Writing, Study, and Executive Function Worksheets
Persuasive / Argumentative
Here are two graphic organizers to help outline your basic persuasive or argumentative essay. Start with a position or stance on a topic, write down specific reasoning or arguments, and provide evidence that validates your reasons. To strengthen your persuasive paragraph or essay, think of possible counter-arguments that you can invalidate with evidence.
Universal Organizers
These forms are more free-form, so they can be adapted for different uses. These can be used for note-taking, planning, or just organizing your thoughts and ideas. These forms can help you visualize and prioritize hard to resolve thoughts and ideas for project planning and more.
Storyboard
Storyboards are great for illustrating events in a sequence and are often used for planning the scenes in movies and commercials. They also work well for planning trips and telling stories about trips you have taken. In the large box, draw the scene, and with the lines below write down the notes that describe it.
Star Note-Taking Form
This form is perfect for informational reading. Write the main idea of the story, paragraph, or experience (field trip, etc.) in the center. Then write five details about it, one on each point of the star. For example, if the topic is trees, write trees in the center and five facts about them on the points of the star. You can then use your completed form as a study guide or notes with which to write a paragraph about your topic.
Hint: For the Main Idea, think: This paragraph or story or selection tells me about _______________.
Details can include: number, size, dimensions, shape, direction, sensation, direction, color, action, time, setting, background, movement, sound, or answer the questions why or how.
These forms are best used for:
Informational, topic or subject-oriented material.
Example topics: space, trees, hieroglyphics, frogs, or baseball cards, etc.
Placing the main idea in the center of the star and five details that support or provide details about the main idea around the star.
Story Note-Taking Forms
Record what happens first, in the middle, and at the end of a story. Remember to include some of the details, such as where the story takes place, when the events in the story take place, and what action takes place.
These forms are best used for:
Daily Schedule and Reminders
Use these for scheduling your day. Choose the form that works best for you. One has the time frame listed on the side, and the other is free-form.
Weekly Plan
How Do You Currently Spend Your Time? Start mapping how you have used your time over the past week from a more general, birds- eye view. There are two different weekly calendars to choose from. The rest has free-flowing sections that can be used for the same activity across multiple days. The second has defined slots for different activities for each time frame. After you have mapped your previous week to visualize how you have been currently using your time, make a plan for the current week. Each week, map the next week on Friday so that you will have a fresh start and know what you need to do come Monday.
Priorities are activities we may categorize as what we need to do, would like to do, or would like to do if we have time. Outline your priorities, restate them as goals, and describe how you are going to accomplish them. This process makes your priorities concrete and more achievable.
Think in terms of:
Use this form to identify who, what, where, when, how, and why in a story or event. The form makes it easy to understand what different characters are doing, what impacts they have on events, and where different events take place. It may also be used to organize information about historical topics, such as people with impact on historical events, or to compare different stories: who is in each story, what they did, where and when they did something, or when events took place.
Here are some graphic organizers perfect for quick, concise book reports. The first one is basic, and the others are more advanced. Pick the right one for your needs and fill in the blanks.