Category:

Shaun the Sheep

4/24/2017

Shaun the Sheep is a cute character from Aardman Animations. On the Shaun the Sheep YouTube channel, you can find short videos that your students will love. I use them in my small groups to reflect on positive school behaviors and interpersonal skills. When students earn a "lunch in the school counselor's office" reward, sometimes I show these clips while we eat. Each clip sparks great group discussion about what it means to "play fair," show good sportsmanship, treat others with respect, and more.

You could also use Shaun the Sheep during your classroom lessons to introduce a new concept, transition to a group activity, or close a lesson.

Here are some of my favorites...

0 Comments

ClassDojo

4/23/2017

0 Comments

When I want to keep track of specific behaviors during my group sessions, I use ClassDojo (previous Website of the Month). You can use it K-6, but it may need to look differently at each grade level. Not only does ClassDojo keep excellent data for me, it also helps my students set goals and identify the target behaviors they are demonstrating in each session.

With ClassDojo, I can organize all of my groups and archive them at the end of each school year. I love being able to look back at how individual students and groups performed, because I can use that information to better facilitate future small groups.

Another great ClassDojo feature is that each group can focus on customizable target behaviors. Since the focus is on the positive behaviors, I don't include many negatives (where students lose "Dojo points"). The only negative I use is "disrespectful to others" because I want to show that I will not tolerate hurtful words or actions in our group sessions. I've never had to use it, but the students know it's there. I think it's important to show that in order for our group to be successful, we MUST be kind to one another; our group needs to be a safe space to communicate our thoughts and feelings.

I am lucky enough to have a SMARTboard in my room, so I project the ClassDojo screen and add points through that board. It helps students to see their progress throughout the session. Then, I reset the points at the end of the group (which doesn't delete the data) so that we can start fresh the next group time. If you don't have a SMARTboard, you can use your desktop computer, a tablet, or smart phone.

ClassDojo also added some AMAZING video tools too! In their Big Ideas section, you can watch mini-series about growth mindset, perseverance, empathy, and gratitude. You can check out the first episodes on ClassDojo's YouTube channel, but if you create a free account on their main page, you can watch all of them.

0 Comments

Stress Busters

4/21/2017

0 Comments

New Small Group Activities Added!

Click here to view lesson details.

0 Comments

Mind Yeti

3/14/2017

0 Comments

I heard about Mind Yeti a little over a year ago when one of my colleagues tried it out. Her K-2 students loved it, so I thought I'd learn more. Once I began exploring the features, I was hooked!

For school counselors, this resource can be used individually, in small groups, during classroom lessons, and for the moments you need to close your door and "reboot" after a rough school moment. That's the beauty of Mind Yeti!

Mind Yeti provides both a free resource and paid premium service. Through Mind Yeti, you get guided mindfulness sessions to help kids calm down, focus their attention, and transition to new activities. As I'm sure you've heard, mindfulness in the classroom can help create a happy, calm and positive culture. When you have a tool like Mind Yeti, it's easy to integrate mindfulness strategies into your day.

Session categories include: Calm Down, Focus, Get Along, Reset, Create, and Go to Sleep.

I've used Mind Yeti in a variety of settings, but my favorite has been during a 6th Grade classroom lesson. I have a "Relaxation Experiment" for the students and I incorporated Mind Yeti sessions. The students love the calming voices, soothing music, and overall content of the sessions.

Share How You Would Use Mind Yeti!

I'd love to hear about it in the
comment section below!

0 Comments

Gathering Data for Small Groups

2/22/2015

8 Comments

This school year I started gathering more data on my small groups to assess how effective my sessions were for students. So far, so good!

I thought I'd share what I've created.

You can view all of my documents here. Enjoy!

8 Comments

Recent Additions

2/21/2015

4 Comments

Over the past few days, I've posted a bunch of new resources on the website portion of my site. Here are the recent additions:

1.

This is a classroom lesson for early elementary that discusses what it means to be excellent. I used the book Unicorn Thinks He's Pretty Great, which is hilarious! I HIGHLY recommend it! After reading the book together, students filled out cupcakes with their strengths, which went on a class poster (left).

You can find the full explanation of this lesson here.

2.

This lesson is geared toward middle to upper elementary and allows for a lot of whole group and small group discussions about anger and bullying. The angry bird theme is a great way to grab your students' attention, creating a buzz of excitement that you need for a lesson that involves so much reflection.

The full lesson can be found here.

3.

LEGOs and following directions go so well together - why didn't I see this before?!

I created a lesson for a third grade class to help them practice giving and receiving directions, while also emphasizing WHY it's important to do those things well.

The lesson, which can be found here, includes a PowerPoint (with a short video) and interactive worksheet (left).

4.

The Best Teacher Ever is a great way to discuss "gratitude," especially in a school setting.

For this classroom lesson, we read the book, then created cards and a special video message for the classroom teachers. It's a feel-good lesson that, as a bonus, boosts staff morale.

For more details, click here.

5.

This is a great opportunity to help students self-reflect. The idea of an iceberg came from a popular Challenge Day exercise where students think about what it means to live "above the water line," and stop hiding who they really are. We want to be comfortable in our own skin, because that is where we can feel true peace and happiness.

On this paper, students write what other people see (top of the iceberg) and what they hide (bottom of the iceberg). This can be an emotional activity, so be prepared for a longer session, if needed. You could also use this paper with small groups or classrooms.

For more ideas like this, click here.

6.

Need a creative way to recognize your students' positive behaviors? Then try a photo booth! You can make a customized backdrop quickly, easily, and inexpensively.

For more information about my school's photo booth project, click here.

4 Comments

Beautiful Oops

2/19/2015

0 Comments

Beautiful Oops is one of my favorite books! It's all about looking at "mistakes" in a different way - as an opportunity for creativity and a new perspective.

I've used this with students who struggle with perfectionism and anything that is unexpected. We started by reading the book, then I picked students at random to choose a "mistake" from my table (examples below). The students had to take their paper and turn it into something beautiful. Some of my students struggled, but all of them were able to complete the task. 1 student was absent, so there isn't a finished product for the crumpled paper.

We finished the session with an overall reflection on the topic.

0 Comments

Hero vs. Villain

2/16/2015

18 Comments

I loved this lesson! I used it with a 3rd grade classroom, but it could definitely work 3rd-6th.

I went through the PowerPoint (below), which involves students thinking about why we look up to heroes and what those heroes have to overcome to make the right choices. Also, the students must participate in an interactive "choose your own adventure" part of the presentation, where they must choose the correct response to a difficult school-based situation. Typically, students know the best choice, so for fun, I go through the negative responses to show that side as well.

I ended the lesson with a self-reflection paper (left).

You could also use the self-reflection paper in an individual or small group setting. When students understand their behaviors, they are more likely to control them, rather than be controlled by them.

PowerPoint
File Size:	1918 kb
File Type:	pptx

Download File

Reflection Paper (PDF)
File Size:	119 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

Reflection Paper (WORD)
File Size:	55 kb
File Type:	docx

Download File

18 Comments

Book Review: Girl Power Series

1/9/2015

39 Comments

I recently read a book series by Erainna Winnett, founder of Counseling with Heart. The books focus on issues that girls often face, such as comparing yourself to others, dealing with cyberbullying, feeling pulled between two friends, and navigating the confusing world of back-handed compliments.

What I loved about all of these books is that the solutions weren't always easy. We tend to give students blanket suggestions for how to solve their problems, but most of the time, it's not a quick fix. The girls in these stories have to try a few things before they find a good solution, and even then, that solution might not be the fairytale ending that we crave. Sometimes, we lose friends who treat us badly. Sometimes, we have to focus on what we can do rather than how to change someone else's behavior.

Erainna's books also include follow-up activities on the last few pages, which is great for the school counselor on-the-go. It's Good to be Me even has an activity built into the story - how perfect is that?!

I would definitely recommend these books for your elementary school counseling programs. I would most likely use them in a small group setting and focus on one book per week. We'd discuss the topic and overall story, then complete a follow-up activity to check for understanding. I think these are great for 3rd-4th grade students, but you may find them beneficial for 5th and 6th graders as well.

Post a comment below to be entered into a drawing for your own autographed Girl Power book set. The deadline is January 16, 2015 and the winner will be selected at random (with a computerized tool). I'd love to hear how you'd use these books in your own school counseling program and/or the types of activities you've tried in your girl groups.

Are you an author? Do you have a book that you would like me to review on my blog? If so, contact me at marissa@elementaryschoolcounseling.org. I'd be happy to check out your work and spread the word to my readers.

39 Comments

So Long, Farewell

6/30/2014

0 Comments

Transitions are difficult. I spend a lot of time throughout the school year working with my 6th graders on building their self-confidence and important life skills. You can find some of my lessons here.

After one of my lessons, I asked students to complete an exit slip (which I use often to determine what they learned and what they want to learn more about). This time, I used the information to determine which students might benefit from additional support with the transition to 7th grade. This could definitely be used with other grades, though.

We used this mood scale in an earlier lesson, so my students were familiar with what each cat meant in terms of their stress level.

I ended up with 8 students who were in the high stress category.

Once I knew how many students could use transition support, I contacted the school counselor at my students' future school to schedule a time to visit. He was AMAZING! My students got a free pizza lunch, met the principal, and spoke with current students who were stressed about moving to junior high, but now feel great. Everyone was able to ask questions and by the time we returned to our school, they felt much more prepared for moving forward. This meeting took place during the students' lunch, recess, and a small portion of class time. My principal and I walked with the students since the junior high is a short distance from our building.