Lesson 1: September 2023

I visited each first grade classroom to introduce myself to students, review my role as a school counselor, and learn more about pleasant and unpleasant feelings. I always want students to know that my job is about helping them, and I help them through classroom lessons, small groups, individual counseling, and consulting with parents and teachers. I used a magic coloring book to help students think about pleasant and unpleasant feelings, and students LOVED it!

Standards:

NC Guidance Essential Standards: RED.SE.1.2 Identify ways of controlling emotional states, feelings, and moods. 

ASCA Mindsets & Behaviors: Belief in development of whole self, including a healthy balance of mental, social/emotional and physical well-being; Create relationships with adults that support success

Lesson 2: October 2023

We focused on bullying prevention during this lesson using the book Have You Filled a Bucket Today?. I used the lesson time to make sure that students know what bullying is and how to report if there is a problem. Then, we spent the majority of the lesson time on ways to be a Bucket Filler- doing kind things for others. 

Standards:

NC Guidance Essential Standards: RED.C.1.1 Identify problems that you have encountered or are likely to encounter; RED.C.2.1 Identify situations from your daily like in terms of problems and solution strategies; RED.C.2.2 Recognize situations in which peer pressure is influencing decisions.

ASCA Mindsets and Behaviors: B-SS 2. Positive, respectful and supportive relationships with students who are similar to and different from them; B-SS 8. Advocacy skills for self and others and ability to assert self, when necessary

Lesson 3: Nov/Dec 2023

This lesson focused on tattling versus telling/reporting.  We used the book Don't Squeal Unless It's a Big Deal.  In the book, Mrs. McNeal has nineteen little piglets who are great students except for a big problem- tattling.  Mrs. McNeal teaches them the difference between "big deals" and "kid sized problems."  We spent a lot of time with different situations and determining if it was a big deal that required telling or a little deal that should first be handled student to student. Students helped to role play situations, and we worked together to determine the best way to solve the issue. 

Standards:

NC Guidance Essential Standards: RED.SE.1.1 Understand the importance of self-control and responsibility;

ASCA Mindsets & Behaviors: B-SMS 7. Effective coping skills

Lessons 4 & 5: January 2024 & February 2024

January: This week we continued building social skills with a lesson on choices we can use to solve conflicts with others. Then, students learned strategies to help solve problems with others on the Wheel of Choice.

February Lesson: Continued to practice the Wheel of Choice strategies. We spent additional time on I Messages and then used the book Matthew and Tilly to look at peer conflicts and identify strategies that we can use to help. Then, students practiced applying the strategies in different scenarios. 

Standards:

NC Guidance Essential Standards: RED.C.1.1 Identify problems that you have encountered or are likely to encounter; RED.C.2.1 Identify situations from your daily like in terms of problems and solution strategies

ASCA Mindsets and Behaviors: B-SS 2. Positive, respectful and supportive relationships with students who are similar to and different from them; B-SS 8. Advocacy skills for self and others and ability to assert self, when necessary; B-SMS 7. Effective coping skills; B-SS 6. Effective collaboration and cooperation skills