Education-Counseling

President Obama's Speech ---Education

2011-03-09T17:07:00.001-08:00

Bullying Prevention

2011-03-09T17:02:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas

2010-12-21T17:39:00.000-08:00

Students have been very generous this year. The school raised over 3,000 dollars. We were able to help several of our needy children.

The First Thanksgiving Story

2010-11-10T16:04:00.001-08:00

The Pilgrims-Mayflower

2010-11-10T16:02:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving Ad

2010-11-10T15:51:00.001-08:00

Giving Thanks

2010-11-10T15:47:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving

2010-11-10T15:41:00.001-08:00

The Six Pillars of Character

2010-11-10T15:18:00.001-08:00

Character Education Citizenship

2010-11-10T15:16:00.003-08:00

Character Education Caring

2010-11-10T15:16:00.001-08:00

Character Education Fairness

2010-11-10T15:15:00.001-08:00

Character Education Responsibility

2010-11-10T15:14:00.001-08:00

Character Education Respect

2010-11-10T15:13:00.001-08:00

Character Education Trust

2010-11-10T15:12:00.000-08:00

Attention Counselors

2010-10-03T13:45:00.001-07:00

If you have a great guidance lesson that you have done with your students, please add it to this blog.

The Like Chair

2010-07-14T08:57:00.001-07:00

The like chair is a single activity that can be used at anytime by students in grades k-6. It is designed to promote positive self-esteem and teach students how to receive compliments. The time to complete this lesson will vary according to how many students are in the room. Typically this lesson requires 45 minutes to deliver.
The activity

Tell the students that today we are going to do the like chair. Pick a chair or better yet a stool and tell the class that this is now the like chair, and place it in the front of the room. Explain to the students that each child will have a turn to sit on the like chair. While one of the students is sitting on the chair their classmates will raise their hands and wait to be called on by the student in the front of the room. When called upon the student will say a thing they like about the student sitting on the chair.

Before the activity starts explain to the students that only positive comments may be made today. Also tell the students that the person sitting in the chair should accept the comments with a simple thank you. Explain to the students that they should limit themselves to one comment for each student on the chair. If they have more nice things to say they can tell that person at some other time during the day.

Teachers and counselors are encouraged to participate in this activity. They may also raise their hands and tell each student what they like about them. Counselors and teachers may also sit on the like chair after the students have had a turn.

Some process questions that may be used following this activity are listed below.

1. How did you feel when sitting on the like chair and having your fellow classmates tell what they liked about you?
2. What other times or places during the day might you say nice things about people? (School, friends house, home, ect.)
3. What makes a good friend? (Invariably most of the students will use “you’re a good friend” as a compliment.

Don’t Laugh at Me

2010-07-14T08:56:00.001-07:00

Don’t laugh at me is a series of classroom guidance lessons. It was developed by Don’t laugh at Me to discourage teasing in the schools. The series is designed for grades 2-5.
A typical lesson follows.

Opening

Begin by putting the following number ranges on the board; -5 to –2, -1 to1, and 2-5. Explain to the class that the numbers represent how they are feeling today. –5 is the worst day you could imagine, and 5 indicates the best day ever. Have the children put their heads down and ask for a show of hands on what category they would fit into today. Have the students raise their heads and talk about feelings and elicit words from the students that might fit into the categories. Explain that today the activity will be about put downs, and how they can make somebody feel like those words described in the –5 to-2 category.
Activity

Have the students get out something to draw and color with. Pass out a sheet of white paper to each student, and have him or her draw a large heart on the paper. Tell them to decorate the heart. Give them 5- 10 minutes to do this. When the time is up have them put their art supplies away, and tell the students you are going to read a short story to them. Tell them the story is about a boy named Pedro, and what happened to him one day. Explain to the students that each time Pedro gets put down they should tear their heart. Read the story The Torn Heart to the students. You may want to pause after each put down so the children have time to tear their hearts.

Successful Student

2010-07-14T08:53:00.000-07:00

Objective: The student will identify past accomplishments and successes.

1. Discuss things the children have accomplished. Such as: Learning to ride a bike, learning to swim, or learning to spell or read.
2. Ask if these things were hard and how they felt knowing they did something that was hard.
3. Pass out construction paper, paste, and scissors. Have the student draw a large tree on a piece of construction paper. Then have them cut out leaves from another piece of construction paper. On the leaves, instruct the children to write a word or draw a picture of their accomplishments. Paste leaves on the tree.
4. Have the children draw clouds above the tree. In their clouds, have them write in words or draw symbols of things they would like to accomplish.
5. If time, ask children to share with the group.

Self-Concept

2010-06-09T17:45:00.000-07:00

Objectives: The student will develop an awareness of individual differences among people, i.e., a realization that no two people are exactly alike.

Directions:

1. Explain the rules of the game. The children will be told that they will take turns describing someone else in the class. It is often a good idea to have the child who is describing a classmate to close his eyes, to avoid the tendency to look at the person and not his or her clothing.
2. Encourage the children to mention other thinks such as what the person likes to do; his physical characteristics; what he does well, etc…Encourage the children to stress good or nice thinks about he person is helpful.
3. After the child has described someone else, he will open his eyes, and call on those who think they know who he was describing.
4. The child who guesses correctly will be next at describing another person.

Reach for Your Dreams

2010-06-09T17:44:00.000-07:00

Reach for Your Dreams is a serious of activities geared for use with elementary age children and their families. Reach for Your Dreams is a family activity book that contains a story line with corresponding activities. This program is designed to assist student recognition and development of their gifts, talents, dreams, and increase self-esteem. The thirty-six activities, along with the story line, provide opportunities for students to explore the areas of: self-discovery, communication skills, getting along, choices, exploring emotions, and recognizing dreams. Many of the activities are adaptable to be used within the classroom, small group settings, or in one-on-one meetings. Other activities require family involvement and include the parents in supporting their son or daughter’s growth.

Reach for Your Dreams was presented as a series of guidance lessons within fifth grade groups at Waseca Central Intermediate School. A variety of activities selected from the workbook were selected to help students identify their strengths, feelings, interests, and dreams. Careers are also explored. Each lesson is designed to be delivered within a 30-minute period. A typical lesson is as follows:
Description of Lesson (from the program) Lesson:
Exploring Emotions (Objective #5) First Activity

Materials Needed:
Reach for Your Dreams workbook, Lunch bags, Crayons or markers, Buttons, Yarn, Scissors, and Glue.

Activity:

Have students complete page 45 of the workbook labeled “I Feel ___ When . . . ” that allows students to identify ways they might feel in certain situations. Students are asked to circle the face that represents how they feel in each situation listed on the page. If students are not sure how they may feel in a certain situation, have them ask other members of the group how they think they would feel in that same situation. Discuss with students how there are no right or wrong answers. Also discuss with students how each of them is different and, therefore, they will react in a different way than other students might in the same situation. (10 minutes)

Next, have students create a bag puppet. Using the materials provided, instruct students to create a puppet that they feel represents them. Warn students that they have a short amount of time to create these puppets. Also inform students that they may add to their puppets at a later date. (5 minutes)

Using the puppets, have students choose one of the situations listed on either page 45 or page 46 of the workbook. Once the student has chosen a situation, have students use their puppets to act out the situation. Included in this role-play (using the puppets), students should show by using the puppet how they may feel in that situation. Students may enact each situation alone or you may divide the group into pairs. Another option with this activity is to have other situations not mentioned on pages 45 or 46. These extra situations should be written on a separate piece of paper. Student can then draw the situation that they have to share about. This may be shorter, however students are not allowed to share something they may relate to or that was a situation they experienced. (10 minutes)

In closing, process with students how it felt to share their feelings. It is also important to process with students what it means to have different feelings from others in reaction to similar situations. Another issue that students should discuss is the factors that influence how people might react to certain situations such as stress, amount of sleep, family situations, etc. (5 minutes)

Responsibility

2010-06-09T17:43:00.000-07:00

Objectives: The student will become aware of consequences of inappropriate behavior.

Directions:

1. Put four sentences below on the board
2. Divide the class into four groups. Have each group draw a picture to show a consequence or behavior in one of the following situations. (Each group produces one picture.)
3. A little girl left her tricycle in the street when she finished playing.
4. A boy with a new bike was showing off by riding "no hand" down the street.
5. A boy talked back to his mom when she told him it was time to go to bed.
6. A child pushed another child out of his seat on the bus.
7. If time allows, role-play each situation.

The Fix-It Game

2010-05-03T17:30:00.000-07:00

Practice desirable skills for interacting with and relating to others.
Objective:
Identify and describe that the ways in which something is said affects the way others feel.

Level: Grades l-5
Procedure:

1. Students to listen to the following statements one at a time and decide how the statements might make another person feel.
2. Students fix the statements by giving a more appropriate way to state the same message
3. Gimme some milk. (Ex. May I have some milk, please?)
4. Come on, stupid, you skipped my turn.
5. Hey, dumb-dumb, don’t you know that word?
6. Teacher, no way am I going to clean up that mess.
7. Mother, I’m not gonna take a bath in the middle of this T.V. program, and you can’t make me.
8. Get out of my way, fatso. I was here first.
9. I’m better than anyone else in this whole class, so I get to go first.
10. Discuss how people would react if you spoke to them in the above manner.
11. Talk about why it is important to use more appropriate language.

Comments:
Role playing activities may be developed from this procedure.
Evaluation:
Give students a card with a situation that is spoken in a negative manner. Have the students reverse to positive manner and role play in front of the class.

Put-ups & Put-downs

2010-04-26T17:07:00.001-07:00

The following classroom guidance lesson was developed at Kennedy Elementary School by Candy Bell (Professional School Counselor) and Abigail J. Ostby (School Counseling Intern). This lesson was designed to help young children (Kindergarten and Grade 1) learn the difference between put-ups and put-downs as well as their effects on people's feelings.
Purpose:

To learn the difference between put-ups and put-downs and the feelings they elicit.

Learner Outcomes:

Students will be able to identify the difference between put-ups and put-downs.
Students will give examples of put-ups and put-downs.
Students will identify emotions that we feel when we hear put-ups and put-downs.

Materials:

Two objects (one soft and fuzzy; one hard and sharp)
Felicia Flower (puppet)
Construction Paper Hearts (2 large and same # small hearts as # of students)
Andrew's Angry Words by Dorothea Cachner
OR The Rainbow Fish to the Rescue by Marcus Pfister

Introduction:

The counselor will ask two students to volunteer to help with the lesson. One student at a time, the counselor will put the soft and fuzzy object in his/her hands and ask for words to describe what it feels like. Then the cold and sharp object is placed in the two students' hands. Again, they are asked for describing words of what it feels like. The counselor tells the class that these objects are like the words we use--some make us feel warm and fuzzy inside, other words are cold and sharp and hurt our feelings. The counselor then introduces new vocabulary: put-ups and put-downs. Felicia Flower can be used when discussing what emotions we have after hearing a put-up or put-down. The counselor reads the story to the students, discussing the put-downs in the story and the related feelings that we feel after hearing a put-up or put-down.
Activity:

The counselor shows the students a paper heart and talks about how this is like our heart when we are given put-downs, it too is affected. The counselor asks the students for some examples of put-downs that others say to us (i.e., siblings, classmates). As each put-down is stated by a student, the counselor wrinkles the heart. After about ten put-downs, the counselor asks the students what happened to this heart? What does it look like now? How might we feel if our heart looked like this? Then the counselor asks the students to share examples of put-ups, words that might us feel good about ourselves. As each put-up is shared, the counselor tries to smooth out the wrinkles in the heart. Twice as many put-ups should be shared.
Closure:

The counselor will then hold up a fresh, unwrinkled heart and the wrinkled heart. What do you notice about these two hearts? What is different about them? What does this tell us about the effects of put-downs and put-ups? (Not easy to undo a put-down, they last for a long time.) What do we need to be sure to do? (Think before we speak.) The counselor will then ask the teacher to hang up the two hearts in the classroom as a reminder of the effects of put-ups and put-downs. The children will also receive a small paper heart as a reminder to be careful with their words and to think before they speak.

Healthy Habits – Eating

2010-04-26T17:06:00.001-07:00

Healthy Habits – Eating

Three lessons were developed at Jonathan Elementary School by Suzan Petersen and with Pam Slack at Chaska Elementary to assist 6th grade students in learning to use the decision-making model to promote healthy behaviors, to prevent or reduce the risk of unhealthy behaviors, and to select foods that contribute to a healthy diet. The lessons are designed to be delivered in a 30-minute period.

Lesson one’s objective is to Identify Healthy Eating Habits and to make a menu for that day. Lesson two is on Eating Disorders. This lesson could involve more time and more lessons depending on your needs. The lesson is divided into three parts. Part one –Why? Points to consider are: Society, Parents, Self-Worth, Feminine/Masculine, and Distorted Body Image. Part two - What Happens Physically? – Starvation (effects and characteristics), Moods and Depression. Part three is on Signs and Symptoms. The third lesson is on Body Image/Wellness. Part one is an activity that involves looking into a mirror and a worksheet titled Looking Out Looking In. Part two is listing "Personal Qualities" on the white board. Part three is going over the fact sheets from Methodist Hospital of Minnesota and having a discussion.
Lesson one goes as follows:
Objective:
The students will be able to identify healthy eating habits and make a menu for at least one day.
Need:
Paper
Overhead of "Foods I Eat Often"
Pencils

Introduction:
*Brainstorm habits that are healthy and those that are not healthy.
*Do the overhead of "Foods I eat often".
*Pair together with a partner and share – give each other suggestions on how to change.
Suggestions: eating, exercise, hygiene, behavior, and attitude.

Closure:
Share with the class changes you are willing to make.
Discuss the benefits of making these changes.
Create a healthy menu for one day.

Connections to the Profiles of Learning

Healthy Habits – Eating directly relates to the Minnesota Graduation Standards Number 8 – Decision-Making under Personal Health and Nutrition. All of the lessons for Healthy Habits – Eating are reflective of the Educational and Guidance Development domains of the Minnesota School Counselors’ Model of Developmental Guidance and Counseling.