57 min. explanation for using the activity to help learners write essays or stories
Snowball Fight - A 2:56 min. explanation for using the structure to help students match vocabulary to definitions
Indoor Snowball Activity - A 1:12 min. video of a teacher modeling the activity in Chinese and guiding children through the activity in Chinese and Spanish (gross motor skills focus rather than a language focus)
Think Pair ShareTeacher's Toolkit: Think Pair Share - A 4:06 video in which a French teacher explains the strategy in English
Think Write Share CompareSTARTALK Activities - Think Write Share Compare (Mandarin Chinese) - A 4:16 video in Chinese with English subtitles that shows students participating in the activity (with teacher narration in English)
Total Physical ResponseVocabulary Games That Require MovementKeep the Cup in the Air - A 6:09 min. video that explains and demonstrates a game that could be used to practice asking and answering questions on any topic that requires physical movement
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