Lesson Plan: My Life with ADHD

Essential Questions

• How can we face challenges and learn from them?
• What can schools do to support all students?

Literature Connection

• Novel: Focused by Alyson Gerber
• Novel: Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gan

Make a Connection (5 minutes) 

Have students view the video “My Story: LeAndra Booker.” Then ask them, “What do you have in common with LeAndra?”

Preview Text Features (10 minutes)

Have students locate the article. Guide them to preview the text features by asking the following questions:

• Read the article’s title and subtitle. What do you already know about ADHD? What would you like to know? Answers will vary. 
• Look at the photos included in the story and read their captions. What do you know about LeAndra based on the photos and captions? We know that LeAndra likes art. Drawing pictures and doing crafts makes her feel calm. We also know that she’s homeschooled.

Preview Vocabulary (10 minutes)

• Point out the vocabulary box. Read the words (distracting, dread, therapist, obstacles, impulses) aloud and discuss the definitions.
• Play the Vocabulary Slideshow. 

Make a Plan for Reading (5 minutes)

Before students start to read, walk them through a reading plan:

• Set a purpose for reading: Tell students that after reading, they’ll identify cause-and-effect relationships in the story. Point out the activity at the end of the story. 
• Encourage students to make note of sentences they think tell them important ideas in each section, as well as any words or sentences they don’t understand.

• Have students read the story independently. Alternatively, they can play the audio with text-to-speech. (Find it in the Presentation View of the article.)
• As a class, discuss any notes that students made about the text.
• Next, discuss the close-reading and critical-thinking questions. 

Close-Reading Questions (15 minutes)

• What problems did LeAndra have in school because of her ADHD? (key details) LeAndra often got into trouble in school. She would distract other kids and talk when she was supposed to be listening. She had a lot of energy and no way to let it out, so she often ended up unintentionally breaking the rules.
• How does LeAndra feel about being homeschooled? Why do you think she feels this way? (inference) LeAndra likes being homeschooled more than she likes going to school. One reason is that she can sleep later, which makes her feel rested and helps her focus throughout the day. Another reason might be that she can be in charge of her own schedule. If she feels able to focus, she can study. If not, she can do something (like yoga or working out) to burn off extra energy. 
• What does LeAndra compare having ADHD to? Give two examples from the text. How do these examples help you understand what it’s like to have ADHD?  (interpreting text) LeAndra compares having ADHD to “wanting to try every single flavor of ice cream” and “wanting to squirt all the paint on the canvas at once.” Both of these examples show how impulsive the mind of a person with ADHD can be. In both examples, acting on the urge would likely have a negative outcome (a stomachache; a mess on a canvas), so the person with ADHD may need to try to keep these urges in check, which is probably difficult.

Critical-Thinking Questions (10 minutes)

• LeAndra says that because of her ADHD, she’s more understanding of other people. How do you think having ADHD has made LeAndra more understanding? (synthesizing) LeAndra says that she understands that everyone is dealing with a challenge, the same way she’s dealing with ADHD. This is an important thing to remember. Everyone has a different challenge, but everyone is coping in similar ways and experiencing similar emotions.
• LeAndra dreaded going to school because she kept getting in trouble. What can schools do to help students with ADHD succeed? (critical thinking) Sample answers: Schools can try to make sure students with ADHD have what they need. Maybe these students need more frequent breaks, more ways to burn off energy, or reminders and checklists to prepare for a task. 

• Separate students into small groups. Have them work together to complete the activity at the end of the article. 
• Go further: Have students work independently to complete our Sequence of Events Skill Builder for this article, available in higher and lower level versions.  (Click here to view all your Skill Builders.)
• Writing prompt: LeAndra made a big life change when she decided to be homeschooled. Think of a time when you made a big, important change in your life. In a short paragraph, explain why you made this change and how it affected your life.