Homework Tips
1. Make a list of all the homework you have to do.
2. Write down when you will begin each assignment.
3. Write down when you will end each assignment. (Do this by deciding how much time you think it will take, and then double it.) Now you have a plan.
4. Talk to your parents about what your reward will be when you do what you have to do and get your homework done. Maybe you can get to watch a tv show, read a favorite book, have a snack, or whatever you and your parents decide.
5. Use a digital timer (You can get them in the kitchen store in the mall, or I like the ones from Pampered Chef.) Set the time to work for 20 minutes. Then set it for your 5 minute break. This is just a short break: stretch, walk around a little, get a drink of water.
6. Clip the timer to your clothes, so if you walk away you will hear it when it goes off.
7. If you take a break at the end of one subject, and will be starting another one when you get back, get out everything you need to start the new assignment. For example, open the book and open it to the page you will start on. If it's math, and you need a pencil, sharpen the pencil. Then, when you come back from your break, it will be so much easier to just sit down and start.
8. Get a plastic 2-pocket folder that pops right into your 3-ring binder, so you don't have to open the rings each time. Label one side, 'Take home," and the other side, "Take to school."
When you get homework sheets, forms for your parents to sign, notes from the teacher, etc., put them right into the "Take home" side. When your homework sheets are complete, the forms are filled out, etc, put them right into the "Take to school" side. No more lost homework sheets, and everyday you can turn in your homework, because you know where to find it. When you've checked off the last assignment, put the folder back in the binder and binder in the backpack along with your books.
9. Put your backpack near the door so you can pick it up on your way out the next morning.
10. Reward timel You have a completed checked off assignment sheet, which means you've done all your homework, you know where it is so you can turn it in, and your backpack is ready for
the next day! Congratulations!
For each of the above steps - ask yourself:
What do I do now?
What part of what I do now works?
What part of what I do now doesn't work?
What are some ways I could make it work for me?

Workspace
Students with Attention Deficit Disorder are often creative and need things in sight. This is why the papers never get put away, and things pile up all over the desk Using color for creativity, and file containers that are open and visible can keep things "organized enough' so that things are easy to find and easy to put away Even though they are on the desk, or on the floor and open, there is an order about it that works for the student.

It is important for the child or adolescent to organize their space at home. They need a quiet, distraction-free environment in which they feel comfortable and can find things when doing their homework. According to David Ellis in the book, Becoming a Master Student, when you use a regular study area you can focus your attention more quickly when you arrive at that particular place.

• Quit and Distraction Free - some students say they can study better with the music or television on. This can be true, so you need to determine the level of music or television that the student can tolerate, and still get their homework done. However, in setting up an area in which to study, it is a good idea to leave the television out, as well as a phone, or video games, or anything that they can jump to easily when they don't feel like working.

• Comfortable - but not too comfortable. You don't want them falling asleep, but if there is a comfortable chair, and they like being in the environment, they will be more apt to stay there. For people with ADD they might feel uncomfortable if a desk is in one part of the room, but feel perfectly comfortable if it is moved to the other side of the room. Give your child some options in how the furniture is arranged in the room. If possible, you may want to include a rocking chair. The motion of the rocking chair can accommodate the need to keep moving while they are studying.

• Find things- Not having the right supplies available can cause a lot of wasted time for anyone, but for people with ADD, it is even worse. When they have to leave where they are, and go off into different parts of the house to locate an item, it's a long way back to homework, as they find things to distract them along the way. So, try to have the supplies that are needed most, in the workspace. You can put them in a clear, open, plastic container or a basket that is kept on the floor next to the desk. Here is a list of some often used items:

-pencils, pens, markers -pencil sharpener -erasers -highlighters
-stapler, staples, staple remover -writing paper, notepads -computer paper -ruler -scissors -glue

THINGS TO REMEMBER
• EVERYTHING (ALL YOUR STUFF) NEEDS A HOME (you can't put it away or find it again unless you have a place to put it)
• YOU NEED A SYSTEM FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO (a step by step way to get it done)
• YOU NEED A ROUTINE FOR THE THINGS YOU DO ON A REGULAR BASIS -(what day of the week will you do it, and what time of day will you do it - i.e., homework, laundry, getting gas in your car, cleaning up, getting up, going to bed, etc.)
ATTEMPT LESS - WITH MORE FOCUS - Overwhelm only causes us to become paralyzed and get nothing done.
• Pick one thing you need to do.
• Tell yourself that no matter how many other things you have to do, you will only focus on that one thing for a certain amount of time, (i.e., for the next hour I will work on the paper that is due, for the next 15 minutes I will straighten up this room)
PROCRASTINATION IS INDECISION - What is keeping vou from getting started?
Do you know exactly what it is you are supposed to do? If not find out.
Do you know when it is due?
Are you missing anything you need to accomplish it? If you are, begin to gather what you need. Is it a phone number? Is it supplies? Solve one problem.
Are you trying to be perfect? This is one of the main reasons people procrastinate. It doesn't have to be perfect! It sometimes just has to get done! Keep in mind the thought that "Good Enough is O.K." HOW WILL YOU FEEL TOMORROW - IF YOU HAVEN'T DONE THIS TODAY? HOW WILL YOU FEEL TOMORROW - IF YOU DO ACCOMPLISH THIS TODAY?

TIPS FOR STUDENTS
- Consider recording what you have to study and listen to it while you are doing other things - in the car, waiting for
a ride, waiting for a Dr. appointment, etc.
- distraction free environment to study
- study in short segments
- regular study routine - stick to it
- if you learn best auditorily, read aloud to yourself if possible, or form a study group
- use memory techniques
- overlearn - when you think you know it, keep at it
- be an active learner
- skim chapter headings to get general idea
- turn chapter headings into questions; this will help to give you a focus when you read the chapter, as you try to answer the questions to read the text to find the answer to recite what it is - then put it into your own words.

TAKING NOTES IN CLASS
Why take notes?
Notes are your tool to help you retain and learn information..." The bottom line: Your notes are your notes for your mind ' From-Jonathon Mooney. Learning Outside the Lines
People with ADD can get stuck on the right'' way to take notes. It's often the linear method - those Roman numeral listings - that is considered "right" If the linear method works, then keep using it. if not. try other ways, until you find what fits your mind. The point is that it has to be done in a way that works for you.

Note taking tips
1. Do your homework. Read ahead, or at least skim. It is much easier to take notes if you know something about the information ahead of time
2. Make sure you have a pen you like to write with. Use color if you are allowed.
3. Get to class early, and if you are allowed to choose your seat, sit near the front of class.
4. Decide that you want to learn this information because you want to do well on the next test.
5. When the teacher is talking, listen for clues that indicate that something is important, and will most likely be on the test: If they tell you it will be on the test. be sure to put a star next to it in your notes. If they repeat something, it is usually very important. When the teacher tells you what they are going to talk about. write it down, because this is what you will need to know from the lecture. At the end of the talk, the teacher will usually sum up what is important, so be sure to put this in your notes.
6. When you get home, go over the notes. You should look at the information in your notes, and try to come up with some questions that the teacher might ask on a test You can type your notes on the computer, being sure to put it in an order that makes sense to you.

Three ways to take notes:
Two column notes - The Paulk Method {Walter Paulk. a Professor at Cornell University)

On each page draw a vertical line 1 !/2 inches from the left margin
In the left side you can write the main points, headings, or your own notes (such as this will be on the test) On the right side you write down the detailed information. The left side can also be used when you review the notes, to put things in your own words, or to make up questions that might be asked on a test.
Mapping - Turn your notebook paper on its side. Put your topic in the center with a square or circle around it. On lines coming from the center. and branching off. you write down the key words from the lesson. This works well for visual learners, and is especially useful when you need to learn relationships and key concepts.
Paragraphs - Just put your notes in paragraph form, meaning a few facts that relate are in one paragraph. Then, skip a line and start another paragraph. These are not the kind of paragraphs you would do for an essay, but just notes. There can be abbreviations, incomplete sentences, or whatever you have to do to get the information down. When you review your notes, you can leave it the way it is, or reorganize the paragraphs.

Take notes faster
Make up codes for the words you have to write down all the time. The ones I list here are some of the ones other people use. You can start by using only a couple until you get used to them, then add more.

WordCode
Arer
Becauseb/c
Withoutw/o
PageP
AndUse + or &
Try making your own secret codes, so you can take notes faster and easier. Make sure you keep a list (maybe on the computer) so you don't forget what they mean.
Notebook:
One notebook for everything.
The notebook is a filing system.
A different color for each subject, with visible labels made with a label maker.
Clean out the notebook once a week, and put papers in a file box.
Checklists:
Before I leave school
Before I leave home for school