Executive Functioning Skills Instructional Guide – Middle School (Grades 6–8): Teacher & Parent Lesson Plans

What Is the Executive Functioning Skills Instructional Guide for Middle School?

The Executive Functioning Skills Middle School Instructional Guide is a 161-page downloadable, printable teacher and parent guide from Future Ready Education. It’s the teaching companion to the Executive Functioning Skills Middle School Workbook (Plan, Focus, Follow Through), giving you everything you need to teach students in grades 6–8 (ages 11–14) to organize, plan, focus and follow through as they move between teachers, juggle homework and gain independence. The guide follows the workbook’s 7 lessons, each designed to be completed in 25–30 minutes. Every lesson includes a short guided reading, practical activities, learning objectives and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) supports, and a pre-assessment and post-assessment let you measure growth. The guide builds the durable skills in your district’s Portrait of a Graduate.

Why Do Teachers and Parents Choose This Instructional Guide?

• Ready to teach: 7 lessons with learning objectives, guided readings and practical activities
• Fits any schedule: each lesson takes 25–30 minutes and can be expanded with discussion, journaling or planning exercises
• Matches the student workbook: follows the Middle School Executive Functioning Workbook lesson by lesson
• Built for every learner: UDL guidance with visual frameworks, teacher think-alouds, examples and non-examples, and flexible ways for students to show learning
• Intervention-ready: a strong fit for MTSS/RTI, special education, counseling groups and academic support
• Measurable growth: a pre-assessment and post-assessment covering organization, routines, focus, motivation, time management, planning and decision-making
• Money basics included: needs vs. wants, simple budgets and saving for goals
• Instant access: a downloadable, printable PDF you can reuse every year

What Will Students Be Able to Do?

By the end of the lessons, students will be able to:

1. Recognize how executive functioning skills like organizing materials, managing time, sustaining focus, motivating themselves and planning ahead help them work more independently in middle school
2. Use practical strategies to begin tasks, overcome procrastination and stay focused despite distractions
3. Break multi-step assignments and projects into manageable parts using checklists, timelines, digital planners and task trackers
4. Follow complex or multi-step directions using chunking, note-taking, visual cues and self-check systems
5. Create and maintain organization systems for materials, notebooks, digital files, backpacks and daily routines
6. Estimate how long tasks will take, compare estimates to actual time and prioritize to stay on track with deadlines
7. Set meaningful personal and academic goals, plan the steps, monitor progress and adjust when plans change
8. Make thoughtful financial decisions by telling needs from wants, planning limited resources, creating simple budgets and saving for future goals

How Does This Guide Build Portrait of a Graduate Competencies?

This guide builds durable, future-ready skills, the transferable abilities students carry into every class, career and community:

• Personal Responsibility & Work Ethic (PRW): organization, routines, task initiation and follow-through
• Agency (AGY): setting goals, self-monitoring and taking ownership of learning
• Finances (FIN): needs vs. wants, simple budgets and saving for goals
• Adaptability (ADP): adjusting plans and strategies when things change
• Critical Thinking & Problem Solving (CT): breaking down multi-step tasks and prioritizing
• Career Readiness (CAR): planning, focus and study habits that prepare students for high school and beyond
• Communication (COM): following complex directions and asking for help
• Collaboration (COL): managing time and responsibilities on group projects
• Creativity (CRE): designing personal systems for organization and studying
• Empathy (EMP): understanding how overwhelm and stress affect yourself and others
• Citizenship (CIT): being a dependable member of the classroom community

What Lessons Are Included in the Middle School Executive Functioning Guide?

The guide includes a pre-assessment, 7 lessons, a post-assessment and extra resources:

1. Organization & Routines: organizing materials, digital files, workspaces and daily routines to stay prepared and reduce stress
2. Time Management: estimating task time, breaking assignments into steps, choosing what to do first and creating simple plans and schedules
3. Focus & Attention: recognizing internal and external distractions, refocusing and creating a focus-friendly environment
4. Motivation & Momentum: what motivates you, overcoming procrastination and using small starting rituals to begin tasks
5. Study Skills: retrieval practice, spacing, chunking and note-taking strategies for studying smarter, not longer
6. Goals & Tracking Progress: setting academic and personal goals, outlining steps, monitoring progress and adjusting strategies
7. Financial Literacy: needs vs. wants, planning a simple budget, saving for goals and making thoughtful spending choices

Resources: extra tools for teachers, parents and students.

Who Is This Instructional Guide For?

Middle school general and special education teachers, school counselors, intervention specialists, MTSS/RTI teams, advisory leaders, tutors, homeschool families and parents. It’s designed for advisory, study skills and middle school transition programs, counseling groups, academic intervention, financial literacy and Portrait of a Graduate initiatives.

What Comes in the Executive Functioning Skills Instructional Guide?

• Grade level: Grades 6–8 (ages 11–14)
• Format: Digital download (printable PDF)
• Length: 161 pages
• For: teachers and parents, with student activity pages included
• Includes: an introduction for teachers and parents, 7 lessons with learning objectives and guided readings, student activities, pre- and post-assessments, UDL guidance and extra resources
• Companion to: Executive Functioning Skills: Plan, Focus, Follow Through, the Middle School Workbook
• Publisher: Future Ready Education, an IB Source company
• SKU: FRTMMSIG

Frequently Asked Questions About the Middle School Executive Functioning Instructional Guide

What are executive functioning skills?

Executive functioning skills are the mental skills that help us plan, organize, focus, manage time, start tasks and follow through. For middle schoolers, they include keeping track of materials and assignments, managing multiple teachers, studying for tests and staying motivated.

How long does each lesson take?

Each lesson is designed for 25–30 minutes, so it fits easily into advisory, homeroom or a class period. Lessons can be expanded with discussion questions, journaling prompts or planning exercises.

How does this guide work with the student workbook?

It’s the teaching companion to the Executive Functioning Skills Middle School Workbook. It follows the same 7 lessons and adds teacher guidance, UDL supports and assessments. Students work in the workbook while you teach from the guide.

Can I use it for MTSS, RTI or special education?

Yes. Structured lessons, UDL scaffolds and pre- and post-assessments make it well suited to Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions, IEP goals related to organization and task initiation, and counseling groups.

Can parents use this guide at home?

Yes. It’s written for both teachers and parents, and lessons can be taught in sequence or chosen based on a student’s needs, which makes it practical for homeschool and at-home support.

Does it include assessments?

Yes. A pre-assessment and post-assessment measure growth in organization, routines, focus, motivation, time management, planning and decision-making.

Is there a high school version?

Yes. The Executive Functioning Skills High School Instructional Guide covers the same skill areas at a more advanced level, including cognitive load, credit scores and loans.

What are future-ready skills?

Future-ready skills, also called durable skills, are lasting, transferable abilities like self-management, financial literacy, adaptability and critical thinking. Students use them across subjects, careers and life.