Origami Group

After learning about how to make Never Ending Cards, I started thinking about what kids could learn from folding paper. Turns out there is quite a bit that can be learned by making a few folds in a sheet of paper! Below are just a few of the benefits that students would gain from learning Origami.

Academic

• Shapes (Identifying basic shapes, new shapes made from folding)
• Symmetry (Much of Origami is symmetric)
• Angles (You had a right angle, but folded it in half. Now how many degrees is the angle?)
• Fractions (You just folded this paper in half three times. How many sections do you have?)
• Following Directions (Some instructions for making Origami can be very specific and detailed.) 
• Reading with a purpose (For an added challenge, only provide step-by-step instructions and no pictures)

Personal/Social

• Teaches patience and concentration through attention to detail
• Teaches perseverence- if they get frustrated with a project, keep trying
• Making mistakes is a part of the learning process
• Problem Solving skills- How can you fix your mistakes/ "happy accidents"
• Gives students a positive hobby/ skill that can be shared with others
• Gives an outlet for ADHD energy and fiddling
• Kids can share their hobby through making gifts for others (encourage Random Acts of Kindness!!)

Career

• Learning how to create a 3D object out of a flat sheet of paper = foundation of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)
• Students learn to pick up on and apply patterns from folding to other subjects and careers 

Origami Group

I have not yet run an origami group, but it's definitely on my list of groups I'd like to run! I would gear it to 3rd grade and up. Each week, we would focus on a different topic such as having patience, making mistakes, following directions, etc. I would also have them create at least one project each week. I might even throw a challenge at them to deconstruct and recreate a completed origami project. They could make origami to sell as a school fundraiser, or lead a school wide service project making origami for Sandy Hook.

Classroom Guidance Lesson

Using the book, Spread Your Wings and Fly by Mary Saunders, have students fold along with the story in the book as you read. Here is the book description from Amazon.com: An Origami Fold and Tell...the ancient Japanese art of origami provides a framework for enhancing self-esteem and achieving spiritual attunement that will stay with readers as they work through the book, as well as the various phases of their lives.

Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes: Here is the book description from amazon: Born in Hiroshima in 1943, Sadako was the star of her school's running team, until the dizzy spells started and she was forced to face the hardest race of her life-the race against time.

Empowering Kids 

I would like to leave you with one final note- a direct quote from an article on Enso Journey: The Power of Origami: How it can make you a better person: (I definitely encourage you to read this article!)

"I created something out of nothing. From a simple piece of paper, a new creature was born. For each new piece I made, I felt I had the power to change the world. I could do anything, even if I had nothing to begin with, I could do it."

Technology for School Counselors

We are living in a technology-infused world. For the counselors and educators out there who have embraced the many benefits of using technology in the schools, the possibilities are truly endless!
Below are just a few of the possible ways that school counselors can use technology to make their school counseling program more efficient and more beneficial for the entire school! 


Counselor Organization

• Google calendar- scheduling at a glance
• Google docs- surveys and forms, share documents, spreadsheets
• Individual Notes- (careful to ensure student confidentiality!)
• Keep track of parent contacts
• create charts and graphs for accountability 
• Dropbox- Instead of filing cabinets full of papers, keep resources at the click of a button!

Individual/Group counseling

• Minute Meetings using Ipad
• Check-ins using google forms
• Ipad apps for relaxation, ADHD, character education, emotions, problem solving, etc. This site has some great links: Korea International School - Elementary Counseling

Classroom Guidance

• Smartboard activities- 
• text your answer- http://www.polleverywhere.com/
• youtube videos
• http://edudemic.com/2012/08/50-education-technology-tools-every-teacher-should-know-about/
• Career exploration- O*Net, Bridges, Paws in Jobland, Career Cruiser, Career Webquest
• Powerpoint or Prezi presentations
• Wordle.net - great for lesson summaries, brainstorming, character building, compliments, and so much more! See my lesson with Wordles here
• Classroom timers

School-wide

• Survey teachers, parents, and students using Survey Monkey
• Pinterest- sharing ideas with teachers through community boards (see my post about Pinterest here!)
• Facebook- keep parents in the loop
• Generate QR codes for quick access to information with smart phones
• Edmodo- Social Networking designed for schools 

Other

• Posts related to technology on The Inspired Counselor
• Convert PDF's to Word- http://www.pdftoword.com/
• Keep up-to-date with the latest research-based interventions with sites like Intervention Central
• create newsletters, flyers, and other documents
• Doodle.com- online scheduling tool that can be used quickly and easily to find a date and time to meet with multiple people
• Professional Development- such as the ASCA webinars
• http://voicethread.com/ 
• http://www.kerpoof.com/ 
• Connect with and learn from other school counselors- https://schoolcounselor.org/scene

End of the Year Closure Lessons

This week was very bitter sweet for me, though more sweet than bitter! I have now finished my school counseling internship and will be graduating in just two weeks! This week consisted of tying up some loose ends with individual students and saying my good-byes to groups and classes. Below are some of the closing/termination activities that I did with my students, and some that I didn't do but wanted to share anyways. I hope you enjoy!

Individual

• Paper Finger Puppets- Found on the blog Seven Thirty Three, I taught some of my younger students how to make these very simple puppets. A lot of my individual work with the younger students has involved puppets. As a final individual session, we both made a paper finger puppet and used it to say goodbye. The students absolutely LOVED it! And it gave them something to take with them to remind them of our time together. 
• Writing notes- Before I left for the year, I wrote several of the students personalized notes emphasizing their growth over the school year, and included some empowering words to encourage them to continue to work towards their goals. 
• Bridge- Have the student draw a bridge in the middle of a sheet of paper. One one side is where the student used to be, and on the other is where he is now. Under the bridge- what obstacles did you have to overcome? This can also be done with two bridges, with the last one being where you would like to be, and what obstacles you might have to overcome to get there. This activity can be used at the beginning of counseling as well to give direction to the sessions. 
• Letters to the past/future you-Have the student write a letter to him/herself in the past or the future. If you could time travel to the past/future what would you tell yourself?
• Lines of Feelings. Ask the student to draw a line that represents their feelings over the past (year, month, week, etc). All of the lines will vary, but usually the jagged or rough lines in red or orange are used to signify anger or discontent, and the smooth, flowing lines in blues and greens are usually used to show calmness and contentment. After the lines are drawn, the student can expand on them by writing about what the lines represent, how it feels to draw them, or to whom or what they are directed.  

Groups

• Flower Petals- The flower represents the group growing over time. A flower starts as a bud, and you can not see the petals yet. But over time, with water and sun, the petals begin to unfold, creating a beautiful flower. Place a circle in the center of the group, and tell them that this represents the bud, before group began. There were many things that you know now that you didnt know before. Give each student a paper flower petal, and say one thing that they have learned from the group. Have the student symbolically tape the flower petal to the circle. Continue until everyone has done this. 
• String tying- From Diane Senn's book Creative Approaches to Counseling Individual Children. I used this at the end of my fourth grade girls friendship group to help remind the girls that it is okay to ask for help when they have problems, and that your friends are often a great source of help. Start by giving each girl a string that is at least one foot long. Tell them to tie a knot in a string. This is pretty simple for them to do. Some problems are easy to handle yourself. Then, instruct them to hold both ends of the string without letting go and tie a knot. Tell them that it is okay to ask for help. After letting them try for a few minutes, ask them if they would like some help. Ask one student to cross her arms, then hand her the ends of the string in each of her hands. Have her unfold her arms without letting go of the string, and a knot will be tied in the string. Allow the girls to help one another with this. Tell the girls that sometimes we have problems that we are not sure how to fix, and it is okay to ask someone else for help, and sometimes it takes a creative solution to solve their problems. Friends help us get through some of the tough problems we have, but when friends cant help, your school counselor is still there for you. 
• Choose a Picture- Print out a variety of different pictures, such as animals, scenery, symbolic pictures, people, etc that represent a variety of emotions and different points of view- both positive and negative. Lay the pictures out on the floor and ask students to choose the picture that shows how they feel, what they will take away from the experience/group. Process what the picture chosen means to each individual. This site does a great job of explaining this method of closure. 
• Group Puzzle/Mandala- Give each student a piece of the puzzle or a piece of the mandala and let each student decorate it. At the end, let each student symbolically place their puzzle piece or mandala piece back into the puzzle, saying one thing that they have enjoyed or have learned during the group. Allow students to keep the finished product in their class to remember the good times together.

Classroom

• The Giving Tree- I wanted to incorporate a finger-print tree into the lesson somehow, and my supervisor suggested I use the The Giving Tree with it. That got my wheels turning! I used the book with first grade and up, adjusting the lesson slightly to accommodate for developmental differences. Before reading the book, I asked the students to be thinking about who they can relate to more- the tree or the boy. I then read the book to the class without stopping for inserting my own interpretation of what was going on. After I read the book, I asked them again who thinks they are more like the tree or more like the boy. In most classes it was about half and half. I let a few students explain why they thought they were more like one or the other. Then I told them that sometimes I feel like both. I feel like the tree because as a counselor, I will gladly give my students anything and everything that I have to help them when they need it. But at times, I have felt like the boy, and the students were the tree. In the same way that the boy got what he needed every time he asked for it, I got what I needed to become a school counselor from the students. I told them that they have taught me so much more than I have taught them this year, and thanked them for helping me learn how to be a school counselor. At the end of the lesson, I let each student come up and put a finger print on the tree, using a washable marker. (In later classes I decided to just have them write their names on the branches in different colors). I then wrote a note to the class and gave it back to them to keep in their classroom to remember our time together, and to remember that it's okay to be like the tree AND like the boy. 
• Toss 'n Talk ball- For some classes, the students had many questions for me about why I am leaving and what I would be doing after I'm gone. After answering a few questions, I got out a inflatable ball and asked students what their favorite memory with me was this year, in 2-3 words. I used the ball as a talking tool- only the person who has the ball can talk. I gave each student a turn to catch the ball and say a favorite memory. 
• Class Rap- I did not do this one, but it was my back up. The students are finishing up a poetry unit, so to incorporate this, I was going to have the students write a haiku about what they will take away from our time together this year. After they wrote the poems, we would all sit in a circle. Depending on the age and ability, I would divide the class into 2-4 groups, and give each group a rhythm to clap to a given beat, and maybe even having a student being our "beatboxer" to be our percussion. Then one at a time, students would read their poems in rhythm with the class's beat. 
• Empowering Words- Adapted from Kellybear.com-  Close the year out with some positive and encouraging words! Have students think about some thoughts that help them feel better when they are feeling sad.This is called positive self-talk. Brainstorm thoughts that can help on the board. After the class is brainstormed out, have them choose one statement that is meaningful to them and draw a picture about it. Allow time to share. Remind kids that even though they may feel sad about things (such as a teacher/counselor intern leaving them, or something else sad), they have the power to control their thoughts and can think about these things to make them feel better. Leave with encouraging words challenging them to be their best! (These positive self-statements could make a nice end-of-year bulletin board!)
• Paper Quilt- have each student draw their favorite memory from the year on a square sheet of paper. Tape the pictures together, or put into a gallon-bag quilt format to display, like the one here. 

Career Exploration Lessons- Webquest

This month we have been focusing on careers. I wanted to do some type of self-exploration activity with the students where they learn a bit about themselves and find careers that match their interests/personality. Initially, I was hoping to find a webquest of sorts for the students to explore, but was not able to find anything age appropriate that I liked. There were a few great websites, but none that had everything I was wanting to cover. Instead, I decided to create my own mini-webquest. I have included powerpoint presentations that I have created, as well as a worksheet to go along with the websites. All of the links are listed below. I hope that other school counselors will be able to use some of these resources to help your students explore careers!

Lesson 1: Introduction to Careers- why people choose career (30-45 minutes)

PowerPoint Presentation

On day one talking about careers, we discussed the definition of a "cluster" (relating it back to the career clusters), discussed why adults work, and how they choose their jobs. The students then created a story by entering a few words about what they like or enjoy doing, using this site. Below is a sample story made by this site! There is also a printable story where students just write in the words.

 Lesson 2: Career Exploration (45-60 min.)

PowerPoint Presentation

Each student received a worksheet to guide them through this "webquest". As a review of the previous lesson about choosing careers based on interests and personality, the students started by learning their "Holland Code" by using this quick assessment from GetReadyforCollege.org. In this assessment, students simply check the box next to the things that interest them. Once they submit, they are given a score for each of the 6 Holland Codes. After students have learned what their Holland Code is, we discussed as a class what each one meant, and what kinds of careers people with those personalities would typically like. 

Next, students searched using Paws In Jobland for jobs related to their interests. They were to choose three jobs that are most interesting to them, and write down why they would be a good fit for those jobs, based on interests/personalities. 

Once a teacher verified that they had completed the search site, they could go to VA Career View to explore more careers through games and activities.  

Career Links:

Lesson 1:

• PowerPoint: https://www.dropbox.com/s/njom09fctjsp5w8/Career%20when%20i%20grow%20up%20story.pptx
• I Believe in Me online story: http://www.ibelieveinme.org/WIGU/ideaApplication.html
• I Believe in Me PDF story: http://www.ibelieveinme.org/Resource/When%20I%20Grow%20Up.pdf

Lesson 2:

• PowerPoint: https://www.dropbox.com/s/0ijgz6o7s5ya00s/Career%20Powerpoint.pptx
• Webquest Worksheet: 
• draft 1:  https://www.dropbox.com/s/5471308mdc3s59t/career%20exploration%20worksheet%20%282%29.docx 
• draft 2:  https://www.dropbox.com/s/zbt30xgxtokf35f/career%20exploration%20worksheet%20%281%29.docx 
• Holland Code Personality Assessment: http://www.getreadyforcollege.org/sPagesGR/interestAssessment.cfm
• Paws In Jobland: http://paws.bridges.com/cfnc1.htm 
• VA Career View: http://vacareerview.org/k5/play-it/career-town/main.cfm 

Individual Counseling Progress Chart

One of my goals for my second semester of my internship was to track student growth in individual sessions. To do this, I created two forms to use with the older students at school. I print out the assessment on half sheets of paper and measure the lines to exactly 10 cm.

How To Use Progress Charts:
1. Student circles current feeling
2. Student marks each line depending on how they are feeling about each area (scale between terrible and great)
3. Measure the length of the line at the point where the student marked (using a centimeter ruler).
4. On Progress Chart, write today's date on the first line at the bottom.
5.Make a dot above the line with today's date on the Progress Chart, using the appropriate color as marked at the bottom of the chart. (There should be four different colored dots for each session)
6. In future sessions, connect dots of the same color to track growth in each of the four areas.

Benefits:
The student could easily complete this so that they could see their own progress in the different areas. This also ties in some math skills during counseling! The scales can be changed to reflect the specific goals that the student is working towards. (ex. How well do you think you did with staying at your seat this week? How have your strategies worked this week?)

Since starting to use these progress charts, I have noticed another added benefit. It has become a catalyst for students who are reluctant to explain why they are having trouble. Many times students dont want to just walk in the office and tell me that they are having a problem at home. However, if they are able to show me on the scale, it opens the door for conversation right away without having to beat around the bush. I have found it helpful to simply ask "tell me about what you wrote" without giving my interpretation of how they answered the questions.

(Click on the pictures to be taken to my TPT store!)

Simon's Hook: A Story About Teases and Put-Downs Lesson Plan Ideas

With the third graders, I did a unit on Simon's Hook. There is so much that can be done with the book! Simon's hook is a story about how to deal with teasing and put-downs. When Simon has a bad hair day and someone calls him a name, he gets very upset. Grandma Rose then tells Simon a story about how to handle teases and put-downs, from a fish's perspective. When someone teases you, they are throwing you the hook. When you get upset, you are biting onto their hook. Grandma Rose helps Simon learn how to "swim free" from the teasing hooks that people toss his way.

Youtube Videos

Grandma Rose's Neighborhood Youtube Videos: As a review of the book, or even in place of the book, show these videos to the class. Part one has the intro about how teasing is "throwing a hook". Part two is the story about how the fish learned to swim around the hooks instead of biting. Part three shows some role plays about handling teasing.

Grandma Rose's Neighborhood Part 1

Grandma Rose's Neighborhood Part 2

Grandma Rose's Neighborhood Part 3

Which Strategy is it?

After discussing the strategies of how to avoid biting the hook, we played a little class game. I wrote each of the five strategies on the board. After another student reads the scenario, the class would show me with their hands which number they think the scenario is an example of. Below are the scenarios that I used.

Ignore

The whole class is about to play kickball. Sam says to the Dustin, “We’re gonna beat you guys!”. Dustin looks at Sam and shrugs, thinking to himself, “I really don’t care if they win”

Amy and Sara are playing checkers when Matt approaches them and says to Sara “Your mom is fat”. Amy and Sara continue to play checkers as if nothing had happened.

Agree

Patrick is telling a joke to his friends. “Knock knock!” (who’s there?) “Interrupting Cow!” (interrupting Co-) “MOO!!!”. Chris looks at Patrick without laughing and says- that was a dumb joke. Patrick says “yeah, it sure was!”

Distract

While playing dodgeball, George says “Ha ha you missed me!”. John responds by saying “what I really miss is my X-box. Man I would love to be at home playing that now!”

Laugh/joke

Josh just got finished telling a story to his friends about embarrassing himself this weekend with his family. When he was finished,  Jason said, “wow. Really? How dumb can you honestly be to think that would work!” Josh responds by saying “well, you’d be surprised just how dumb I can be sometimes”

Stay away (avoid)

Kelly started calling Sharon names on the playground. Sharon decided that she’s had enough of the name calling, so she decided to turn around and walk in the other direction from Kelly. 

Role Plays

Students were divided into groups of 4 and were assigned one of the 5 strategies. They came up with a short role play of a situation where a kid used that strategy. While presenting to the class, the other groups had to figure out which topic each of the groups had chosen. 

Game Time!

This is an activity that I saw on lifelessonsforlittleones.com. There is a ship at the top of the board that has a teasing remark, "You're a little shrimp!". There are a lot of fish cards in a pile that have responses to that statement. If the statement is one that "bites" the hook, it is place on top of the baited hook/strings. If it is a statement that helps the fish avoid the hook, they are place on the side with "Free Fish".

Take Away!

At the end of the unit, each of the students received one of these cards to remind them of what they can do to avoid "biting the hook".

Other Activities: 

• http://www.grandmarose.com/simon.htm : computer games and other activities related to Simon's Hook

• http://craftycounselor.blogspot.com/2011/11/simons-hook-lesson-in-respect.html Students choose one way that they can avoid getting hooked and decorate a paper fish. The fish are taped to a poster to help remind the students that they have the power to control their own reactions and avoid getting hooked by teases and put-downs.

• http://www.freekidscrafts.com/handprint_fishing_pole-e1236.html Give each kid a hand cutout, fishing pole, string, and two paper fish. Have kids write a teasing comment on the pole or hand cutout. On one of the fish, write a comment that would be considered "biting" the hook. Glue this fish to the string. On the other fish, write a comment that would represent the "free" fish. 

Random Acts of Kindness Week

Random Acts of Kindness week is Feb. 11-17. My Secret Service Group will be helping me during the RAK week, as they are the experts in the field! We have decided to start off each day with morning announcements. 

Our main Random Acts of Kindness activity will be a school-wide RAK bulletin board. My Secret Service agents suggested that we decorate the bulletin board with paper people chains, so that everyone is "holding hands" and showing kindness! Their homework this weekend was to make the chains so I can staple them on the board! 

All students at the school are invited to participate in RAK week. When students complete a RAK, they will write (or draw) on a heart cut-out about what they did. The hearts will then all be posted on a bulletin board. I am excited to see the bulletin board fill up with hearts this week! I will also be adding pictures of students helping other students.

Random Acts of Kindness week morning announcements:

Monday:

Good morning! This is ____ from Ms.____’s class. This week is National Random Acts of Kindness week. We perform Random Acts of Kindness when we go beyond what is expected of us and reach out to help another person. There are three simple steps to performing a Random Act of Kindness.

• The first step is to find out what another person needs. For example, Sally has her hands full and she needs to open the door to get to her class.
• The second step is to think about how you would feel if you had that need. You might feel frustrated if your hands were full and you could not easily open the door by yourself.  
• The final step to performing a Random Act of Kindness is to offer your help. Hold the door open and let Sally enter.

There are hundreds of ways to show someone that you care. This week, look for opportunities to show that you care by performing Random Acts of Kindness.

Tuesday:

Good morning! This is ____ from Ms.____’s class. Today is the second day of National Random Acts of Kindness week. Today’s message is about Kindness and empathy.  Kindness and empathy are very closely related: kindness is simply empathy in action. When we understand how someone feels and then do something about it, we are showing kindness. Even if you sometimes do not think that anyone notices when you are being kind, remember the words of the Ancient Storyteller, Aesop. “No act of Kindness, however small, will go unnoticed”.

Wednesday:

Good morning! This is ____ from Ms.____’s class. Today is the third day of National Random Acts of Kindness week. Today’s message is about showing appreciation to those who help you. Appreciation is when you are thankful for what someone else has done for you. Do you have a friend that you can always depend on? Has one of your teachers taken the extra time to help you learn something new? Try to find the time today to say thank you to the people who mean the most to you. Remember: a simple “thank you” can go a long way!

Thursday:

Good morning! This is ____ from Ms.____’s class. Today is the fourth day of National Random Acts of Kindness week. Today’s message is about making and keeping friends. One study found that children who performed Random Acts of Kindness felt more accepted by their classmates, and had more friends than the children who did not perform Random Acts of Kindness. When you are kind to others, more people want to be around you.  Being kind to others is one of the best ways to make and keep friends! How will you show kindness to kids in your class today?

 (adapted from: National Public Radio)

Friday:

Good morning! This is ____ from Ms.____’s class. Today is the final day of National Random Acts of Kindness week. Today’s message is about passing kindness on.  When we do kind things for people, they feel so good about what we did that they often do kind acts for others. As kindness is passed on from one person to another, an outward ripple effect is created, like a raindrop that falls into water.  In this way, one Random Act of Kindness can be passed on and on, bringing happiness to many others. Anthropologist Margaret Mead once said, “Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world. For, indeed, that’s all who ever have.” Thanks to all the students and staff for helping to make this a great week. Now let’s all work together to pass the kindness on throughout our school and into our community.
(adapted from: Randomactsofkindness.org)

Other runner-up ideas for RAK week:

• Bulletin board in the main hallway for teachers, parents, and students to write a note to someone who has made their day, or to thank someone for what they have done. Pens would be attached to the bulletin board so people could write something when passing through.
• Valentines Day theme: get the whole school involved by having all students write on a heart diecut any time they see someone performing a RAK. Put the hearts up on the board. My Secret Service group had the idea of creating a border for the bulletin board by making and decorating paper chain people holding hands. 
• Morning announcements with a positive quote to start the day
• Graffiti positive quotes on the sidewalks with sidewalk chalk  
• Mirrorless Monday - promoting self-esteem. Be kind to yourself.
• Pay it Forward (starting with a few people doing RAK's, watching it spread through the school. Haven't worked out the kinks yet. Please let me know if you have a similar idea!)
• RAK board- all students have the option of participating in. For the entire week, students will try to complete every activity on their board, and turn in their completed board to their teacher at the end of the week.

Confessions of a Former Bully Lessons

I just got the book, "Confessions of a Former Bully" by Trudy Ludwig, and I have already used it several times!

Here's the book description:

"After Katie gets caught teasing a schoolmate, she's told to meet with Mrs. Petrowski, the school counselor, so she can make right her wrong and learn to be a better friend. Bothered at first, it doesn't take long before Katie realizes that bullying has hurt not only the people around her, but her, too. Told from the unusual point of view of the bullier rather than the bullied, Confessions of a Former Bully provides kids with real life tools they can use to identify and stop relational aggression."

So far, the 3rd and 4th grade girls that I have used this with really seemed to grasp the concepts. This opened the door to talk about the motives behind one girl's bullying behaviors, helped another girl understand ways that she could help when she is a bystander, helped a girl begin to see what the good and bad qualities of a friend are, and gave some useful strategies for another girl who is often the target of teasing. While this book could easily be read from cover to cover, I have been using it more as a reference book depending on the specific situation. I could see this book being the topic of a girls small group, discussing a few pages at a time.

Once concept in the book talks about using "empower" tools as a way of dealing with bullying/teasing. I created these cards as a takeaway for kids, using the same wording from the book and clipart of the tools that correspond with the book.

Empathy and Perspectives Lesson

I did a lesson with 4th graders on empathy and seeing a situation from another person's perspective. We discussed how two people in the same situation can see things completely different. 

To emphasize this point, I had two volunteers stand up and face each other, a few feet apart. I put a picture of a "6" in between them, and asked them to name the picture. One said it was a 6, the other said it was a 9. Then I asked the class: Who is right? How can both be right? 

The same thing applies in conflicts. Even if you know for sure that you are right, take a moment to consider why the other person also thinks that they are right. Is there another perspective?

Other ways to use concept is to use optical illusions such as this one:

Secret Service Group

I'm very fortunate to have a site supervisor for my internship who encourages me to try new things and to make mistakes. I've done a little of both with this group! When I told her about the idea of having a Secret Service group, she was very supportive of the idea. I got the inspiration for the Secret Service group from Dianne Senn’s book, Small Group Counseling, Grades 2-5. After reading about her Secret Service club, my wheels started to turn!

Before the group started, I met with each student. I gave them a manila envelope with “TOPSECRET” printed on it. Inside the envelope, was the official secret service invitation and parent consent to be in the group. I told each student to return the envelope with parent signatures to asecret location outside of my office. I also explained to them that the US Secret Service’s job is to serve and help the country through protecting its’ leaders. This group will serve and help the school by doing random acts of kindness (Intro by Dianne Senn).

Another great introduction to Random Acts of Kindness is a Youtube video by Life Vest Inside- Kindness Boomerang. In this video, one act of kindness causes another person to want to do something kind for another, and so on. This is a great "real life" example of paying it forward, and sparks a conversation about how easy it can be to be kind. Click on the picture to play the video.

Each week, I assign a secret mission to the Secret Service Agents. This could be anything from giving compliments to a classmate, or writing anonymous thank you notes to teachers around the school. I usually print the assignments out on a half-sheet of paper so that it fits into their envelop. Some of the missions may be written in code so that the students have to decipher it first! The students keep track of their service assignments in a journal. After each completed assignment, the students record the responses of the recipient of the deed, or their own responses (feelings, thoughts, other ideas). We use the journal as a springboard for group discussions.

I have also challenged my group of 6 students to do a combined total of 100 Random Acts of Kindness throughout the duration of our group meetings. We brainstormed different things that each person could do to earn extra stars (see list below). My goal in doing this is to encourage them to constantly be on the lookout for kind things to do for other people, rather than simply focusing on one task each week. A quote/motto that we often refer to in group is, "No act of kindness, no matter how small, will go unnoticed" -Aesop. They are not doing the services to get recognition for themselves, but rather for the satisfaction of knowing that they are making a difference in someone's life.

I created a group notebook (below) that is hidden in an “undisclosed location”. This notebook serves as a source of information and a means of communication for group members. If the students have questions during the week, they can refer to the notebook. (This also helps me with the group since I am an intern and am not at school all week to answer their questions). Included in the notebook are some of the most common questions- the date and time of the next meeting, the agenda for the next meeting, our list of ideas for secret service projects, extra copies of handouts, and a chart to keep track of the 100 assignments as they are completed. 

This group has been great for building students' friendship, leadership, and social skills, in addition to promoting students' positive self-esteem. So far, the kids are very enthusiastic about being members of the Secret Service at school. I have already noticed some changes in how the students are treating one another during group time. They were beyond excited to learn that they are the school's ONLY Secret Service, and that the only adults who know about the Secret Service besides me are their classroom teachers and their parents. I am excited to see how the rest of our group meetings turn out!

Extra Stars Ideas:
Pick up trash in your classroom
Be a peer helper to a life skills class 
Read to younger students 
Offer to help someone in your class with an assignment they are struggling with
Say thank you to cafeteria staff 
Smile to someone who may be having a hard day
Say “good morning” to someone you don’t normally speak to
Offer to get extra materials for someone (pencil, paper, textbook, fork, napkins, etc)
Stand up to a bully- don’t just be a bystander
Do an extra chore at home without being asked
Invite someone to play with you at recess who is not playing with anyone
Send a letter to an adult friend (with parent’s help)
Write a thank you note to a parent
Host a collection drive for an important cause
Put up positive posters around school (get adult approval first)
Give compliments to classmates, teachers, or students you do not know
Leave anonymous positive notes in a classmate’s or teacher’s desk
Put out birdseed after it snows
Hold the door open for the next person
Draw a picture for someone
Sit by someone different at lunch
Take time to get to know someone new
Puppet show to teach younger kids about friendship
Offer to help a specials teacher during your lunch time

You can now purchase the ENTIRE packet of documents for this group at my Teachers Pay Teachers store! Check it out: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Secret-Service-Group-Promoting-Random-Acts-of-Kindness-1252038

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Secret-Service-Group-Promoting-Random-Acts-of-Kindness-1252038

Bullying Wordles

After four weeks of lessons about bullying, we headed to the computer lab to create some "Wordles" to sum everything up. 

We began by briefly going over some of the important terms that we have learned and other things that we have talked about during lessons. For example, we talked about what bullying is: MOO- Mean, On purpose, and Ongoing. We talked about how to handle bullying: HA HA SO- Help, Assert yourself, Humor, Avoid, Self-talk, Own it. We talked about the role of the bystander using the book "say something".  Students were encouraged to come up with 20 unique words from the things that we had talked about over the last several weeks. 

Below is the bulletin board they were displayed on! 

Make your own Wordle here: www.wordle.com