School Counselors Bethany Bealko, Kirsten Coit-Fetty, Whitney Oliverio, Leah Skrypek,
Year:
School guidance curriculum
1. Global Citizenship
Unit lesson plans attached.
Appreciating Your Differences Small Group
Multicultural Speaker
Cultural communication
2. Personal and Social Development
Respect Classroom Lessons
Love Yourself Classroom Lessons
3. Academic and Learning Development
SMART Goal Classroom Lessons
Testing Strategies Workshops
4. Career Development and Life Planning
Goal Setting Workshops
When I Grow Up Classroom Lessons
5. Parent Workshops
Child Development Awareness Workshop
6. Teacher Workshops
Praise vs. Encouragement
Classroom Management
Responsive services
1. Groups we do in a calendar year that fall under delivery systems
Create a Path to Success
Appreciating Your Differences Group
Family Feud
Im Feeling Icky
Work Ethics Group
2. Creative Approaches
Games
Puppets
Play
System support
1. Professional Development
District Meetings and Trainings Monthly
Regional School Counselor Meetings
ASCA Membership of all Counselors
Semi-annual Webinar Continued Education
2. Consultation
Advisory Board
Local Mental Health Professionals
3. Results of our programs
Explained in Accountability Piece
Decisions about future programs
Stakeholders Memo attached
develop a deeper understanding of what it means to care for oneself and others
develop a deeper understanding of diversity and cultural differences
communicate more effectively with others
become more aware of their body language and communication
develop and improve cooperation skills
In this activity, students volunteer to choose a shoebox to open and put the
shoes on from the box. A written scenario inside each box tells about the person
who wears the shoes. Based on the information given, the student has to "put
themselves in that person's shoes," identifying how that person might feel.
At the end of each scenario, counselors will lead mini discussions with the kids to
process what it might feel like to be in their shoes.
Some questions might include:
How do you think this person might feel?
Have you ever felt this way? When?
Who else might feel this way at times?
Closing piece: Wrap- up questions & do a round (each student says one word)
describing what theyve learned
Plan for Evaluation: How will each of the following be collected?
Process Data: The students participating in these activities will be recorded. With the
goal that in the following year the delivery of this content will reach more students if the
topic has a positive impact.
Perception Data: Pre & Post student survey on how much they understand about verbal
and nonverbal communication and its impact on their message will be administered and
collected.
Outcome Data:
Follow Up:
A:A2.3 use communications skills to know when and how to ask for help when needed
C:A1.4 learn how to interact and work cooperatively in teams
PS:A1.5 identify and express feelings
PS:A1.6 distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate behavior
PS:A2.3 recognize, accept, respect and appreciate individual difference
PS:A2.4 recognize, accept and appreciate ethnic and cultural diversity
PS:A2.6 use effective communication skills
PS:A2.7 know that communication involves speaking, listening, and nonverbal behavior
Learning Objective(s):
At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
2. Nonverbal behaviors that exist in some cultures, but which are assigned different
meanings within respective cultures
3. Nonverbal behaviors that have meaning in one culture but no meaning at all in other
cultures.
The following are examples of nonverbal gestures that have the same and different
meaning in the United States and other countries:
Smiling: When we are happy, we usually smile. Smiling is typically an expression of
pleasure. It can show affection and politeness. But it depends on the situation and the
relationships. A woman smiling at a police officer doesn't carry the same message as
when she smiles at a child. In Indonesian cultures, smiling is also used to cover
emotional pain or embarrassment. Thus, an Indonesian student who does something
wrong at school might smile to cover up their embarrassment.
Frown: When we are sad or angry, we frown, scowl or even cry. In Iranian culture,
people may express grief openly by mourning out loud. People in China, Japan and
Indonesia, are more subdued when they are sad.
The "OK" Gesture: In the United States and in many English-speaking countries, the
"OK" gesture can mean that everything's fine. In France it can mean zero or nothing. In
Japan it can mean "money."
The point of these three examples is that there are many ways to interpret a single
nonverbal gesture.
Procedure:
Step One: Have students pair up and act out the following situations by using only body
language:
Ask Questions. Collect more information from people. Easy questions to ask might
include: "Tell me what you were thinking when you said that." "I was curious what you
were feeling when you said that."
Discuss how this plays into the idea of citizenship and what it means for each student
individually.
Think of a time when you upset a friend because of an email or text message. Given
what you now know about complete communication - verbal and not - why might emails
and instant messenger be less-than-ideal ways to communicate?
Plan for Evaluation: How will each of the following be collected?
Process Data: The students participating in these activities will be recorded. With the
goal that in the following year the delivery of this content will reach more students if the
topic has a positive impact.
Perception Data: Pre & Post student survey on how much they understand about
verbal and nonverbal communication and its impact on their message will be
administered and collected.
Outcome Data: School discipline records can be examined to see if discipline due to
communication issues is reduced.
Follow Up: Remind students the entire month of December is about caring and
communication is an important part of that. Re-open the new school year with a
reminder/follow-up activity.
A:A2.3 Use communications skills to know when and how to ask for help when needed
C:A1.4 Learn how to interact and work cooperatively in teams
PS:A1.5 Identify and express feelings
PS:A1.6 Distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate behavior
PS: A1. 9 Demonstrate cooperative behavior in groups
PS: A2.1 Recognize everyone has rights and responsibilities
Identify if they are contributing to their classroom, home, and neighborhood in a positive
or negative way.
Give examples of the ways in which they aid in making their classroom, home, and
neighborhood a more positive environment.
Understand the many ways in which their contribution to their world can impact their
unique system and link to society as a whole.
Appreciate other classmates roles in their unique system as well as be able to
understand how theirs may differ.
See their overall impact in their unique system.
Materials:
Space, Paper, Colored Pencils, Markers, Stapler, Pre-Test/Post-Test printed on paper,
Blackboard/Chalkboard, Writing utensils for board
Background knowledge:
Overall picture is to get students to see how impactful their behavior is and how their
impactful behavior may differ from their classmates. Working to promote overall
awareness of individuals impact on their unique system as well as their classmates.
Procedure:
Step One: Have students sit in their seats while counselor begins probing the students
for discussion and writes students answers on the blackboard:
I know how exciting some of these questions may be but I will only call on
students who raise their hands and wait quietly
In what ways do you think you are helpful in your classroom or school?
How does that make you feel?
Do you notice other classmates having different roles in the classroom or school?
How does that make you feel?
Do you think your job in the classroom is important?
Do you think you make an impact on how smoothly your classroom or school may go?
In what ways can you be a better classmate?
Now shifting gears, in what ways do you think you are helpful in your home?
How does that make you feel?
Do you notice other household members having different roles at home?
How does that make you feel?
Do you think your job at home is important?
Do you think you make an impact on how smooth things are in your household?
In what ways can you become more helpful at home?
Wow, you all came up with some great responses!
Final questions, in what ways do you think you are helpful in your neighborhood?
How does that make you feel?
Do you notice other neighbors having different roles?
How does that make you feel?
Do you think your role in your neighborhood is important?
Do you think you make an impact on how smooth things are in your neighborhood?
In what ways can you become a better neighbor?
Woah, you all have really impressed me today! Look at all these wonderful things
we have written on the board! Does this help you to see just how important you
are to your classroom, school, home, and neighborhood? Does this help you to
see that your role may not be the same as someone elses and thats okay? Does
this help you realize how large your role is here on this planet?!
Step Two: Now we are going to split into groups and create our fun little craft for the
day!
You will see on this fun paper I am handing out the words of A Better Me, At home, In
my school, and In my neighborhood
What I want you to do is just draw a pretty picture on the first page titled A Better Me
about how you view yourself becoming a better person.
Then I want you to draw on each tab how you can become a better you based of the
suggestions we see here on the board!
Get creative with it and talk amongst your group about how their roles may differ from
yours.
Feel free to ask any questions as I will be walking around to room to help!
Step Three: Compile all of the students work to create a Supper Kiddo picture to hang
in the classroom. This will serve as the students reminder on how impactful their
behavior is on a micro and macro level.
Ball
Pre/Post-Test, preprinted on paper
How do we celebrate? Pre-Test Given
Leader starts session by centering the groups attention after students have moved their
desks to the sides of the room. She then asks the students to line up in the back of the
classroom and tell the students to take one step forward if they agree with her
statement or one step backward if they disagree with her.
My family has special traditions for this time of year.
We eat special foods.
We decorate our house.
We listen to special music.
We visit our family.
We go to a special religious service.
We decorate a tree.
We light a menorah.
Our family lights a Kinara.
Our family wears special outfits.
The leader then asks the students to look around and then take seats on the floor in a
circle.
Video Tina Micula-Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHQhoXz47II
Leader: There are lots of ways to celebrate this time of year. Today we are going to
talk for a little bit about some of the ways we celebrate different holidays.
Ball activity:
Students sit in a circle and pass a ball. As each student catches the ball they state their
favorite holiday tradition.
How do we celebrate? Post-Test Given
Plan for Evaluation: How will each of the following be collected?
Process Data: The students participating in these activities will be recorded. With the
goal that in the following year the delivery of this content will reach more students if the
topic has a positive impact.
Perception Data: Pre & Post student survey on how students understand celebrating
and how it can look different within various cultures.
Outcome Data: School discipline records can be examined to see if discipline due to
diversity issues is reduced.
Follow Up: Remind students on every holiday and special occasion about citizenship
and cultural awareness.
Perception Data: Post student survey on students reaction to the activity, and what
they report to have learned will be administered and collected.
Outcome Data: School discipline records can be examined to see if discipline due to
lack of cooperation between and among peers is reduced.
Follow Up: Remind students the entire month of December is about caring, and
cooperation and good communication skills help us actively care for eachother.
Working Towards PEP Readiness:
In considering having students be ready to create a Personalized Education Plan (PEP)
in the future, we are including in our overall plan several programs geared toward work
awareness, and workplace readiness. This includes a group starting in September for
at-risk students and a career day in May when we invite parents and community
members to share their experience of careers and employment. We also plan to bring
speakers in for special programming related to future employment skills as available.
Finally we consider our general program addressing basic academic engagement and
achievement skills, career readiness skills (for this age set, mostly workplace
interpersonal skills) and social/emotional development part of preparation for a PEP.