Tips for Getting the Most Out of Story Boards

Story boards have their most common uses in self esteem workshops and other related areas. Those are great ways to use the story boards, but have you considered using them in academics? Students with ADHD generally have a hard time sitting still. That can make learning difficult unless they use a hands on approach, such as using a story board. Use some of the story board ideas below to help your students develop interest and involvement in their studies.

• Play out a historical scenario- What is history if it's not stories about the past? Allow your students to use the story boards to see how the scenario played out. Quiz your students by starting a scenario and having them finish it so you can see what they understand of the material.
• Arrangements in science- Story boards are a great way for students to display their knowledge of science by arranging topics in the proper categories on the board. This is also a great way for them to practice fine motor skills as they cut out the topics to be categorized.
• Math in pictures- Use the story board to create word problems that include pictures so students can see how math works in real life.

Start here and come up with some of your own great ideas to get the most out of this useful tool! Allow your students to help you by giving them a suggestion box for the story board!

These are great tools for students to use to explain some of the situations they find themselves in. Since some students with ADHD may have problems putting into words the sequence of actions, they may find using the story board a much easier way to explain themselves. Use some of the tips below in your workshops to help your students make good choices and relate specific scenarios.

• Start a potential story of a situation the student may find themselves in. Allow the student to complete the scenario, then discuss the actions they chose.
• After completing a story board that the student had to finish off, follow this up by role playing the choices the student made so they can practice putting their decisions into action.
• Use this tool to help students become more comfortable in stressful situations. Ask the student to set up a situation they are uncomfortable in and explore different things the student can do to ease their stress.
• Allow the student to set up a story that usually results in them making bad choices. Help the student to puzzle out how they could have made better choices that would have had more positive results.

Again, get creative. Allow the student to be creative as well. Watch for visual cues and obvious signs of stress so that you can help the student properly cope with uncomfortable feelings. Get the most out of your story board by thinking outside the box and discussing options with the student. There may be ways that they would like to use the board that you had not even thought of!