Guidance Lesson: Building Our First Resume

Title: “Building Our First Resume”

Intended Grade Level: High School; Special Education

Introduction: Students in special education often get overlooked when it comes to the career development dimension of the school counseling world. A lot of lessons focus on the social and emotional development of the student, while forgetting that they, too, hope to become productive, engaged and happy members of society after graduation. For this reason, I created a guidance lesson geared towards high school special education students who have tested lower on the cognitive scale (between 5th and 8th grade). This lesson focuses on the strengths, goals, and support systems of the students while helping them to create their first resume. This lesson can easily be incorporated into a larger group of lessons on career development.

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

ASCA Standard C:A2.6 Learn how to write a resume

ASCA Standard C:B1.2 Identify personal skills, interests and abilities and relate them to current career choice

Activity:

Opening:

Introduce the lesson by gauging what students know about resumes. Use this information as a pre-test. Activate prior knowledge by having them come up with skills that might be good to have in the workplace, or asking if any of them have had jobs and what was useful to them. Create anticipation for the lesson by asking the students to think of a dream job while you pass out the resources for the activity.

Activity:

Begin the activity by having the students fill out a worksheet asking them what their dream job is. The bottom of the worksheet should have a space for students to draw a picture of what that dream job looks like on a daily basis. This will help the students get into the mind-frame of having that type of a job and what it entails. After each student has had sufficient time to complete the initial worksheet, pass out a resume template that the students will fill out together as you move through a powerpoint explaining each section. Sections include; name, contact information, skills, interests, experience, education and references. Keep in mind the strengths that each student has and what they can bring to the table for the type of dream job that they want. Make sure that it is apparent to them that they have strengths and can use them. If a student is struggling to come up with a reference, help them fill in that section with the information of a safe adult like you or a teacher. Let the students share what they are excited about as they move forward in the lesson.

Closing:

Once each of the students has completed their resume and students have shared what they wanted to, begin closing the lesson with a quick assessment of new knowledge. Ask the students what they have learned and add to the list of skills that you had created at the beginning of the session. You will know if the lesson has been successful if the students can add to their prior knowledge of their strengths, skills, and what a resume is.

Helpful Hints:

•      If a student says their dream job is to be a unicorn, validate it! Even unicorns have skills and activities that the counselor can work off of in order to create a Unicorn resume!

•      If a student is cruising through the worksheets, challenge them by coming up with more information. On the flip-side, be aware for any students who may be falling behind and help them to come up with strengths for their resumes.

•      This lesson is easily tailorable for individuals who may need special accommodations: for example, let a student complete the resume orally by asking them about each section and helping them to fill it in. This can help with students who may struggle with writing or reading prompts.

Multiple Intelligence: Upper Elementary School Edition

Topic: Multiple Intelligences

Grade Level: 4^th grade

Resources:

• MI worksheet, graph, and review (see attached)
• MI Prezi
• Markers
• Classical/ quiet music

Rationale:

The multiple intelligence guidance lesson intends to teach students what multiple intelligence (MI) are, which MI is their strongest/most prevalent, what learning strategies best assist them, and the similarities and differences between peer MI.  Students will understand how they learn best and can use this knowledge in their current and future classes.  The pretest will include the students defining and clarifying the phrase multiple intelligence.  The post-test will assess how well the students can apply this lesson to their learning style.  This guidance lesson will include a pretest, post-test, multiple intelligence quiz, analysis graph, Prezi presentation and a personalized multiple intelligence worksheet. 

Applicable standards:

Students will acquire the attitudes, knowledge and skills that contribute to effective learning in school and across the life span.

Introduction:

1. Pretest: Discuss the terms “multiple intelligence” and “learning style” with the students – write answers on the board.
2. Define each of the terms for the students.
3. Present MI quiz, guidelines, and expectations.

Learning activities:

1. Students will complete a MI quiz, rating their most prevalent MI.  During this point, counselors will play quiet classical music to help students focus on their own work.  After the students finish their quiz, we will pass out colored markers.  The students will color in their graphs, displaying which MI are the most prevalent.
2. Students will share their graphs with peers and point out which MI is the most prevalent.
3. Counselors will present a short Prezi teaching the differences in the eight MI, giving examples of how each MI learns best, and occupations relating to each MI. 

This activity will help the students find their most prevalent MI and identify strategies that will help them learn in the classroom setting.  The activity will maintain student engagement by students completing their quiz and graph, presenting their outcomes to their peers, and then filling out a final worksheet following the presentation.

Assessment/ Evaluation:

1. After the presentation, students will fill out a personal MI review worksheet that they can take home to share with family and friends (post-test).
2. Restate objectives to the class: Discuss why MI is important to understand, how it relates to learning styles, and demonstrate differences and similarities between peers.
3. The personal worksheet will give us an idea of how well the students understand and are applying the concepts discussed during the guidance lesson.

Closing:

Encourage students to share their MI worksheet and practice the different learning strategies they came up with in their classes and at home. 

Please see attachment pictures for examples: 

Classroom Management: High School Edition

One of the most difficult parts of creating a successful learning environment at the high school level is the implementation of effective classroom management. A person would be remiss to assume classroom management is a skill only teachers need to possess. Rather, school counselors can be advocates for both teachers and students through knowing a variety of strategies for helping students in the classroom. Teachers can benefit from fresh ideas, and students can benefit from strategies which tailor discipline to that student’s specific needs. Below you will find a Prezi presentation which further elaborates on potential problems teachers and students might face in the learning environment as well as tips and techniques for alleviating those problems and helping students thrive.

Of particular note is the solution-focus of this presentation. We believe that when too much time and effort is exerted focusing on the “problem” behaviors of students, no one wins. By contrast, concentrating on and capitalizing on a student’s strengths helps students, teachers, administrators, and school counselors alike.  

Please enjoy!

Behavior Management High School Edition Prezi

Behavior Management Strategies: Middle School

Overview: The following information includes strategies and suggestions for managing at-risk and disruptive behaviors in the middle school classroom.

As school counselors, we believe in:

•  Implementing solution-focused approaches
• Proactively meeting the needs of all students
• Empowering students to take responsibility for their success
• Reinforcing and modeling appropriate behavior

 At-risk behaviors in the classroom include:

• Aggression and violence
•  Stealing and dishonesty
• Harassment, intimidation, and bullying (HIB)
• Inappropriate language and conversation
• Antagonism and hostility towards individuals
•  Lack of attendance, participation and motivation

Low-risk behavior is inappropriate, infrequent behavior that does not put any student in danger. Low-risk behavior management strategies:

• Provide structured time for journaling in order for students to process, recognize, and identify cognitions, behaviors, and emotions.
• Implement a monetary rewards system to create incentives for exemplifying positive behavior and affirming existing appropriate behaviors.
• Offer tactile stimulation to redirect disruptive behavior through - a fidget ring
• An exercise ball
• A stress ball 

Sample rewards program: 

High-risk behavior is inappropriate, frequent behavior that has the potential to place a student in danger. High-risk behavior management strategies include:

• Cue cards – a system where students can excuse themselves from class if they begin to notice signals of dis regulation. Teachers can also give students a cue card when they notice the same signals in the student. Teachers and students are mutually responsible for making alternative plans.
• Emotion cards – a nonverbal alternative solution to identifying how emotions are linked to behavior. Teachers and students should
• Partner with supports available within the school to provide a community of support for the students. For example:
• Behavior interventionial
•  Mental health therapist
• Administration
• Teachers

Sample Emotion Cards:

Other strategies:

•  Introduce school-wide language between students and staff to break down barriers in communication regarding behavioral issues.
• Encourage healthy hobbies and extracurricular activities which highlight students’ innate strengths and skills.
• Provide structure and routine so expectations are clear and there is a consistent routine.
• The CHAMPS model (conversation, help, activity, movement, participation, success) provides teachers with a classroom tool for setting daily expectations.
• The CHAMPS model can be implemented school wide to create consistency among classrooms.

CHAMPS model in practice:

The model below describes an approach to behavior assessment that is specific, measurable, and observable. It provides evidence to create an appropriate plan for behavior management.

In terms of behavior management, school counselors are responsible for promoting solution-focused approaches to addressing behavioral issues school wide through:

• Guidance lessons
• Supporting all members of the school community
• Modeling positive and professional behavior
• Awareness and utilization of available resources
• Individual and group counseling
• Implementing evidence based approaches
• Staying current and connected to the American School Counseling Association

Multiple Intelligence: Upper Elementary School

Topic: Understanding the 9 multiple intelligences


Grade Level: 5th & 6th grade

Materials: 

• Powerpoint
• Prints of multiple intelligences
• Scavenger hunt sheet printed
• Pens 

Rationale and purpose for the lesson: The overarching questions covered in the guidance lesson include the following:

• What is your most effective learning style?
• Which multiple intelligence best defines you?

In order to answer these questions, the students will learn and comprehend each intelligence through a brief presentation and activity. During the activity, the students will spend more time understanding their own learning styles, along with the learning styles of their peers. The activity will help the students begin thinking about the ways they learn best and how it is possible to work well within several multiple intelligences. An objective from the activity will include students being aware and capable of articulating and advocating for their learning style. We will teach the students about each learning style, have them discover the learning styles of their classmates and encourage them to advocate for their learning style based on the information they learned about the multiple intelligences. We will know that the learning objectives have been met when the students stand up according to their learning style.

Objective: Understanding what each students most effective learning style based on the 9 multiple intelligences.

Previous Knowledge: Ask students how they learn best and write responses on the board. 

Create Anticipation: Each student participating reading about the multiple intelligences and let them know that we will be doing a scavenger hunt to find peers with all of these awesome new intelligences we learned. Anticipation will be created through building excitement about discovering the individual learning styles of each student.

Activity: 

1.  Students each have a printed copy of the multiple intelligence definitions to read aloud to the class
2. Answer any questions concerning the multiple intelligence
3. Hand out scavenger hunt sheet
4. Find peers to sign the line of multiple intelligence that fits them best
5. Have student identify multiple intelligence that fits them best
6. Have student get in groups according to their multiple intelligence 

Meeting objectives: Class will discover that some peers have different learning styles as them self and others have the same, and they are all important. 

Engagement: Games, participation and interaction with each other will keep them engaged

Assessment/Evaluation: The lesson will begin by posing the following question to the class: how do you learn best? It is anticipated that some students will know how they learn best and others will not know. After participating in the presentation and activity, students will be asked the same question and by referring to their activity sheet, all students should be able to answer the question. We will address that students may have more than one intelligence. Along with answering the pre and post question, learning will be assessed through the classroom activity where students stand up to convey their multiple intelligences. Students will relate today’s lesson to how they learn best in class and create more self-awareness. They will have a new vocabulary for advocating for their learning style.

 

Closing and Follow up: 

Independent practice:  Students are encouraged to rely on peers for help with different intelligence skills than their own.