Classroom Guidance Lessons
Classroom guidance is an integral part of the School Counseling program at Fire Mesa. Classroom visits focus on topics dealing with personal/social, career, and academic matters. Lessons are preventative in nature and are meant to teach our students valuable life skills to help them become well-rounded individuals. Some examples of topics are anti-bullying, self-esteem, reputation, anger management, etc.
During the school year, we will visit each elementary classroom approximately once a month to deliver lessons. For upper school, we will give lessons less frequently - but will be delivering lessons to our upper school students a few times throughout the year.
During the school year, we will visit each elementary classroom approximately once a month to deliver lessons. For upper school, we will give lessons less frequently - but will be delivering lessons to our upper school students a few times throughout the year.
Lesson #1
Kindergarten-2nd Grade
After explaining how a school counselor is a person at school who can help you when you’re feeling difficult to manage feelings, we read the book “The Way I Feel” by Janaan Cain.
Students practiced making faces for each of the feelings described in the book. This exercise helps students recognize that all feelings are ok (it is not bad to be sad, mad, etc.) and helps them recognize when others are feeling specific emotions.
Home/School Connection
To reinforce the concept of recognizing feelings with your child at home, a great and fun activity to do with them is to create a feelings heart. You can print out the PDF below or recreate it by drawing it on a blank piece of paper.
Have your child identify 6 feelings and assign them each a color. He/she can then color the heart with as much or as little of each color as they feel during that time. You can have them make a feeling heart for different situations (such as during virtual school, on the weekends, or at a place that you know is difficult for them).
This is a great way to have a discussion with them about their different feelings and you can begin to discuss how to make certain feelings smaller and other ones bigger.
Students practiced making faces for each of the feelings described in the book. This exercise helps students recognize that all feelings are ok (it is not bad to be sad, mad, etc.) and helps them recognize when others are feeling specific emotions.
Home/School Connection
To reinforce the concept of recognizing feelings with your child at home, a great and fun activity to do with them is to create a feelings heart. You can print out the PDF below or recreate it by drawing it on a blank piece of paper.
Have your child identify 6 feelings and assign them each a color. He/she can then color the heart with as much or as little of each color as they feel during that time. You can have them make a feeling heart for different situations (such as during virtual school, on the weekends, or at a place that you know is difficult for them).
This is a great way to have a discussion with them about their different feelings and you can begin to discuss how to make certain feelings smaller and other ones bigger.
3rd-4th Grade
During this lesson, we explained to the students how the role of the school counselor is the same during distance learning as it is when we are in school regularly. We told them how they can access us by filling out our virtual counseling form.
We then read the book, "The Blue Day Book for Kids" by Bradley Trevor Greive. This book has silly pictures of animals and talks about why someone may be having a "blue day" and what they can do to cheer themselves up. After the book, we talked about some tricks that work for us when we're having a blue day.
Home/School Connection
To reinforce the concept of using coping skills to cheer yourself up when you're having a bad day, you can make Coping Skills Puzzles at home with your children. Have your child create a different puzzle for each of his/her difficult feelings. Work together on thinking of different coping skills that will make them feel better for each feeling. Remember, one thing may work when you're frustrated but not work when you're sad!
A good discussion topic during this activity would be to ask your child what clues their body gives them when they feel different emotions (for example, when I'm angry my face feels hot or when I'm sad my stomach feels upset). Tell them what your warning signs are too! This will help them realize when they are starting to feel different emotions and will help them decide which coping skills to use.
We then read the book, "The Blue Day Book for Kids" by Bradley Trevor Greive. This book has silly pictures of animals and talks about why someone may be having a "blue day" and what they can do to cheer themselves up. After the book, we talked about some tricks that work for us when we're having a blue day.
Home/School Connection
To reinforce the concept of using coping skills to cheer yourself up when you're having a bad day, you can make Coping Skills Puzzles at home with your children. Have your child create a different puzzle for each of his/her difficult feelings. Work together on thinking of different coping skills that will make them feel better for each feeling. Remember, one thing may work when you're frustrated but not work when you're sad!
A good discussion topic during this activity would be to ask your child what clues their body gives them when they feel different emotions (for example, when I'm angry my face feels hot or when I'm sad my stomach feels upset). Tell them what your warning signs are too! This will help them realize when they are starting to feel different emotions and will help them decide which coping skills to use.
5th Grade
For our 5th graders, we wanted to focus a lot on how they can access us while we are in distance learning. We walked them through how to fill out the virtual counselor form and what kinds of things they might fill it out for. We also talked about self-care ideas that they can utilize during Coronavirus, since we can't easily do things now like hug a friend or do social activities that make us feel happy.
Home/School Connection
We recommend looking over the Powerpoint presentation that we used at home with your child. Talk about the self-care ideas that we discussed and have a conversation about what you like to do to make yourself feel better and what your child can do. We hope that by going over this together, you can start a conversation about how your child is feeling about all that is going on.
And, don't hesitate to reach out or encourage your child to reach out to either of us if they are struggling!
Home/School Connection
We recommend looking over the Powerpoint presentation that we used at home with your child. Talk about the self-care ideas that we discussed and have a conversation about what you like to do to make yourself feel better and what your child can do. We hope that by going over this together, you can start a conversation about how your child is feeling about all that is going on.
And, don't hesitate to reach out or encourage your child to reach out to either of us if they are struggling!
Upper School
For our upper school students, we wanted to focus a lot on how they can access us while we are in distance learning. We walked them through how to fill out the virtual counselor form and what kinds of things they might fill it out for. We also talked about what to do if they or someone they know needs help. We talked about warning signs to look out for if students are worried about a friend and ideas for who they can reach out to. In addition, we discussed pandemic appropriate self-care ideas for how to make themselves feel better on days when they're feeling down.
Home/School Connection
We recommend looking over the Powerpoint presentation that we used at home with your child. Talk about the self care ideas that we discussed and have a conversation about what you like to do to make yourself feel better and what your child can do. We hope that by going over this together, you can start a conversation about how your child is feeling about all that is going on.
And, don't hesitate to reach out or encourage your child to reach out to either of us if they are struggling!
Home/School Connection
We recommend looking over the Powerpoint presentation that we used at home with your child. Talk about the self care ideas that we discussed and have a conversation about what you like to do to make yourself feel better and what your child can do. We hope that by going over this together, you can start a conversation about how your child is feeling about all that is going on.
And, don't hesitate to reach out or encourage your child to reach out to either of us if they are struggling!
Lesson #2
Kindergarten-2nd Grade
After introducing the concept of overcoming challenges, we read the story “Train Your Dragon to do Hard Things” by Steve Herman .
This story acknowledges that there are easy roads and difficult roads for students to take, but also shares the outcome of that choice. While the easy road might be the quick version, it may lead to more problems later on. This story highlights the benefits of being brave, making the time, and putting in effort to accomplish a goal or to do what is right. Students learn that there is so much more to gain, when we persevere through challenges that come our way.
Home/School Connection
To reinforce the concept of having a growth mindset with your child at home, check out our activity links below. “The Power of Yet” activity highlights what students are capable of right now, and things they have not learned yet. Just because they can’t do it YET, doesn’t mean they won’t learn in the future. We have also included a Growth Mindset coloring activity! With this activity—have your student color true statements about a growth mindset red, and false statements blue. Have a conversation with your student about learning how to solve problems and practicing until we achieve our goal.
This story acknowledges that there are easy roads and difficult roads for students to take, but also shares the outcome of that choice. While the easy road might be the quick version, it may lead to more problems later on. This story highlights the benefits of being brave, making the time, and putting in effort to accomplish a goal or to do what is right. Students learn that there is so much more to gain, when we persevere through challenges that come our way.
Home/School Connection
To reinforce the concept of having a growth mindset with your child at home, check out our activity links below. “The Power of Yet” activity highlights what students are capable of right now, and things they have not learned yet. Just because they can’t do it YET, doesn’t mean they won’t learn in the future. We have also included a Growth Mindset coloring activity! With this activity—have your student color true statements about a growth mindset red, and false statements blue. Have a conversation with your student about learning how to solve problems and practicing until we achieve our goal.
3rd-5th Grade
After introducing the concept of having a growth mindset and finding their inner strength to get through challenges, we read the story “I Can Do Hard Things” by Gabi Garcia.
This story tapped into different ways where students could discover their inner strength and find encouragement and confidence they will need to navigate their daily environment and more importantly, challenges. The book shares several positive affirmations that students can use to develop a growth mindset and their inner/voice and strength that will support and motivate them to persevere. Mindful affirmations foster a space where growth is possible.
Home/School Connection
To be mindful is to be aware of what is happening right now. An affirmation is a short phrase or statement about yourself that is supportive, helpful, or motivating to you in some way. Mindful affirmations connect you with what you need to hear to help you keep going. To reinforce our lesson about mindful affirmations influencing our ability to accomplish hard things, help your student choose or create their own mindful affirmation!
Mindful Affirmations from the book:
This story tapped into different ways where students could discover their inner strength and find encouragement and confidence they will need to navigate their daily environment and more importantly, challenges. The book shares several positive affirmations that students can use to develop a growth mindset and their inner/voice and strength that will support and motivate them to persevere. Mindful affirmations foster a space where growth is possible.
Home/School Connection
To be mindful is to be aware of what is happening right now. An affirmation is a short phrase or statement about yourself that is supportive, helpful, or motivating to you in some way. Mindful affirmations connect you with what you need to hear to help you keep going. To reinforce our lesson about mindful affirmations influencing our ability to accomplish hard things, help your student choose or create their own mindful affirmation!
Mindful Affirmations from the book:
- I can do hard things
- I can be a friend to myself
- I can feel all my feelings
- I can ask for help
- I can try again rather than give up
- I can believe in myself
- I can speak up when it’s easier to stay quiet
- I can say no, even to my friends
- I can apologize and forgive
- I can listen to understand different points of view
- I can care for my community
- I can choose kindness
- I can practice peace
- I can be myself