Steps For Success: 6th Grade

Rationale and clear purpose for the unit or lesson (it’s a summary of your group planning): We are going to be discussing steps for success with students. As a result of this lesson, students will understand how to set goals and what steps they will have to take to achieve them. They will also learn the steps model for success and how one part of the planning process effects the overall goal.  Students will be given worksheets with the steps on them in which they will write their goal at the top and then the steps needed to achieve the said goal. They will work with a classmate to understand and discuss their goals. Students will be able to have this to take away from the lesson with them as a guide and reference and can use it when setting goals in the future. As a result of this lesson, we want students to be able to know and understand how to set clear, concise goals and plan for the future of what they want to achieve during middle school and beyond. To show students how to do this, we will lead the activity by writing the steps on the board while they write their goals on their paper and discuss the best way to set a plan that will lead them to success.

Applicable standard(s), objective(s), competency(ies): 

1.     Students will gain the knowledge and ability to set clear goals and to make a successful plan to achieve those goals. 

2.     Students will learn how to collaborate with classmates about the ways in which they are able to follow and focus on their plans/goals. 

3.     Students will designate a person who will help them accomplish their goals.

Introduction

·       Overview: Teach students how to make plans that result in successful goals and accomplishments and using the step-by-step approach to the planning of the goals. 

·       Activate previous knowledge: Discuss with students successful goals they have accomplished in the past and examine what lead to their success.

·       Create anticipation – Students will told about the reward, i.e. cookies, they will receive after the lesson as long as they are engaged and participate in the discussion.

Developmental Learning Activities designed to meet the objective(s)

·       The activities for the counselor will consist of leading a discussion and drawing the model on the board, while the students copy the model on their own papers.  Students will work with their peers to discuss their goals and come up with plans to meet those goals.  At the end of the lesson, the school counselor will pull out necessary ingredients for the students to be able to see what goes into a good recipe.  

·       The objective of the recipe is to show the students that proper planning will lead to successful goals, in the same manner you need the correct ingredients to make a recipe come out correctly. The Steps Model gives students a clear picture and imaginary to see how to obtain their goals.

·       Students will remain engaged because they will actively work with their peers to form their own goals.  The students will enjoy when the counselor makes the recipes overflow onto the table.

Assessment/Evaluation

·       We will have students share their goals with the rest of the class and the steps they followed and wrote down at the completion of the activity to assess whether they understood the lesson.  Students will be given examples of goals by the school counselor and will be asked to fill in the steps to make the goals possible.

·       To ensure everyone is understanding the lesson correctly, students will be given opportunities throughout the lesson to ask questions to clarify anything they do not understand.

Closing and Follow up

·       Encourage the students to come up with other goals on their own time and if they need assistance or have questions let them know that the school counselor is available to assist them.  Students will also be required to keep their goals with them and assess how they are accomplishing their goals/plans throughout the year. 

Resources

·       1 measuring cup

·       Flour

·       Sugar

·       Baking soda

·       Cookies for students

·       Worksheets with steps filled out for students.

·       Visual aids for what makes a successful goal.

Pictures from: 

unitywalk.org

whyleadnow.com

incedogroup.com

                       

Guidance Lesson: Problem Solving and Promoting Kindness (5th & 6th Grade)

Teasing and being mean is something that occurs within our schools constantly. School counselors can be utilized in classroom guidance to promote kindness and to teach refusal and/or problem-solving skills to students. This lesson will reinforce refusal skills that have already been introduced to the students and give the students a chance to put their problem-solving skills in action. There is a kindness piece at the end of the activity to reinforce kindness at the school and also it shows students that some kindness acts can be small but powerful. Encouraging students to be kind and to solve conflicts in a positive way will lead to a safe and positive school climate which will allow students to participate in academics to the best of their ability.

What you will need:

Access to YouTube with ability to display to class (link found in references)

Refusal Skills paper to review with students (attachment 1)

Conflict resolution scenarios for students to role-play (samples included as attachment 2)

Kindness acts written on papers for students to draw from (samples included as attachment 3)

Objectives:

1. Students will participate in warm-up activity that allows them to learn similarities and differences about each other.

2. Students will work cooperatively with each other to proactively problem-solve scenarios.

Introduce refusal skills to students (see attachment 1). 

Give examples of each and ask if the students can think of a situation where they may use it. This will most likely start a discussion about which types of situations can lead to the students needing or wanting a refusal skill, especially if their friend is asking them to participate in or do something they do not want to do.

*Helpful Hint: This can be a lesson in itself, it helps prep the students to be comfortable with the refusal skills for this lesson’s activity.

Introduce the activity: “Today I brought in some scenarios for you to show the class different ways to solve small problems. I will split you up into groups and with your group, you will decide how to show the scenario to the class and include an idea to solve the situation in an appropriate and positive way. If you need some ideas, I have the list of refusal skills and other ideas here (show on board) or you can use one or two of the choices that you have learned throughout school.” Complete the activity.

*Helpful Hint: Be sure the language of the scenarios matches your audience.

*Helpful Hint: You could include scenarios that you are aware are current issues for students at your school.

Directions for the activity:

-Divide class into groups of 3 or 4.

-Hand a scenario to each group. (see attachment 2) 

-Give groups time (10-15 min) to decide how to act out the scenario and come up with a solution

-Bring class back together

-Give each group a chance to show classroom their scenario

-Discuss each solution with the entire class, ask the class to add any suggestions if need be.

If time permits, discuss why kindness can be helpful and the importance of spreading it. Show the Kindness Boomerang video. Discuss video with students. (What is the lesson of the video? What do you think of the video? What was your favorite act of kindness? Do all acts of kindness have to be really big? Were there any moments where someone could have reacted negatively but chose to do something kind? What might happen at school if we all completed acts of kindness? Etc.) Have students draw an act of kindness (see attachment 3) and ask them to complete the act within two days.

*Helpful Hint: If time does not permit, consider this kindness activity for another lesson.

Closing:

There are many ways to solve conflicts in appropriate ways. By using refusal skills and positive choices, it will help students be kind to each other, avoid getting into trouble, and will allow students to build friendships. Just like meanness can be like a disease and can ‘infect’ other people, kindness can do the exact same thing. Would you rather be ‘infected’ by meanness or kindness?

And remember:

References:

Fluetsch, Valerie. (2014). Refusal Skills List

Life Vest Inside. (2011). Kindness Boomerang. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwAYpLVyeFU

Images retrieved from:

            Bullying scenarios--http://lomrisulmiss.blog.com/2014/09/22/bullying-scenarios-for-high-school-students/

            Kindness is contagious--http://taolifestudio.com/2013/03/31/kindness-is-contagious/

Kindness is a language--http://janeannethorne.wordpress.com/2012/07/18/kindness-is-a-language-which-the-deaf-can-hear-and-the-blind-can-see-mark-twain/

Different Ways to Say No--http://galleryhip.com/using-refusal-skills.html

Guidance Lesson: Team Work, Collaboration, Communication & Concentration

Grade Level:  Elementary School – 6th Grade

Teamwork constitutes as an ability to attend to both their personal needs and those of the    group/person that they are working to accomplish a task with.
Collaboration is, an ability to build and maintain trust, embrace change, improve your self-awareness, make decisions, foster communication, and create learning experiences.
Communication is the ability to effectively interact within a group or with another person.
Concentration is the ability to focus one’s attention or mental effort on a particular object or task.


Objectives
The learning objectives that we are trying to achieve are, to give the students the skills to interact with others in classroom group activities.  To guide them in the importance of using the concepts of team work, collaboration, communication and concentration in accomplishing a group task. The students will understand the use of these qualities will be beneficial to them now and in the future, both inside school and outside of school.

The activities meet the objectives of the lesson by brainstorming, doing a hands on lego tasks in which the concepts mentioned above are needed to successfully complete the task and a reflection hand out as well as a poster activity to reflect and review the main activity. The activities keep the students engaged by requiring creativity, concentration and working together with others. Competition is also involved

Materials:

• Legos (14-40 pieces per pair, depending on grade level)
• Plastic bags
• Dividers (paper boards)
• Hand outs
• Poster board
• Markers

Activities for the Students
Lego activity:

1. Students are divided into pairs. Each pair receives 40 Legos with a matching pair of each piece. Legos are divided up between the partners so that each partner has the same exact pieces. One partner will build a Lego figure while a divider is placed between the pair. Once one partner is finished building, he/she explains to his/her partner how to build the Lego figure using only verbal cues. Partners are not allowed to look at each other’s figures. When finished, figures are compared and the roles of the partners switch.
2. Students receive a hand out to reflect in the Lego activity as a pair
3. Whole class discussion about the activity using the questions on the reflection hand out
4. Every group will pick out one to two important skills they used during the activity and write it on a poster

Overview

Topics covered are decision- making, problem- solving, responsible behavior, and communication skills, concepts the lesson focuses on are teamwork, collaboration, communication, and concentration.  Activate previous knowledge by brainstorming about teamwork and reviewing concepts. Create anticipation by announcing to “test their skills”

Resources:
Activity retrieved from Pinterest: http://counseloretc.wordpress.com/2013/01/08/working-together-with-legos/
Teamwork: http://mystic-place.tumblr.com/post/371994355...
Communication: http://missventrella.blogspot.com/2012/08/mon...
Collaboration: autismclassroomnews.com
Concentration: http://www.sheetmusicfox.com/Song/58552/Sy...

Guidance Lesson: Taking Care of our Home (5th & 6th Grade)

The purpose of this lesson is to (re)introduce elementary aged students to the various ideas of taking care of their home, and our planet. Students are meant to reflect upon what nature and our world provide for us; they will take the responsibility of caring for their home and come up with new ideas for how to conserve resources and energy. Fifth and sixth graders are at a point in development where they can really embrace these responsibilities, as well as taking on a teaching role for younger students. The activity portion of the lesson was developed for students to connect environmental friendliness with fun, while teaching the younger grades tips for staying environmentally friendly. 

Applicable Standard(s), Objective(s), and competency(s):

• SWBAT:
  
  • A:A1.1 Articulate feelings of competence and confidence as learners
  • A:A1.3 Take pride in work or achievement
  • A:A3.1 Take responsibility for their actions
  • A:A3.2 Demonstrate the ability to work independently, as well as the ability to work cooperatively with other students. 
  • A:A3.5 Share knowledge
  • PS:A1.2 Identify values, attitudes and beliefs
  • PS:A1.9 Demonstrate cooperative behavior in groups
  • PS:B1.2 Understand consequences of decisions and choices
  • PS:B1.12 Develop an action plan to set and achieve realistic goals 

I included a link to my Prezi; the purpose of which is to start a discussion about what “home” means. 

Take Care of our Home Prezi

All answers will fall within the scope of the earth and our environment, this will lead way to brainstorming new and different ways to care for our homes and our school. Students will be using prior knowledge, creativity and critical thinking while brainstorming a list of ideas for resources, impact, and tips. Help move along the discussion by asking what their ideas might look like in different settings such as the classroom, lunchroom, bathroom, home, etc.

Activity: 

Students will be separated into groups of three (or individually) and prompted to create a poster using recycled materials that promotes environmentally friendly tips for the younger grades in their school. Following the activity each group will present their poster to the rest of the class. Posters will then be hung up in the hallways of the school, for all to see. 

Materials:

• Paper bags, Cardboard and/or Recycled Paper
• Paint 
• Paint brushes
• Markers
• Glue
• Plastic bags
• Bottle caps
• Glitter 
• Scissors
• Crayons
• Colored Scrap Paper
• Recycled containers, Miscellaneous recycled materials
• Colored pencils
• Tape
• Cool hot glue gun (assisted) 

Cultural Considerations:  

This lesson is universal in that all students live on earth and impact their environment, it is suitable for a variety of developmental and intellectual levels as it consists primarily of pictures and opens discussion up to the class as a whole. However, “home” may have many different interpretations and environmental friendliness is not always as accepted in some cultures; particularly those from generational poverty. It is important to be cautious and tactful when talking about responsibilities and home life. 

Helpful Tips: 

Make a list of the students’ ideas on the whiteboard during their brainstorm session so they may refer back to it during their activity. I also included some pictures in my Prezi of recycled art for inspiration. Most importantly, have fun!

"Teasing" Guidance Lesson (2nd grade)

Simon’s Hook

A Guidance Lesson on Teasing

In this lesson, the counselor reads the book Simon’s Hook to the class.  This is followed by an art activity where students color their own fish utilizing one of the strategies discussed in the book.  As a follow up lesson, students could even role play the strategies in order to gain practice utilizing them.

Teasing and bullying is an act that is seen throughout many schools, from elementary, to middle, to high school. The purpose of this guidance lesson is to take a preventative measure against teasing by educating students on how they can handle teasing and the actions they can take in the face of it. Extending it further, this guidance lesson is intended to be a precursor and foundation builder for eventual anti-bullying lessons.

 

 

 

 

Documents:

Simon’s Hook Guidance Lesson 

Fish Coloring Picture 

Word Bubble Handout 

 

 

 

 

Helpful hints:

• Separate this lesson into two separate lessons: one lesson for reading the book and the other for completing the art activity.
• It takes some time to read the entire book.  Cut down on some of the reading to only what is necessary for the story and the lesson.  That way, the students do not have to sit and be stationary as long.
• Follow up the first two guidance lessons with a third lesson consisting of role playing the strategies.  That way the students can also practice utilizing the skills.
• Make a small poster board, consisting of words and pictures, of the discussed strategies.  This can be hung up in the classroom for students to regularly see.  
• Hang up the students’ art work for other to see and learn from!

Pictures Retrieved from: 

http://craftycounselor.blogspot.com/2011/11/simons-hook-lesson-in-respect.html

http://www.amazon.com/Simons-Story-About-Teases-Put-downs/dp/0966853016

Bringing FUN back into the classroom

So why not make the process FUN? 

Inspired by a conference breakout session on pairing learning with fun, our program has begun a shift towards adding more elements of fun into individual assignments, group projects, and in-class activities. 

Presentations on Behavior Management were the first assignment to undergo this transition. Designed by groups of students in the program, these PowerPoint presentations were initially set to be shared with the class in a traditional presentation-style manner. Instead, the groups were asked to recite the information they had compiled to the tune of a classic nursery rhyme and then perform their creation to the class. Prepare to experience both learning and joy simultaneously as you hear about the elements of Behavior Management to one of your favorite childhood songs. 

Behavior Management in the Elementary School Setting

(To the tune of John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt) 

Learning behavior management

You can do it too

Whenever kids blow out

The teachers always shout

“Counselors come and help me out!”

Da da da da……

Learning behavior management

Here are some skills for you

Use calm down strategies

And consistency

We’ll help get you in your upstairs brai

Da da da da……

Learning behavior management

Clear expectations help

Use positive reinforcement

And give your brain a break

That’s all we have for you!

Da da da da…..

Behavior Management in the Middle School Setting

(To the tune of Old McDonald had a Farm) 

(Chorus)

At our school we have some students 

Every single day 

And these students need our help 

Every single day 

With an absence here 

And a tardy there 

Fail a test 

Start a fight 

Something is not going right 

(Chorus) 

With a write up here 

And some attention there 

Here a glow 

There a grow 

Reinforcement shows we care 

(Chorus) 

With a call out here 

And a call back there 

Hear a rule 

Use a tool 

Knowing rules, at our school 

(Chorus)

With a pride card here 

And a kind word there 

 Here a deed 

There a praise 

Three of these for every glare 

Chorus (final time) 

Behavior Management in the High School Setting

(To the tune of The Itsy Bitsy Spider) 

Behavior management

Is important in our schools

Focus on solutions

Cause we are really cool

We find the roots of problems

And focus on kids strengths

Because praise and encouragement 

can go to any length

The cranky-wanky student

Came into school today

Yelled at the teacher

And then got sent away

Talked to the counselor

And cleared up his brain

Then the not-so cranky student

Went back to class again

Students get distracted

And interrupt the class

Well-timed interventions

Will help them stay on task

Allow them to get up

And praise the proper way

This way students can now focus

And they can learn all day

These are examples of

support that we provide

Counselors, teachers, students

Are all on the same side

We advocate, collaborate, 

and stay consistent, too

So that students are successful

And school is not a zoo