Ms. Travis, a second-grade inclusion teacher, is asked to support Ava, an EL student with ADHD who feels lost during multi-step activities. What is the best action to help address the situation?

• A. Exempt Ava from completing activities that require multiple in-depth steps
• B. Give Ava simpler activities to complete in place of more complex ones
• C. Model and explain the steps of each activity for Ava and the class
• D. Allow Ava to complete activities at home with her parents

Answer: (C)

Modeling and explaining the steps of each activity gives Ava a concrete road map for what to do and when to do it. For a student with ADHD, having a clear sequence reduces overwhelm, supports task initiation, and helps her keep track of what comes next. For a student who is learning English, hearing the steps described aloud while watching them demonstrated in action strengthens language understanding and procedural knowledge, making the task more approachable. When the teacher and classmates share this explicit approach, Ava isn’t trying to guess or remember a long chain of actions; she sees the steps, hears the language, and can follow along more independently. This strategy also benefits the class by establishing a consistent method for tackling multi-step activities, which supports all learners.

Exempting her from multi-step tasks does not build the skills she needs, and offering only simpler activities fails to teach the sequencing and problem-solving strategies required for more complex work. Requiring home completion shifts the responsibility away from in-class learning and may not address language or executive-function supports she needs in the moment.