Counseling Lesson Units

Counseling Lesson Units

Ms. Grogan visits each classroom for counseling lessons. These lessons cover a variety of topics (i.e., bullying prevention, empathy, emotion management, etc.).

Some units have extension activities called Homelinks. They are linked below. Homelinks are NOT homework assignments, instead they are an opportunity for parents and students to continue the conversation at home.

Second Step Program Details

If you would like to have access to family resources related to the Second Step program, please go to app.secondstep.org to create an account using the appropriate activation key for the grade level of your student. Here are some instructions to access Second Step resources:

Counseling Lesson Units

Self-Talk

We also learn about using self-talk to remind ourselves to stay on task. When we use self-talk, we are using a whisper or reminding ourselves silently to “focus”, “don’t get distracted”, or “use the Attent-o-Scope”.

Being Assertive

First graders learn about three different forms of communication. When we speak in a passive or aggressive way, we are not as clear or direct as we need to be. Instead, it is best to use a calm, respectful and strong voice in order to be assertive.

Neuroscience

In 2nd and 3rd grades, we learn about three important parts of our brains: our amygdala (which helps us react quickly in situations), our hippocampus (which helps us remember things), and our prefrontal cortex (which helps us make strong choices). We also learn mindfulness practices to help us focus our minds.

Setting Goals and Making Plans

4th and 5th-grade students learn about setting short- and long-term goals and making plans to achieve them. Using the Good Plan Checklist, we check our plans to see if:

1. The plan matches the goal
2. There is enough time to accomplish the plan
3. It is not too complicated
4. It’s achievable

Bullying Prevention

In our Bullying Prevention unit, Drew students learn how to Recognize, Report, and Refuse Bullying.

Recognize

Bullying hurts someone’s body, feelings or belongings; it happens on purpose; it is unfair or one-sided; it happens more than once; and we are unable to get it to stop.

Report

When we recognize bullying it happening, we must report it to a caring and trusted adult. When we report bullying, we try to use an assertive voice that is clear, serious, and respectful. In our Bullying Prevention Unit, all students are asked to identify caring and trusted adults in the Campbell community who they could report bullying to.

Refuse

Both Upstanders and anyone who is experiencing bullying can refuse bullying by telling the bully or bullies to stop using an assertive voice.

Child Protection Unit

The Child Protection Unit includes one grade level specific lesson in Kindergarten through 5th-grade classrooms. Drew students learn ways to help them decide if something is safe or not: specifically, about safe, unsafe, and unwanted touches, and rules about touching private body parts (we define this to students as the area covered by swimsuits). They also learn to say no to unsafe or unwanted touches, and to tell an adult if someone breaks rules about touching private body parts. Students also practice asking an adult for help, telling an adult about an unsafe situation, and being assertive to get out of unsafe situations.

Empathy

In this unit, students learn about identifying feelings in themselves and in others using physical cues like body language and facial expressions in the younger grades, in addition to tone of voice, behavior, and word choice. We also learned about similarities and differences, and how being similar and being different are both okay!

Compassion

In the older grades, students learn about treating others with compassion when we recognize how they’re feeling. We also discuss how Upstanders use empathy and compassion to make Campbell an inclusive and safe community.

Emotion Management

In this unit, students learn How to Calm Down in three easy-to-remember steps: Stop, Name Your Feeling, and Calm Down. Step 3 (“Calm Down”) looks different for every person; it may mean counting slowly, belly breathing, or using positive self-talk. We also learn about the importance of using the steps for calming down before we try to problem-solve or communicate with someone else.

There are hand signals that go with the How to Calm Down steps– ask your student to share them with you!

Problem Solving

In this unit, students learned the STEP acronym for Problem Solving:

S – Say the problem without blame

T – Think of safe and respectful solutions

E – Explore consequences; what would happen if you chose each solution?

P – Pick the best solution and make a plan In the younger grades, students practice applying STEP to conflicts between characters.

In older grades, students apply STEP to conflicts they are experiencing in real life.

Career

In the counseling unit on Careers, Kindergarteners:

• Learn that people have jobs and a variety of jobs exist.
• Learn that people dream about getting certain jobs.
• Learn about jobs people do at our school.
• Learn about jobs people do in our community.

Beginning in first grade, each year Drew students explore different career clusters and the skills and training required for jobs within each cluster. The career clusters explored in each grade are:

First Grade:

• Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources
• Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics
•  Law, Public Safety, Corrections, & Security

Second Grade:

• Arts, A/V Technology, and Communications
• Health Science
• Education and Training

Third Grade:

• Hospitality and Tourism
• Human Services
• STEM

Fourth Grade:

• Manufacturing
• Business Management and Administration
• Architecture and Construction

Fifth Grade:

• Finance
• Information Technology
• Marketing
• Government and Public Administration

Mental Health Awareness Month

Students learn about various ways to maintain mental wellness, such as getting plenty of sleep, eating a well-balanced diet, getting exercise, going outside, socializing with friends, and practicing self-care and mindfulness.

Students in older grades also learn about how to recognize when they need support or help with their mental health and wellness. In the 2019-20 school year, this unit will be supplemented with lessons from the Riding the Waves curriculum.