2024-2025 Classroom Guidance Lessons
2024-2025 Classroom Guidance Lessons
Below you will find information about specific lesson topics. Pertinent information about each lesson is outlined including the grade level, topic, SC School Counseling Standards, lesson description, and book title(s), video clip(s), and handouts when applicable. Copyrighted instructional materials and handouts cannot be linked on the website, but can be reviewed in person by request. If you have any questions, please reach out to your child's school counselor.
K: School Counselor Role Intro: Ms. Bailey reviews her role as a school counselor. Using a Mrs. Potato Head, Students will learn about the parts of their school counselor. Just like Mrs. Potato Head, school counselors have lots of parts that help them do their job! School counselors have: 1) Smart Brain-to help kids solve problems, make good choices, and cope with big feelings. 2) Listening Ears-to listen to students and make sure they feel heard and understood. 3) Caring Eyes- to look out for students and help keep them safe. 4) Wise Mouth-to teach, encourage, and support students, teachers, and families. 5) Loving Heart- to care for and love all students. 6) Helping Hands to greet, guide, comfort, and play with students. 7) Busy Feet- to move quickly around the school to help students, caregivers, and teachers. Students will complete a Parts of My School Counselor coloring sheet (copyrighted). We will end our lesson with a fun game of "Hot Potato" where students will pass the ball in a circle and when the music stops they will share one thing they learned about Ms. Bailey.
1: School Counselor Role Review: School Counselor Role Intro: Ms. Bailey reviews her role as a school counselor. Using a Mrs. Potato Head, Students will learn about the parts of their school counselor. Just like Mrs. Potato Head, school counselors have lots of parts that help them do their job! School counselors have: 1) Smart Brains-to help kids solve problems, make good choices, and cope with big feelings. 2) Listening Ears-to listen to students and make sure they feel heard and understood. 3) Caring Eyes- to look out for students and help keep them safe. 4) Wise Mouth-to teach, encourage, and support students, teachers, and families. 5) Loving Heart- to care for and love all students. 6) Helping Hands to greet, guide, comfort, and play with students. 7) Busy Feet- to move quickly around the school to help students, caregivers, and teachers. Students will complete a My School Counselor Helps Me handout (copyrighted) where they will write and draw one way their school counselor can help them this school year. We will end our lesson with a fun game of "Hot Potato" where students will pass the ball in a circle and when the music stops they will share one thing they learned about Ms. Bailey.
2: School Counselor Role Review: Ms. Bailey will review her role and the services provided through the KTES School Counseling Program (classroom lessons, small group counseling, and individual counseling). She explains how to reach out to her if support is needed with big feelings or problems (ask their teacher, ask their parent to call/email, or write a note and put in the school counselor mailbox). Students will play a School Counselor Bingo Review Game (copyrighted). Example of some Bingo Items include: runs small groups, teaches lessons, helps everyone, emotion regulation, helps resolve conflict, etc.
3: Mrs. Layne reviews her role and the services provided through the KTES School Counseling Program (classroom lessons, small group counseling, and individual counseling). She explains how to reach out to her if support is needed with big feelings or problems that are a distraction to learning (ask teacher or parent to email Mrs. Layne or students can put a note in her mailbox). Students answer True or False questions to explore the role of the school counselor. Students complete a Get to Know Me handout (copyrighted).
4: Mrs. Layne reviews her role and the services provided through the KTES School Counseling Program (classroom lessons, small group counseling, and individual counseling). She explains how to reach out to her if support is needed with big feelings or problems that are a distraction to learning (ask teacher or parent to email Mrs. Layne or students can put a note in her mailbox). Students complete a #IntroducingMe handout (copyrighted).
5: School Counselor Role Review: Mrs. Layne reviews her role and the services provided through the KTES School Counseling Program (classroom lessons, small group counseling, and individual counseling). She explains how to reach out to her if support is needed with big feelings or problems that are a distraction to learning (ask teacher or parent to email Mrs. Layne or students can put a note in her mailbox). Students complete a small group activity with laminated S'mores pieces (copyrighted) to indicate what a school counselor does and does not do as part of their job. Students complete a Get to Know Me handout (copyrighted).
K:
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2:
3: Mrs. Layne teaches self care concepts including taking care of physical health, mental/emotional health, and social health. Coping tools to manage stress and other uncomfortable feelings are discussed including exercise/sports, talking with an adult that you trust, taking deep breaths, and doing an activity that you enjoy. Students view and discuss the book The Good Egg by Jory Jon. Students identify coping tools that the Good Egg uses in the story. Students complete a Coping Tool Box handout. Students receive a copy of a Coping Tools Poster (copyrighted) on the flipside of their Coping Tool Box handout.
4: Mrs. Layne reviews self care concepts including taking care of physical health, mental/emotional health, and social health. Coping skills to manage stress and other uncomfortable feelings are discussed including these four types: Relaxation, Problem Solving, Distraction, and Self Talk. Students play Ask, Ask, Switch with coping tool cards that share examples of times when students may need to use a coping skill and they identify which tool they would use. Students complete a Coping Skills Story Handout (copyrighted).
5: Mrs. Layne reviews self care concepts including taking care of physical health, mental/emotional health, and social health. Coping tools to manage stress and other uncomfortable feelings are discussed including exercise/sports, talking with an adult that you trust, taking deep breaths, and doing an activity that you enjoy. Students identify common stressors for 5th graders and discuss and practice nine strategies for coping with stress including organization, positive self talk, exercise, journal, connect with others, rest, listen to music, get artsy, and laugh. Students complete a Coping with Stress handout.
K-5: Ms. Bailey and Mrs. Layne explain that appreciating diversity means appreciating our differences and accepting, respecting, supporting, and including others who may be different than them. It also means accepting and respecting our unique selves. They discuss the importance of using kind words and actions, even when teachers and other grown ups are not nearby. Students read and discuss the book Just Ask by Sonya Sotomayer. Students discuss connections to the book and what makes them unique. Students discussed the quote from the book, "Each of us has unique powers to share with the world and make it more interesting and richer." Students write and illustrate how they will make the world a more interesting and richer place on a Just Ask handout.
November
K:
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3: Mrs. Layne teaches about flexible thinking (the ability to change our thoughts - to see things one way, and then another way) and explains that it is a type of executive functioning skill. Students identify the difference between flexible and rigid thinking by reviewing scenarios that exemplify both types. Students read and discuss the book A Spot of Flexible Thinking by Diane Alber. Students complete a Flexible or Rigid Thinking handout (copyrighted). Students listen to the Spot of Flexible Thinking Song.
October lessons ran into November for the guidance related arts rotation for 4th and 5th grade, so the next rotation begins in December for these grade levels.
December
K: Personal Safety: Ms. Bailey discuss the importance of keeping yourself safe, including what to do if someone should ever touch you in a way that is inappropriate or makes you feel uncomfortable. She reviews safe and unsafe touches, and reminds students that they can and should say "No" to unsafe touches. She explains the "Touching Rule" which is that no one should ever touch your private parts (parts covered by your bathing suit) unless they are helping you to stay healthy. She explains that if someone breaks the touching rule, that is considered to be an unsafe touch and that you should never keep that a secret-even if someone tells you to. The only exception to the no touching/looking rule is a doctor trying to keep us healthy and parents helping us stay healthy and clean. Students listen to My Body Belongs To Me. Students then learn and sing a safety song to help students remember what to do if someone was to break the no touching rule.: " My body is my body and it belongs to me. No one can touch it no one but me. If they try, I'm gonna yell STOP! And run and run as fast as I can and tell and tell again and AGAIN!" If time allows, students will listen and sing along to the song: It's a Boundary.
1: Personal Safety: Ms. Bailey discuss the importance of keeping yourself safe, including what to do if someone should ever touch you in a way that is inappropriate or makes you feel uncomfortable. She reviews safe and unsafe touches, and reminds students that they can and should say "No" to unsafe touches. She explains the "Touching Rule" which is that no one should ever touch your private parts (parts covered by your bathing suit) unless they are helping you to stay healthy. She explains that if someone breaks the touching rule, that is considered to be an unsafe touch and that you should never keep that a secret-even if someone tells you to. The only exception to the no touching/looking rule is a doctor trying to keep us healthy and parents helping us stay healthy and clean. Students listen to My Body Belongs To Me. Students then learn and sing a safety song to help students remember what to do if someone was to break the no touching rule.: "My body is my body and it belongs to me. No one can touch it no one but me. If they try, I'm gonna yell STOP! And run and run as fast as I can and tell and tell again and AGAIN!" If time allows, students will listen and sing along to the song: It's a Boundary.
2: Personal Safety: Ms. Bailey discuss the importance of keeping yourself safe, including what to do if someone should ever touch you in a way that is inappropriate or makes you feel uncomfortable. She reviews safe and unsafe touches, and reminds students that they can and should say "No" to unsafe touches. She explains the "Touching Rule" which is that no one should ever touch your private parts (parts covered by your bathing suit) unless they are helping you to stay healthy. She explains that if someone breaks the touching rule, that is considered to be an unsafe touch and that you should never keep that a secret-even if someone tells you to. The only exception to the no touching/looking rule is a doctor trying to keep us healthy and parents helping us stay healthy and clean. Students read and discuss From My Head To My Toes I Say What Goes. Students then learn and sing a safety song to help students remember what to do if someone was to break the no touching rule.: "My body is my body and it belongs to me. No one can touch it no one but me. If they try, I'm gonna yell STOP! And run and run as fast as I can and tell and tell again and AGAIN!" If time allows, students will listen and sing along to the song: It's a Boundary.
3: Personal Safety: Mrs. Layne discusses the importance of keeping yourself safe, including what to do if someone should ever touch you in a way that is inappropriate or makes you feel uncomfortable. She reviews safe and unsafe touches, and friends students that they can and should say "No” to unsafe touches. She explains the “Touching Rule” which is that no one should ever touch your private parts (parts covered by your bathing suit) unless they are helping you to stay healthy. She explains that if someone breaks the touching rule, that is considered to be an unsafe touch and that you should never keep that a secret – even if someone tells you to. Students read and discuss the book Some Secrets Should Never Be Kept by Janeen Sanders. This story helps students recognize the differences between safe secrets and unsafe secrets and what they can do if someone ever asks them to keep an unsafe secret. Students then read and discuss Sticky Situations (copyrighted) as a whole class activity and identify if the choice or decision made in the situation is safe or unsafe. Sticky situations which are situations that can be a little bit dangerous or unsafe, but where it’s not super clear or obvious what to do. Students complete a Trusted Adult Handout (copyrighted) to identify four adults then can talk to if they find themselves in a sticky situation. Students listen and sing along to the song It’s a Boundary.
4: Personal Safety: Mrs. Layne discusses the importance of keeping yourself safe, including what to do if someone should ever touch you in a way that is inappropriate or makes you feel uncomfortable. She reviews safe and unsafe touches, and friends students that they can and should say "No” to unsafe touches. She explains the “Touching Rule” which is that no one should ever touch your private parts (parts covered by your bathing suit) unless they are helping you to stay healthy. She explains that if someone breaks the touching rule, that is considered to be an unsafe touch and that you should never keep that a secret – even if someone tells you to. Students read and discuss the book Not in Room 204 by Shannon Riggs. This story helps students recognize the differences between safe secrets and unsafe secrets and what they can do if someone ever asks them to keep an unsafe secret. Mrs. Layne reviews the concept of sticky situations which are situations that can be a little bit dangerous or unsafe, but where it’s not super clear or obvious what to do. Students complete a Trusted Adult Handout (copyrighted) to identify four adults then can talk to if they find themselves in a sticky situation. Students listen and sing along to the song It’s a Boundary.
5: Personal Safety: Mrs. Layne discusses the importance of keeping yourself safe, including what to do if someone should ever touch you in a way that is inappropriate or makes you feel uncomfortable. She reviews safe and unsafe touches, and friends students that they can and should say "No” to unsafe touches. She explains the “Touching Rule” which is that no one should ever touch your private parts (parts covered by your bathing suit) unless they are helping you to stay healthy. She explains that if someone breaks the touching rule, that is considered to be an unsafe touch and that you should never keep that a secret – even if someone tells you to. Students read and discuss the book The Kid Trapper by Julia Cook. This story helped students learn to identify tricks that a person might use to keep a kid from telling an unsafe secret. These tricks are referred to as “grooming”. Students learn how to recognize these tricks, trust their “gut” feeling, and to get help by telling a trusted adult. Students then read and discuss Sticky Situations (copyrighted) as a whole class activity and identify if the choice or decision made in the situation is safe or unsafe. Students complete a Trusted Adult Handout (copyrighted) to identify four adults then can talk to if they find themselves in a sticky situation. Students listen and sing along to the song It’s a Boundary.
January
February
March
April
May