5th Grade: Mrs. Weber
If you would like to talk with me, please fill out this form. Click HERE!
If you would like to talk with me, please fill out this form. Click HERE!
August 18-21 : Welcome Back & Friendship
📚 Book: Welcome Back, Counselor Role, Friendship Introduction
🧠Activity: Students were welcomed back to guidance and reviewed the role of the school counselor. We talked about what guidance will look like this year and ways the counselor can support students at school. Students also participated in age-appropriate friendship discussions and activities focused on getting to know one another, connecting with classmates, and thinking about what makes a good friend.
💡Key concept: "Positive relationships help us feel connected."
🎯This week's objectives:
Reintroduce the role of the school counselor
Build comfort and connection within the classroom
Identify qualities of a positive friendship
Understand why having at least one positive connection at school matters
Recognize that learning and relationships are both important parts of the school experience
August 24-28 : Friendship & Belonging
🧠Activity: Students were introduced to the concept of friendship circles and explored the different levels of relationships in their lives. Students placed themselves at the center of their friendship circle and identified people who fit into different circles based on how close they are to them. We discussed the difference between close friends, friends, people we are friendly toward, and people we know. Students also reflected on how we may interact differently with people depending on the type of relationship we have with them.
Levels of friendship:
My closest friends: People I feel really comfortable with. I trust them, enjoy spending time with them, and can be myself around them.
My friends: People I like and enjoy spending time with, but we may not be as close as my closest friends.
People I am friendly with: People I may talk to, say hi to, or be kind to, but I don't consider them close friends.
People in my community: People I know or see around me, but I may not have a personal relationship with them.
💡Key concept: "Not everyone we know is a close friend, and that’s okay."
🎯This week's objectives:
Identify different levels of relationships
Understand that relationships can vary in closeness
Recognize the difference between close friends, friends, and acquaintances
Reflect on the people in our own friendship circles
Understand that healthy relationships can look different depending on the level of closeness
August 31 - September 4 : Social Smarts - Reading the Room
🧠Activity: Students revisited Friendship Circles and continued exploring how we understand and navigate our relationships with others. Students were introduced to the idea of “reading the room” and responded to the question: What bothers you most — when someone interrupts you or when someone clearly isn’t listening to you? We used their responses to introduce the concept of social smarts and how paying attention to others can help us make better choices in our interactions. Students then began identifying red flag and green flag behaviors and discussed how recognizing these behaviors can help us understand whether relationships are having a positive or negative impact on us. Students will continue exploring these behaviors and how they connect to healthy friendships and relationships in the coming weeks.
💡Key concept: "Reading the room helps us make healthy choices"
🎯This week's objectives:
Revisit the different levels of relationships within Friendship Circles
Understand what it means to “read the room”
Recognize the importance of noticing and listening to others
Begin identifying red flag and green flag behaviors
Understand how our social choices can affect our friendships and relationships
Recognize that healthy friendships should have a positive impact on our lives
September 7-11 : Social Smarts - Red & Green Flag Behaviors
🧠Activity: Students continued building their social smarts by transitioning into red flag and green flag behaviors. We discussed how recognizing positive and concerning behaviors can help us better understand our relationships and make thoughtful choices about the people we choose to spend time with. Students began creating their own red flag/green flag key, which they will use for an awareness game in the coming weeks.
💡Key concept: "We can use red and green flags to guide our friendship choices."
🎯This week's objectives:
Continue developing social smarts
Identify red flag and green flag behaviors
Understand how behaviors can affect friendships
Recognize qualities to look for in positive friendships
Create a red flag/green flag key for an upcoming awareness activity
September 14-18: Red & Green Flag Behaviors
🧠Activity: Students continued exploring red flag and green flag behaviors and finished creating their own red flag/green flag keys. As they completed their keys, we discussed what different behaviors can look like in friendships and why certain behaviors may be considered a red or green flag. These keys will serve as a tool students can use during an upcoming awareness activity to practice recognizing behaviors and making thoughtful friendship choices.
💡Key concept: "Recognizing behaviors helps us make healthy friendship choices. "
🎯This week's objectives:
Continue identifying red flag and green flag behaviors
Recognize characteristics of healthy and unhealthy friendship behaviors
Understand why certain behaviors may be considered red or green flags
Connect behaviors to the impact they can have on friendships
Complete a personal red flag/green flag key
Prepare to apply their knowledge during an upcoming awareness activity
September 21-25: Social Smarts - Understanding Red Flag Behaviors
🧠Activity: Students continued building their understanding of red flag behaviors by playing a Blooket review game. The game helped students become more familiar with the meanings of different red flag behaviors and practice identifying what those behaviors might look like in friendships and everyday situations. This review helped prepare students to apply what they have learned during an upcoming Red & Green Flag Jeopardy game.
💡Key concept: "Understanding behaviors helps us recognize red flags in our relationships."
🎯This week's objectives:
Review the meanings of different red flag behaviors
Recognize examples of red flag behaviors in everyday situations
Build familiarity with social and friendship behavior vocabulary
Understand how red flag behaviors can affect relationships
Strengthen awareness of behaviors to look for in friendships
Prepare to apply knowledge during the upcoming Jeopardy review game
September 28 - October 2: Social Smarts - Putting It All Together
🧠Activity: Students wrapped up our Social Smarts unit by putting their knowledge of red and green flag behaviors to the test with a Jeopardy review game. Students used the red flag/green flag keys they created throughout the unit to help identify behaviors, explain their meanings, and recognize examples in different social situations. The game brought together what students have learned about recognizing behaviors, reading social situations, and using that awareness to build positive, healthy friendships.
💡Key concept: "Recognizing behaviors helps us make healthy friendship choices. "
🎯This week's objectives:
Review red flag and green flag behaviors
Apply knowledge of behavior meanings to different social situations
Use red flag/green flag keys as a tool for identifying behaviors
Recognize characteristics of healthy and unhealthy friendship behaviors
Connect social awareness to making thoughtful friendship choices
Review and apply skills learned throughout the Social Smarts unit
October 5-9: Smart Choices & Courage - Making the Right Choice
🧠Activity: Students were introduced to our new monthly theme, Smart Choices & Courage, through an interactive Blooket game. Throughout the game, students explored different situations involving decision-making, courage, and the importance of thinking before acting. We focused on how making smart choices sometimes requires courage, especially when the right choice isn't always the easiest or most popular one. Students were encouraged to think about how their decisions can affect themselves and others and recognize that courage can show up in everyday situations.
💡Key concept: "Courage looks different for everyone, and even the smallest brave choice matters."
🎯This week's objectives:
Introduce the concepts of smart choices and courage
Explore how courage and decision-making are connected
Recognize that the right choice isn't always the easiest choice
Practice thinking through different choices and possible consequences
Identify situations where making a smart choice may require courage
Understand how our decisions can affect ourselves and others
Build confidence in making responsible choices, even when they are difficult
October 12-16: Smart Choices & Courage - Walking in Someone Else's Shoes
🧠Activity: Students continued exploring our monthly theme of Smart Choices & Courage through an interactive activity called the “Line Game.” Students listened to different statements beginning with “Have you ever had the courage to…” and stepped forward to a designated line if they could relate to the experience. The activity began with simple, everyday situations and gradually moved into more challenging topics involving fear, mistakes, peer pressure, standing up for others, and making difficult choices. As the rounds progressed, students had opportunities to recognize shared experiences while also noticing that everyone faces different challenges. We ended with a group discussion about how courage looks different for everyone, why making the right choice can sometimes feel uncomfortable, and how understanding one another's experiences can help us become more supportive and courageous individuals.
💡Key concept: "Making the right choice isn't always easy, but courage helps us do what is right."
🎯This week's objectives:
Explore different ways courage can appear in everyday situations
Reflect on personal experiences involving fear, uncertainty, and difficult choices
Recognize that what feels easy for one person may require courage for another
Identify situations where peer pressure can influence decision-making
Understand that admitting mistakes, asking for help, and standing up for others can take courage
Build empathy and respect for the different challenges others may face
Recognize that making smart choices sometimes means choosing what is right over what is easy
Encourage students to practice courage in their own everyday decisions