Guidance Lesson: Social Boundaries

Guidance Lesson: Social Boundaries

By: Samantha Lundberg

Topic: Establishing appropriate social boundaries

Grade level: Middle or high school special education students

Rationale and clear purpose for the unit or lesson:

            This guidance lesson will seek to help students on the autism spectrum or others who struggle with social interaction to better understand levels of intimacy and communication within different types of relationships. As a result of this lesson, students will be able to articulate what types of information should be communicated to friends, family, community helpers, strangers, and other people groups. Additionally, they will be able to put the skills into practice by demonstrating discretion in their communication regarding topics of varying levels of importance and privacy. Students will learn through both oral communication and discussion of the ideas and a tangible, hands-on activity which they can personalize to their own lives.

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

            As a result of this guidance lesson, students will gain knowledge and skills related to multiple standards within the ASCA topic of personal and social development:

PS: A1.6 Distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate behavior

PS: A1.7 Recognize personal boundaries, rights and privacy needs

PS: B1.1 Use a decision-making and problem-solving model

PS: B1.5 Demonstrate when, where and how to seek help for solving problems and making decisions

PS: C1.5 Differentiate between situations requiring peer support and situations requiring adult professional help

PS: C1.6 Identify resource people in the school and community, and know how to seek their help

Introduction

Thank the students and teacher for welcoming you into their classroom. Say, “Today we are going to talk about something we all do: talking! We are going to think about who we talk to when we have different things to say.” Ask the students, “What are some of the qualities of a person who is trustworthy?”. Call on several students for responses and write them on the board. Ask the students to then turn to a neighbor and talk about this question: “What are some of the different types of people in our lives we might talk to about our ideas, experiences, and feelings?” Allow two to three minutes of discussion. Bring the class back together and ask students to raise their hands and share their ideas. Compile a generous list on the white board, making sure to include the following: family, close friends, acquaintances, teachers/counselors, and strangers.

Developmental Learning Activities designed to meet the objective(s)

            Introduce the next step by saying, “We are going to do an activity which will help us think about the best people to share our ideas and experiences and feelings with.” Pull out the Circle Model. Explain that “the inner circle is people we can share anything with—people who are very trustworthy and are the closest people in our lives. Which people should we write down in this circle?” Write the people as they’re said. Be sure to include parents, counselors, and closest friends. Move on to the middle circle. Say, “These are the people we can share many things with, but not everything. We might know these people a bit, but not as well as the inner circle folks. Who might be in this circle?” Again, write the responses. Include more casual friends and extended relatives. End by following the same process with the outer circle, and be sure to include strangers.

            Explain that we will now practice sharing the right information with the right “circle”. See Appendix A for the list of proposed example post-it statements. Pass out one post-it note at a time, and follow this pattern: ask the student to read the post-it note aloud. Allow for brief discussion and ideas of which circle the post-it note belongs in. Have the student walk up and stick the post-it note in its proper location. Continue until all the post-it examples have been placed. 

Assessment/Evaluation

              Say, “Great teamwork figuring out whom to share thoughts and feelings with! Now it’s time for

you all to think about who is in your own circles.” Pass out the worksheets. Explain that the students should write in the names of real people in their lives who belong in each circle. Walk around and help students write or encourage their progress.

Closing and Follow up

            Say: “Thanks for your hard work today. We’re going to leave this group project here in the classroom to remind you about what we’ve learned today. Remember, school counselors are in that inner circle, so if you need to share some ideas or thoughts or feelings with somebody, we can help you!”

Resources

·         Handouts for each student with the circle model

·         White board and white board marker

·         Large circle model— three circles which resemble a bullseye

·         Prepared post-it notes with example statements

Example Statements

I think it’s going to rain today.

My sister got in major trouble at school.

I am feeling so mad I could punch someone.

Riding the bus is the best part of the school day.

Do you know what time third period starts?

I don’t like Jenny. Jenny smells funny.

Sometimes I think I am a big dummy.

I think mashed potatoes are the best food in the entire world.

My mom and my dad got in a big fight!

I got so sick yesterday I threw up. It was gross!

Guidance Lesson: Problem Solving

Guidance Lesson: Problem Solving 

This activity provides students the opportunity to learn that sometimes problems are best solved with help or support from trusted adults, friends, and professional. By working together in teams, students learn how to give and receive help in order to solve problems. Students will complete tasks and show they are able to work as a team. After this lesson student will be able to identify who they can ask for help with problems. Students will be asked to discuss support systems and be able to identify people who can help them stay safe. This is especially important for students whose diverse needs may not be met by general education settings. This can lead to students feeling “weird”, “different”, and isolated. These students may be marginalized and struggle to make or recognize the supports around them. It is important for these students to know there are people who can help them and it is okay to ask for help. This lesson focuses on the support students have in an environment that increases the likelihood of concrete safe resources.

Introduction

·         Teach students how supports can help them solve problems. Sometimes it can be difficult to make decisions and solving problems can seem overwhelming. Students may not realize there are people in their lives that can help them make finding solutions easier. Students may not know who is safe or who they can go to with their struggles.

·         Ask students what they do if they need help with a problem, to activate prior knowledge and as a pre-test.

Developmental Learning Activities designed to meet the objective(s)

·         After talking with the students about who they go to when they need help, explain to the students the activity they are going to do represents difficult problems they encounter in their lives.

·         Explain that the task is to use a towel to pass a ball back and forth through a Hula hoop. This task is very difficult and could be overwhelming to try alone.

·         The solution is to have classmates help each other to accomplish the goal (passing a ball back and forth through a Hula Hoop holding the ball in a towel).

·         One way is to have the students separated into groups of 5. Each group will have 2 towels, 1 ball, and 1 Hula hoop.  

·         1 person will hold the Hula Hoop with 2 people on each side. The pairs on each side will hold a towel, like a hammock, between them. You place the ball in the towel and the students will then try to pass the ball through the hoop to the pair of students holding a towel on the other side.

·         The goal is to have the students work together to pass the ball back and forth through the hoop, without touching it with their hands.

·         This task can be modified to fit the needs of the students. They can sit on the floor and roll the ball through the hoop to each other, or carry the ball in the towel like a stretcher around the hoops as if it were an obstacle course. The purpose is to have the students help each other to be successful.  

·         Have the students sit down and imagine if they had tried to accomplish the task alone. Would it have been easier or more difficult? It should be easier to accomplish the task with help.

·         Explain that the activity was meant to demonstrate the way we can get help to solve difficult problems.

Assessment/Evaluation

·         Summarize: Today you learned that it can be easier to solve problems when we have help.

·         Pass note cards out to each student.

·         As a post-test, ask the students again what they can do if they have a difficult problem. Students should now be able to identify specific support persons. You can facilitate this by asking “Who can help you understand directions or Homework?” “Who can you ask for help if you are sick?” “Who can help you if you are in danger?”

·         Have the students write down three people they can go to for help with difficult problems on their cards. For students with a strong support system, that finish early, you can explain to them that being calm helps solve problems too. Have them write down something they can do to calm themselves when they have a problem (i.e. deep breathing, count to ten).

·         Check for understanding throughout the lesson.

Closing and Follow up

·         Students will keep the cards to with their answers on as a reference.

·         You can follow up by having the students write down new people that help them or put tally marks next to the support person they have accessed over time.

Resources

·         Note Cards

·         Pencils

·         1 towel per pair of students

·         1 Ball for each group

·         1 Hula Hoop for each group

When this lesson was presented stickers were also used as a reward to get students to answer questions and participate. This was fun and gave the students something that they could decorate their cards. Stickers can also be used as a follow up reward for using the cards. We did this lesson in the fall so we stayed in the classroom, and it could be a good one to take outside for a small group. This lesson can easily get a little chaotic and may need to be modified for students with a sensory profile by having them roll the ball back and forth. In addition, a visual schedule for students helped them know what to expect next in the lesson. Finally, be prepared for students to drop the balls. We used this to talk a little about how being calm helped us accomplish tasks. This provides an excellent opportunity to encourage perseverance and have the students keep trying.   

Guidance Lesson: Personal Space

Guidance Lesson: Personal Space

Topic: Personal Space Camp

Grade Level: Kindergarten- 5^th Special Education

Rational and purpose: This lesson is aimed at students who are enrolled in special education classes and struggling with knowing their personal space. Giving students the knowledge to understand what is appropriate in regards to their own space, adult’s space and their classmate’s space will help ensure a safe school environment. Students will listen to the counselor read a book on personal space, work on an interactive worksheet, and receive a certificate at the end.

Introduction

Objective: Students will understand the meaning of personal space and what it means to keep their own personal space and invading other people’s personal space.

Previous Knowledge: Students have been given rules/parameters before, but need clarification and further discussion on what is appropriate and not at the school.

 I will assess previous knowledge with a pre-test question, “What is personal space?” and I will write the answers up on the board.

Developmental Learning Activities designed to meet the objective(s):

·         Pre-test

·         Read the book “Personal Space Camp” by Julia Cook

·         Emphasize the main points in the book to the class such as, different types of personal space and ways to determine if they are invading someone’s personal space.

·         Tell students to return to their seats and together complete the worksheet by gluing the responses in the correct columns.

·         Ask students to read the scenarios and as a class, decide which column it goes in. This is a great learning opportunity and reiteration of what the book explained.

·         Color the space protector that states, “Be a space protector, not a space invader”

·         Complete the classroom certificate!  

·         ** See attached worksheet**

This guidance lesson is intentionally designed to be fun, easy, and educational, while also incorporating all learning styles for students in a special education classroom grades K-5. This lesson incorporates diverse learning styles by doing different activities such as reading, listening, hands on learning with gluing and coloring and classroom interaction with question and answer.

Assessment/Evaluation: I will complete the worksheet with the students as we go over the correct answers as a class. By finishing the worksheet and going over the main points at the end will give me the knowledge that they understand the objectives. I will collect this data by taking a picture of the student’s answers on the board at the beginning of the lesson and collecting the student’s worksheets to document their understanding as well.

Summarize: Before each student receives their certificate, have each student give an example of what good personal space looks like and how they will work on their own personal space during school. This will reiterate what they have already learned and make it personal for each student. 

Closing and Follow up: Challenge the students in the hallways and when I am in the classroom to make sure they are using their skills that were learned. You may ask a student, “how have you used good personal space today?” Check up with homeroom teacher to see how they are incorporating their skills in other areas of learning.

Resources

·         Book: “Personal Space Camp” By Julia Cook

·         Worksheets

§  Scenarios with two column worksheet

§  Space Invader

§  Certificate

·         Markers

·         Glue

This guidance lesson will take 30-45 minutes depending on how many students are in the class. This lesson is great for teaching personal space to students who are having trouble both at school and at home. By using different tools to hit every learning style, the students will understand the lesson and have a fun time with it as well. Leaving the class with a certificate to hang in the classroom can be used as a reminder for when personal space is becoming a problem. 

Guidance Lesson: Exploring Anger

Guidance Lesson Plan

Topic: Exploring Anger
By: Shelly Byers
Grade Level: Special Education Students in a Behavioral Intervention Classroom (Grades 4-6)

Introduction:  Students in a Behavioral Intervention (BI) classroom may struggle with managing anger, which can cause them to miss a significant amount of time in the classroom to de-escalate.  In order for a student to become learning ready once again, he/she requires tools to regulate anger. This guidance lesson will teach students who have difficulty managing anger, that anger is a normal emotion.  It is acceptable to feel anger, it is the action taken after the anger is felt which needs to be managed.  Students will explore the emotion of anger, facts about anger, how to notice the physical effects of anger, and understand reasons they may feel anger, through a Prezi presentation and discussion.  Students will be given a true/false questionnaire prior to the lesson and after the lesson, as a measure of content learned surrounding the topic of anger.  In addition to an interactive Prezi, students will create their own “anger tornado” to use as a tool to help understand anger in their bodies.

Outline of Guidance Lesson: 

1. Show a short YouTube video to create anticipation (link found under references).
2. Discuss with the students what they already know about anger?
3. Hand out Anger Questionnaire and have students answer the true/false statements as a class.
4. Show Prezi (link found under Prezi link)
5. Explain to students that emotional anger can look like a tornado inside us sometimes.  The
angry tornado does not stay forever, and we can notice it building in our bodies before it gets
out of control and becomes destructive.
6. Create individual “angry tornados” (activity).
7. Explain to students the different emotions we may feel when we become an “angry tornado”
(the different colors of glitter represent the different emotions).
8. Ask students to create a tornado in the bottle by adding different colors of glitter to represent
their different emotions they may be feeling when they become angry.
9. Ask students to shake the anger management tornados and set them on their desks.
10. Ask students to observe their tornados and process, as a class, what is happening.
11. Retake the Anger Questionnaire and discuss what the students have learned.

Resources:

-Clear plastic bottles (one per student)
-Water
-Dish soap
-Food coloring (Red for anger)
-Glitter: Red (Anger), Blue (Sad), Purple (Embarrassed), Green (Frustrated), Gold (Happy),
-Black (Anxious), Multi-color (Mixed Feelings)
-Glue gun with glue sticks
-Prezi on Exploring Anger (found below under Prezi Link)
-Questionnaires on Anger (found under references)

Helpful Hints:

-Help students read questionnaire by showing it on an overhead
-Keep students engaged during Prezi by asking for participation
-Have another adult available to assist with activity

Prezi Link:

http://prezi.com/lmccxt68amfj/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share

References:
http://www.creativecounseling101.com/anger-management-activity-tornado.html
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Pathway-2-Success
http://youtu.be/uhUepjZSIKM

Guidance Lesson: Following Directions

Guidance Lesson Plan

 

Topic: Following Directions

Grade(s): Elementary 6^th grade special education

Rational and Purpose:  The ability to follow directions from start to finish is an important skill that is utilized in all areas of life.  This lesson is created to help students practice and recognize the importance of following spoken, written and visual directions.  Students will also learn techniques that can be used to persist through any challenges faced while following directions.

Applicable ASCA Standards:
A: A1.5 – Identify attitudes and behaviors that lead to successful learning
A: A2.2 – Demonstrate how effort and persistence positively affect learning
(American School Counselor Association [ASCA], 2004).

 Step One: (3 minutes) Begin this lesson by reviewing whole body listening skills and how listening skills help our brain learn and grow.  Ask the class if they are ready to put their listening skills to the test by following directions.  Play a short round of “Simon Says.”

 Step Two: (15 minutes)  Share with the class that sometimes directions are easy and sometimes directions are hard to follow.  Ask the students what skills help them follow directions.  On the side of the white board, write down the skills the class comes up with.  The students will then watch a YouTube video where Goofy talks about following directions.  Inform the students to pay close attention because you will be pausing the video every once in a while to ask them questions.

(Helpful hint: This video works well with special education classrooms because the information in the video is presented in a way that is matter of fact and shows a variety of real life situation where following directions is important.  The answers to the questions you ask the students are directly taken from the video.  Some students will remember the skills by hearing them during the video, and some students will remember them better when they are discussed and written on the board, or when they see the skills on their worksheet.  Repetition of the topic is important, and presenting this repetition in a variety of ways will better suit different learning styles.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HHMT4M82_g
-At 52 seconds into the video Goofy says, “Everybody needs directions.” Ask the class, “Who needs directions?” Have them repeat, “Everybody!”
-Pause the video at 1:54 and ask the class what the three main kinds of directions are.  Write visual, spoken and written on the white board.
-Pause the video at 4:22 and ask the class what skills they can use to help them with spoken directions.  From the video the skills stated are: listen, concentrate, write them down, repeat them to yourself, eye contact, wait until you hear ALL instructions before asking questions.  Ask the class if there is anything they would like to add to the list that helps them with spoken instructions.
-Pause the video at 4:57 and ask the class what skills they can use to help them with written directions.  From the video the skills stated are: repeat the directions out loud, read slowly, watch for words like ‘before’, ‘after’ and ‘instead of.’
-Watch the rest of the video.
- After the video, you can say, “Oh no, Goofy did not tell us what skills will help us with visual directions!” “Someone give me a skill that helps you with visual directions.”  Have the students brainstorm additional skills that will help with visual directions.
-Add in some things that you think are important with following all types of directions: being in a calm state of mind, keep trying even if it is hard, it’s okay to ask for help.
(Helpful hint: keep a list of these skills with you as a reference).
Step Three: (1 minute) “Before our activity, let’s do a brain break to make sure our brains are calm and ready to follow directions.”  You can use any mindfulness strategy that gets the class out of their desks and moving a little.  Ex: draw a balloon on the board.  Have the students stand up and tell them they are going to pretend they are the balloon.  Have the class all together take two long deep breaths and on the third one have the students reach their arms above their head like the shape of a balloon, lowering their arms when they exhale.  Next, have the students bend over and dangle their arms like the string of the balloon blowing in the wind.  Afterwards you can ask the students, “what type of directions was that brain break.”
(Helpful hint: you can choose a mindfulness activity that best suits the class and what helps them to feel calm and relaxed).

Step Four: (11 minutes) The students will now do an activity where they are challenged to follow three types of directions.  Hand out color pencils and a worksheet to each student with an outlined picture of Goofy with skills for following directions surrounding him.

Written Directions:  On the top of the paper have written directions that state, “1. Circle 3 skills that help you the most while following directions. 2. Color Goofy’s hat green. 3. Color Goofy’s tongue red.”  Following these written directions is the first task of the activity.  Allow the students a few minutes to complete this part.
Visual Directions:  Inform the students that they will now be following visual directions.  The students will watch as you step by step show them how to fold their piece of paper into the shape of an envelope.
(Helpful hint: it is up to your discretion on how you fold the paper.  Base the folding design on the skill levels of the classroom.  Use an AVerVision for the visual directions).
Spoken Directions:  Tell the class that before they come up to get a sticker to close their envelope, they need to write “… at following directions” on the bottom part of their envelope.  See if the students notice your use of the word ‘before’.  If not, point it out to the class.  Once they have that written, they can come up and get their sticker that says “I rock”.  Have each student read what their envelop says after they put the sticker on; “I rock at following directions!”  As each student gets their sticker, praise them at how great they did at using their following directions skills during today’s lesson.
Assessment and Evaluation:  The pre-assessment will be the original list the class brainstormed before watching the video.  The post assessment is the lists of skills on the board after the movie.  Another form of post assessment takes place when the students are completing the first part of the worksheet, where they are acknowledging which three skills help them the best while following directions.

Resources/Materials:
-Internet access and viewing screen for the video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HHMT4M82_g
-White board
-Following directions worksheet
-Color pencils (at least a red and green for each student)
-Reward stickers

 

Guidance Lesson: Growth Mindset Language

Growth Mindset Language

By: Aftan Lissy

Introduction

Overview: Our thoughts and words influence our ability to be successful. We will face difficult and challenging tasks often, and what makes us successful is to keep trying. Students will have the opportunity to keep trying with their own task and they will hear a story of a girl who keeps trying even when she wants to quit. 

Activate previous knowledge: most students already know what it feels like to be encouraged by another person, and we will discuss how the same is true about how we talk to ourselves. Students will have the opportunity to reframe their negative language in a way that encourages them to keep trying. Example: I don’t know how to do this becomes I don’t know how to do this yet. 

Activities

Students will be given a piece of paper and scissors, and invited to re-create a paper structure that will be at the front of the class. Students will not be allowed to touch the structure, but they can look at it from all angles. Encourage students to discuss their ideas and methods as they complete the task. Ask that students keep it to themselves if they are successful. They will be given 5 minutes to complete this task.  As they work, write down language and behavior observed on the white board. After the 5 minutes is up, ask for the student’s attention and ask them to share how they felt during the activity. 

·         Did any make it? How long did it take? 

·         Was the first ten seconds much different from the last ten seconds? How?

·         What was it like when someone else got it?

Then, invite students to read “The Most Magnificent Thing.” Keep students engaged throughout the story by asking questions about how the girl felt, tracking how many times she kept trying and what made it magnificent. After the story, discuss the creation of the most magnificent thing from the story.

·         What went wrong? What went well?

·         How did her thoughts and language influence her success?

·         Was it perfect in the end?

Finally, discuss how life is full of difficult, annoying and frustrating things, and our thoughts and language can become our own best friend. Focusing their attention back to their own language on the white board from the opening activity, as a class we will discuss what is written there and how we could re-state and re-write phrases in more encouraging, positive language. (Student volunteers to write new phrases)

·         How can we re-state each sentence to encourage success?

·         We can encourage ourselves the same way we would encourage our best friend facing a difficult task.

These activities meet the objectives of the lesson plan by helping students to recognize their own language, how it can be beneficial or detrimental to success, and practicing how to reframe their own thoughts and language. The activities maintain student engagement throughout with hands on experience, a story, question and answer as well as student volunteers.

Resources
Paper
Scissors
Paper structureBook: The Most Magnificent Thing
MarkersPrezi: http://prezi.com/y8zyvt-uws3s/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy