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Photo image shows students in military families. These students are a part of a program in elementary school that supports students in military families. 

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The rationale for conducting a small group intervention for identified students in third grade is the need for emotional regulation and empathy development that addresses students affected by recent or past deployment of parental figures. The students identified as needing support exhibit common behaviors of children affected by deployment: sadness, loneliness, acting-out, depression, and anxiety (Garcia et al., 2014). Small groups focused on building resiliency, building connections with others that have similar experiences, emotional regulation, problem solving, communication skills, and identification of feelings have been shown to improve military children's communication skills in the classroom as well as within their family units (Garcia et. al, 2014).

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Image above illustrates a child showing empathy for another, comforting them in a time of need. 

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The overarching theme of the small group is empathy. Students have been identified with needing to strengthen their emotional regulation skills and create more positive peer relationships. The development of empathy skills, the ability to experience an emotion another person is feeling and seeing a situation from another person's point of view, begins between the ages of five to ten years of age (Albiero et al., 2022).  At the ages of our third grade students (8-9 years of age), their ability to recognize that peers have different needs and emotions is beginning to develop (Woolrych et al., 2020).  Increased empathy in children has been shown to correlate with prosocial behavior, positive interactions with peers, and decreases in aggressive behaviors in children (Albiero et al., 2022). Honing in on these skills, identifying one's emotions and then how their peers may feel differently, will have benefits in their emotional regulation skills and peer relationships (Akos, 2000). Practicing these skills has been shown to work more effectively in a small group setting with elementary aged children where they feel safe and secure (Akos, 2000).  Furthermore, empathy has been identified as one of the top ten life skills to be taught in schools (World Health Organization, 2020).

Emotional regulation falls underneath an umbrella term of self-regulation and is coupled with behavioral self-regulation (Edossa et al., 2018). Emotional regulation can be described as the ability to evaluate their emotions and then adjust their reactions to accomplish a task at hand (Edossa et al., 2018). The development of emotional regulation skills can have an effect on a child's behavioral self-regulation skills (Edossa et al., 2018). The improvement of these skills can also have a positive affect on their relationships with others and their academic achievement (Edossa et al., 2018).

For these reasons, lessons will revolve around emotions identification, emotional regulation skills, and empathy development.

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It is important to understand and know the community in which we serve.  There is much diversity within our community due to the students affiliated with the military.  Military children come from a vast majority of diverse backgrounds, cultural beliefs, religion, customs, and so forth.  Although the students are diverse, there is so much that each of them can bring to the table and learn from one another.  Jian Zhao et al. (2018) suggested that task-related diversity, rather than biodemographic diversity, was positively related to the quality and quantity of team performance.  The diversity impact will have a positive outcome when utilizing small group.  Although our students will come from a diverse background, they have a common circumstance within their family by having a member(s) in the military that they will be able to bond through.  According to Jian Zhao et al. (2018) it is important for educators to implement small group learning in classrooms so that students can be prepared for the future challenges they may encounter.

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Image above is reflective of the task below, launching our small group. 

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Students will be meeting once a week during their lunch block. The first session that the school counselor works with the small group will be focused on procedures, what to expect, why we are together, and creating norms for how the group will work together.

White Oak Elementary School already has school wide expectations in place. These are to be respectful, be responsible, be safe, and be a peaceful problem solver. When students are picked up for the first time, the school counselor will remind them that when we are together, we are still expected to follow the White Oak expectations. Once students have reviewed the expectations, the counselor will lead them to the cafeteria to purchase lunch, and then to the art room. Upon arrival, the school counselor will direct the students to find a seat at the table that has a piece of paper and markers. Students will be asked to start eating while the school counselor explains the opening activity. While eating, each student is asked to illustrate or write about friendship. They can draw a picture of a close friend, what it means to be a good friend, or how they are a good friend to others.

Alternative activity: An alternative activity has been added to be more mindful of the students' military backgrounds. An "All About Me" military family booklet can be used instead of the friendship reflection activity. In the "All About Me" booklet, the students will write about themselves and their family's military background (The Helpful Counselor, 2016).

When students finish their drawing, they will be asked to bring their work to the carpet to share. If there are early finishers, the school counselor will have books to read or small puzzles to work on.

Once the group is together, the school counselor will ask them to all sit in a circle so that everyone can see each other. Students will be asked to put their drawings (or booklets) right behind them, to make sure that they do not distract them, so the counselor can go over why they are in a special group together and group norms.

The school counselor will ask the students why they think they have been asked to be a part of this special lunch bunch group. The school counselor will start by explaining that we all have emotions inside of us that are always working, always communicating to us how we feel, and they are always telling us how others feel (Daniels, 2019). These emotions are super powers (Daniels, 2019). As a group, we are going to discover our superpowers and put them to work with our friends and with our families. The school counselor will ask that the students share some of the superpowers they know they already have by sharing their activity. Before the group shares, the school counselor will go over confidentiality, how when we are together, we may share our thoughts and feelings and that these should stay within our group. Sometimes we may share things that cannot stay in our group because the school counselor is responsible for keep you safe. If there is something shared that is a danger to you or to someone else, this would be a time that the school counselor would have to break confidentiality to keep someone safe (Corey et al., 2017). The school counselor will ask if the students have any questions and then they will share their friendship drawings.

Group expectations will be set by the students with guidance from the school counselor (Corey et al., 2017). These expectations will be formed and put on large chart paper to be reviewed and referenced to in each group session (Corey et al., 2017).

An option for goal creation with the students could be to utilize the Responsive Classroom approach of creating "hopes and dreams" during one of the first two sessions. If using this approach, the school counselor would discuss with the students how they are all together to discover their emotions superpowers, how they help us, why we need them, and what we hope and dream to do with our superpowers (Responsive Classroom, 2015). It is important that "hopes and dreams" be displayed for the students therefore, the counselor can put these on a poster to bring to each session (Responsive Classroom, 2015).

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The photo above is reflective of what our small group time will look like. Our small group will be meeting during the lunch block. 

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1. Pick students up from class

2. Go get lunch from cafeteria if they did not bring home lunch.

3. Once back in the room, we will open the session by our open activity: Feelings Hot Potato

4. Proceed to the main activity and lesson

5. End the session with our closing activity: Snowstorm.

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The photo above helps to illustrate the activities described as "ice breakers" for our group. 

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Establishing confidentiality is one way to make sure that members feel trust within a group to safely share their thoughts and personal experiences. If members feel that other group members will talk outside of the sessions, it can put limits on what they are willing to share and discuss. It is also important for the group leader to establish that self-disclosure is fully up the person sharing and that it is up to the group member to decide what aspects of their life they want to share (Corey, et. al., 2018).

The types of icebreakers that would be relevant to this age group and this topic are those that allow children to help them meet the other group members in a safe and comfortable environment while also pushing them slightly out of their comfort zone.

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The photo above displays the game that we will be using as an opener for each small group gathering, "Feelings Hot Potato". 

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Feelings Hot Potato

We will start each session by playing Feelings Hot Potato Game.  We will play some music and when the music stops, whoever has the potato or ball will have their turn in sharing a feeling word they are currently feeling.

It would be good to be repetitive and utilize the same opening activity which we have chosen Feelings Hot Potato because it helps with getting into the routine.  They will know by starting this game, our session is starting.

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Image above reflects the closing activity where we crumple up the paper and throw it. 

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Snowstorm

Students write down what they learned or took away from the session on a piece of scratch paper and wad it up. When we give a signal, they will throw their paper snowballs in the air. Then each student picks up a nearby response and reads it aloud.

It would be good to end each session with the snowstorm activity as it becomes routine.  They will know that when this activity happens, we are nearing the end of our session.

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Photo above shows a teacher with a small group of students. The teacher is engaging the students in a small group activity. 

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Lesson Plan Title: Launching the Small Group
Small Group Lesson: 3 of 8
Target Audience: Third grade students from military families
Evidence Base: Research-Informed

ASCA Student Standards Targeted:
The ASCA mindsets that will be targeted are:
"M1. Belief in development of whole self, including a healthy balance of mental, social/emotional and physical well-being.
M2. Sense of acceptance, respect, support, and inclusion for self and others in the school environment" (ASCA, 2022).

The ASCA behavior standards that will be targeted are:
"Social Skills B-SS 4. Empathy, B-SS 6. Effective collaboration and cooperation skills, and B-SS 7. Leadership and teamwork skills to work effectively in diverse groups" (ASCA, 2022).

Student Learning Objectives: The students will establish norms for working together. The students will get to know each other.

Materials: colored pencils or crayons, mini-book pre-cut and assembled to save time, books, puzzles, and chart paper

Topic/Focus: Getting to know each other and establishing norms for working as a small group.

Intro: After the school counselor has taken care of the logistics of picking up students and bringing them to the art room, they will ask the students to find a seat at a table with drawing materials and an activity. The students will begin to eat while the school counselor explains the mini-book the students will work on. (For more details about the logistics, refer to "the launch" section above.)

Communicate the lesson objective: The school counselor will show the students the mini-flip book sections where they can write and draw about themselves and their families. Inside the booklet, students will be asked to share about their family's military background.

Teach Content: Once the students are finishing up their lunch, the school counselor will ask that they come to the carpet space so they can share and discuss more about their time together. The school counselor will provide books and puzzle for the students to work on while they wait for their friends.

As the students come together on the circle, the school counselor will ask that they students place their mini-book behind them until it is time to share.

The school counselor will address norms and why they are in a special group together. They will begin by asking the students why they think they have been asked to be part of this special lunch bunch group. Students will share. The school counselor will share about how we all have emotions inside of us that that are always working, always communicating to us how we feel, and they are always telling us how others feel (Daniels, 2019). These emotions are super powers (Daniels, 2019). As a group, we are going to discover our superpowers and put them to work with our friends and with our families.

Before the group shares, the school counselor will go over confidentiality, how when we are together, we may share our thoughts and feelings and that these should stay within our group. Sometimes we may share things that cannot stay in our group because the school counselor is responsible for keep you safe. (More details about confidentiality located in "the launch" section.)

Group expectations will be set by the students with guidance from the school counselor (Corey et al., 2017). These expectations will be formed and put on large chart paper to be reviewed and referenced to in each group session (Corey et al., 2017).

Practice Content: After confidentiality and group norms have been addressed, the school counselor will have the students share their mini-flip books.

Guiding statements/questions:
1 - Tell us about yourself and your family.
2 - What would you like to share about yourself with the group?
3 - Share with us about the military experience in your family.
4 - Can you show us something about yourself that you would like for us to know? (for students reluctant to share)

Summarize/Close:
The school counselor will ask the students to share 1 thing that they learned about another member of the group or 1 connection that they made.

The school counselor will thank students for being brave, sharing about themselves and their families. They will ask if the students have any questions before bringing them back to their classrooms.

Number of students: 6
Length of lesson: 30 - 40 minutes

Follow-up Plans: The school counselor should set aside time to follow-up with students that missed the group. The school counselor will make sure that any students that missed the first lesson will get a copy of the materials so that they can also make their own mini-book.

References
American School Counselor Association. (2022). ASCA student standards: Mindsets & behaviors for student success. American School Counselor Association. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/7428a787-a452-4abb-afec-d78ec77870cd/Mindsets-Behaviors.pdf
- Summary: The ASCA mindsets and behaviors supported the school counselor in creating goals for the small group. The ASCA mindsets and behaviors also help the counselor to make connections between the goals and the activities utilized in the lessons.

Corey, M. S., Corey, G., & Corey, C. (2017). Groups: Process and Practice (10th ed.). Cengage Learning US. https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/books/9781337515719
- Summary: The text used in our class is a wealth of knowledge for how to plan, implement, and create a small group targeted for our students' needs. In this lesson, it is used to help the school counselor set expectations and address confidentiality with the students.

Daniels, N. (2019). Social skills activities for kids: 50 fun expercises for making friends, talking and listening, and understanding social rules. Rockridge Press.
- Summary: This book resources has many activities that support students with understanding their emotions. The activities also help students to build the skills necessary for having empathy for others.

Greater Good in Education. (2022). Check-in circle for community building [Photograph]. Greater Good in Education. https://ggie.berkeley.edu/practice/check-in-circle-for-community-building/
- Summary: The photo above was used to represent what it looks like for a counselor to work with a small groups of students.

The Helpful Counselor. (2016). Activities for military children: Booklet, lapbook, and craftivity. Teachers Pay Teachers. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Activities-for-Military-Children-Booklet-Lapbook-and-Craftivity-1351382
- Summary: The link above will take you to the Teachers Pay Teachers website. There is a free download of the mini-book that will be used in the first lesson to help students get to know each other better and introduce the military aspects of their families.

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The above image shows a variety of common emotions that will be used in this lesson. 

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Lesson Plan Title: "I have who has?"
Small Group Lesson: 2 of 8
Target Audience: Third grade students from military families.
Number of Students: 6
Planned Length of Lesson: 30-40 minutes
Materials:  "I have who has" emotions game cards
Topic/Focus: Reviewing and identifying previously learned names for emotions and when someone might feel that way.
ASCA Student Standards Targeted:
The ASCA mindsets that will be targeted are:
"M1. Belief in development of whole self, including a healthy balance of mental, social/emotional and physical well-being.
M2. Sense of acceptance, respect, support, and inclusion for self and others in the school environment" (ASCA, 2022).

The ASCA behavior standards that will be targeted are:
"Social Skills B-SS 4. Empathy, B-SS 6. Effective collaboration and cooperation skills, and B-SS 7. Leadership and teamwork skills to work effectively in diverse groups" (ASCA, 2022).

Intro: Warm-up game/activity - "Feelings Hot Potato"
Each session will start with a game of "Feelings Hot Potato". Music will play and upon pause, the student will share one word for how they are feeling today. This game will continue until everyone has had a chance to share.

The counselor will review with the group what they covered in the last session.

Communicate the Lesson Objective: Explain to students that today we will play a card game that will help us review the names of different emotions. Then we will spend some time talking about when someone might feel these emotions.

Teach Content: The game "I have who has" is something that has been previously taught to the third graders. It is a popular game that also helps teach math and literacy skills. The counselor will show the students the cards and that they are labeled with different emotions (happy, worried, proud, scared, etc.) Next, they will pass out the cards giving each student 2 cards.

The game begins with the student who has the card with "start." They read their card that might say, "Who has happy?" The student with happy says, "I have happy, who has worried?" The game would continue until all the cards have been used and ends with the student who has the card that says, "finish,"

Practice Content: After we have gone through the cards, the counselor will facilitate a discussion around the different emotion cards that each student has. The counselor will ask when might a person feel sad? How would we be able to tell by looking at their face or body? We would continue this process until our time nears the end.

Summarize/Close: Thank students for their willingness to share what they knew about different feelings and let them know that we will meet again next week.

Data Collection Plan: After the session the counselor will write any observations they may have noticed about any students who seemed to be having difficulty identifying emotions to make sure they have a solid foundation before moving forward.

Follow-Up Plans: The counselor will set aside time for any students who missed our second group session, or for any students who seemed to be struggling with the content covered so far.

References:
American School Counselor Association. (2022). ASCA student standards: Mindsets & behaviors for student success. American School Counselor Association. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/7428a787-a452-4abb-afec-d78ec77870cd/Mindsets-Behaviors.pdf

I Have, Who Has... Emotions/Feelings Card Game for Elementary School Counseling (teacherspayteachers.com)
This is the website for the game we will be playing for this lesson.

Knowledge Tree. (2022). Colorful emotions chart [Image]. The Knowledge Tree. https://www.theknowledgetree.com/teacher-created-resources/colorful-emotions-chart-154003

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The image above represents how emotions can sometimes feel confusing. It is hard to identify how we feel. This image supports the need for "I" statement lesson.

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Lesson Plan Title: Use of "I" statements to express emotions and feelings
Small Group Lesson: 3 of 8
Target Audience: Third grade students from military families
Evidence Base: Research-Informed
ASCA Student Standards Targeted:
The ASCA mindsets that will be targeted are:
"M1. Belief in development of whole self, including a healthy balance of mental, social/emotional and physical well-being.
M2. Sense of acceptance, respect, support, and inclusion for self and others in the school environment" (ASCA, 2022).

The ASCA behavior standards that will be targeted are:
"Social Skills B-SS 4. Empathy, B-SS 6. Effective collaboration and cooperation skills, and B-SS 7. Leadership and teamwork skills to work effectively in diverse groups" (ASCA, 2022).

Student Learning Objectives: The students will use "I" statements to express emotions and feelings.

Materials: "Hot potato", blue tooth for music, appropriate music playlist, body outlines, colored pencils or crayons, pre-made sentence strips with "I" statements.

Topic/Focus: Expression of emotions and feelings

Intro: Warm-up game/activity - "Feelings Hot Potato"
Each session will start with a game of "Feelings Hot Potato". Music will play and upon pause, the student will share one word for how they are feeling today. This game will continue until everyone has had a chance to share.

Communicate the lesson objective: Today we are going to dive a bit deeper into talking about our emotions, how we feel, and what that looks like.
What do you remember about what we learned about feelings and emotions the last time we were together? (have students share)
Today we are going to talk about how our emotions feel inside of our bodies and practice describing them.

Teach Content: Has anyone ever played charades? What are the rules of the game? (Review rules of charades.)
I am going to give each of you an emotion to act out for us to guess. (Have students take turns acting out anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, and surprise.)
What did _______ (insert emotion) look like? How did you know? Ask students to express how they know when they are angry, disgusted, afraid, happy, sad, or surprised. What do those emotions feel like in our bodies?

Practice Content: Students will all be given an outline of a body. Each emotion will be represented by a color. For example, anger will be the color red, sadness will be the color blue, fear will be the color black, etc. Students will be asked to think about a time they felt a chosen emotion. Then shade in the part of their body where they felt that emotion.
Example of guiding questions to support students during the lesson if they are having a hard time recalling what their emotions felt like: "Think about a time you were really angry, what did it feel like? Were your hands clenched? Or maybe your teeth?"

When students are finished, have them pair up and practice "I" statements:
"I felt angry when ________________."
"I felt sad when _________________."
"I felt afraid when _______________."
"I felt disgusted when ___________."
"I felt happy when ________________."
"I felt surprised when ________________."

The school counselor can have these sentence starters posted on sentence strips in the circle area. This can help support students with their "I" statements.

Summarize/Close: Gather the students back into a circle to reflect on their activities. Students will be given an opportunity to share about an emotion and their corresponding "I" statement.
When should we use "I" statements? How can they be helpful for us? How can they be helpful for others?

Number of students: 6
Length of lesson: 30 - 40 minutes

Follow-up Plans: This is a comprehensive lesson. The school counselor should set aside time to follow-up with students that missed the group by holding a separate lunch bunch session with them. The school counselor can have students practice "I" statements during this separate time with them.

References
American School Counselor Association. (2022). ASCA student standards: Mindsets & behaviors for student success. American School Counselor Association. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/7428a787-a452-4abb-afec-d78ec77870cd/Mindsets-Behaviors.pdf
- Summary: The ASCA mindsets and behaviors supported the school counselor in creating goals for the small group. The ASCA mindsets and behaviors also help the counselor to make connections between the goals and the activities utilized in the lessons.

Daniels, N. (2019). Social skills activities for kids: 50 fun expercises for making friends, talking and listening, and understanding social rules. Rockridge Press.
- Summary: This book resources has many activities that support students with understanding their emotions. The activities also help students to build the skills necessary for having empathy for others.

Gordan, A. (n.d.). I feel like this [Image]. Mind Journal. https://themindsjournal.com/i-feel-like-this/
- Summary: The image above represents how emotions can sometimes feel confusing. It is hard to identify how we feel. This image supports the need for "I" statement lesson.

Malchiodi, C.A. (2020). Trauma and expressive arts therapy: Brain, body, & imagination in the healing process. The Guilford Press.
- Summary: This is the text is a Walden resource from Childhood and Adolescent counseling. It has a wealth of resources for expressive arts techniques and activities that school counselors can utilize. The lesson above uses and activity in which students are asked to shade in emotions and the parts of their bodies where they feel those emotions.

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The above image shows a child using a deep breathing technique. 

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Lesson Plan Title: Hot Coco Breathing
Small Group Lesson: 4 of 8
Target Audience: Third grade students from military families.
Number of Students: 6
Planned Length of Lesson: 30-40 minutes
Materials: Coffee mug filled with mini marshmallows, coffee mug coloring activity
Topic/Focus: Emotional Regulation
ASCA Student Standards Targeted:
The ASCA mindsets that will be targeted are:
"M1. Belief in development of whole self, including a healthy balance of mental, social/emotional and physical well-being.
M2. Sense of acceptance, respect, support, and inclusion for self and others in the school environment" (ASCA, 2022).

The ASCA behavior standards that will be targeted are:
"Social Skills B-SS 4. Empathy, B-SS 6. Effective collaboration and cooperation skills, and B-SS 7. Leadership and teamwork skills to work effectively in diverse groups" (ASCA, 2022).
Intro: Warm-up game/activity - "Feelings Hot Potato"
Each session will start with a game of "Feelings Hot Potato". Music will play and upon pause, the student will share one word for how they are feeling today. This game will continue until everyone has had a chance to share.

The counselor will review with the group what they covered in the last session.
Communicate the Lesson Objective: Explain to students that today we will be learning a breathing technique that we can use when we are feeling anxious, sad, angry, or just need to regulate our emotions. Remind students of the Belly Breathing technique that we previously learned in their whole class SEL lessons. This will be another tool they can add to their toolbox.

Teach Content: The counselor will remind students that the word "regulate" means to control or adjust something, and that today we will use it when talking about our emotions. Sometimes we have strong emotions, and our bodies need help calming back down. Today we will practice calming our bodies by pretending that we are cooling off a cup of hot coco. Ask students if anyone is willing to share a time when they have felt anxious, sad, or angry and maybe needed some help regulating their body. If no one is willing to share, the counselor can give examples to the students. Once everyone has shared, we will move onto the breathing technique.

Practice Content:
The counselor will hold the cup filled with marshmallows in their hand and-
1. Tell students to pretend to hold a cup of hot coco in their hand and up to their nose.
2. Breathe in through your nose to smell the coco, slowly count back from 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
3. Breathe out through your mouth and imagine the marshmallows swirling around, slowly count back from 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. (Model for students what happens to the marshmallows if you blow too hard...they will go flying out of the cup! So be sure to breathe nice and slow.)
4. Repeat this process until you feel calm and content.
(L.Giske, personal communication, October 18, 2022).

Students will then be given a blank picture of a mug to design for their hot coco breathing. Counselor will encourage them to draw or write inspiring words or pictures that may help them regulate in times when they feel anxious, sad, or stressed.

Summarize/Close: Remind students that they can use hot coco breathing not only at school but at home or in other situations where they feel like their emotions need to be regulated. Remind them of our next meeting.

Data Collection Plan: Observational notes

Follow-Up Plans: The counselor will meet with any students who missed the content from this session, or with any students who may want additional regulation strategies.

References:
American School Counselor Association. (2022). ASCA student standards: Mindsets & behaviors for student success. American School Counselor Association. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/7428a787-a452-4abb-afec-d78ec77870cd/Mindsets-Behaviors.pdf

WRSD. (n.d.). Breathing buddy [Photo]. Mrs. Allison's Page. https://sites.google.com/a/wrsd.net/mrs-allison-s-page/mindfulness/strategies

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The above image represents a child detecting that their friend may be feelings sad. 

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Lesson 5: Identifying Emotions in Others 

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Lesson 5: Identifying Emotions in Others 

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Lesson Plan Title: Feelings Detectives
Small Group Lesson: 5 of 8
Target Audience: Third grade students from military families.
Number of Students: 6
Planned Length of Lesson: 30-40 minutes
Materials: Emotions clues chart
Topic/Focus: Figuring out how others feel
ASCA Student Standards Targeted:
The ASCA mindsets that will be targeted are:
"M1. Belief in development of whole self, including a healthy balance of mental, social/emotional and physical well-being.
M2. Sense of acceptance, respect, support, and inclusion for self and others in the school environment" (ASCA, 2022).

The ASCA behavior standards that will be targeted are:
"Social Skills B-SS 4. Empathy, B-SS 6. Effective collaboration and cooperation skills, and B-SS 7. Leadership and teamwork skills to work effectively in diverse groups" (ASCA, 2022).
Intro: Warm-up game/activity - "Feelings Hot Potato"
Each session will start with a game of "Feelings Hot Potato". Music will play and upon pause, the student will share one word for how they are feeling today. This game will continue until everyone has had a chance to share.

The counselor will review with the group what they covered last time they met.
Communicate the Lesson Objective: Explain to students that today we will be focusing on the clues that someone's body shows to let us know how they might be feeling.

Teach Content: We would begin the lesson by reviewing some of the basic emotions (sad, happy, frustrated, happy, etc.) and talk about how when we have an emotion there are a variety of facial expressions that go with them. When we are mad our eyebrows get furrowed, when we are surprised, our mouths might get big and opened, when we are sad our eyes might look towards the ground, etc. However, we also feel emotions in other places in our body and sometimes they can even change how our voice sounds.

Today I will describe a situation and we will be emotion detectives to find out how they person might feel.

Practice Content: Show students the emotions clues chart (the chart has different columns for the name of the emotion, "looks like," "sounds like," and "feels like" to help describe how the person feels. Explain that they can use the emotions clues chart as support to help them be a detective for the different situations we will discuss.

Review different situations with both pleasant and unpleasant emotions. Discuss student responses, including both physical feelings as well as how it might show on their face and body. Have students name the emotions and explain the cluse they used to understand their own and others' emotions.

Discuss how it is important to understand and accept feelings rather than try to "fix" them.

Summarize/Close: Reflect with students:

Why do you think it is helpful to be a "feelings detective" and recognize your emotions and the emotions of others?

Do you think it can sometimes be difficult to understand how you or others feel? Why?

Data Collection Plan: Observational notes

Follow-Up Plans: The counselor will work with any students who were absent or need additional support.

References:
American School Counselor Association. (2022). ASCA student standards: Mindsets & behaviors for student success. American School Counselor Association. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/7428a787-a452-4abb-afec-d78ec77870cd/Mindsets-Behaviors.pdf

David de Lossy, G. & David de Lossy, M. (2022). Young child comforting sad young friend [Photo]. Getty Images. https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/young-child-comforting-sad-young-friend-royalty-free-image/154687216?adppopup=true
The reference above is the picture used to illustration one friend comforting another.

Harmony. (2022). Healthy relationships start with harmony SEL. Harmony: Social & Emotional Learning. https://www.harmonysel.org/
This website is used in our school for our SEL program and provides the lesson materials I used for this activity.

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The image above is from a New York Times article about children and empathy. The image reflects being able to see from another person's point of view. 

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Lesson Plan Title: Introduction to Empathy
Small Group Lesson: 6 of 8
Target Audience: Third grade students with military families
Evidence Base: Evidence-Based
ASCA Student Standards Targeted:
The ASCA mindsets that will be targeted are:
"M1. Belief in development of whole self, including a healthy balance of mental, social/emotional and physical well-being.
M2. Sense of acceptance, respect, support, and inclusion for self and others in the school environment" (ASCA, 2022).

The ASCA behavior standards that will be targeted are:
"Social Skills B-SS 4. Empathy, B-SS 6. Effective collaboration and cooperation skills, and B-SS 7. Leadership and teamwork skills to work effectively in diverse groups" (ASCA, 2022).

Materials: "Hot Potato", "You, Me, and Empathy" book by Jayneen Sanders

Topic/Focus: Students will be introduced to the concept of "empathy". Students will practice showing empathy to others by identifying emotions in others and how to respond to others when they are experiencing those emotions.

Intro: Warm-up game/activity - "Feelings Hot Potato"
Each session will start with a game of "Feelings Hot Potato". Music will play and upon pause, the student will share one word for how they are feeling today. This game will continue until everyone has had a chance to share.

The school counselor will move to asking students to recall what they learned the last time they were together - how to identify emotions in others. What does it look like/sound like when someone is ____________ (insert emotion)?

Communicate the Lesson Objective:  Today we are going to explore what we do when we notice our friends, family, or classmates are experiencing emotions.

Teach Content: The school counselor will read aloud the book, "You, Me, and Empathy". Throughout the book, the main character encounters family and friends that are going through something difficult. Each time, the character tries to show that they know how the person feels and they try to help solve the problem. The school counselor will pause throughout the story and ask students if they can make a connection to the character that is having a problem.

Guiding questions to ask students:
- How does the character feel in this moment? How do you know?
- How does the main character try to help?
- Have you ever felt __________ (insert emotion)? What did you do? How did that make you feel?

Practice Content: Once the story is complete and the students have reflected on the book, the school counselor will help students to recognize how the main character has empathy. They express empathy by feeling what the other characters feel and trying to be helpful. The students will then be invited to role-play different scenarios throughout the book. The school counselor will go first and pretend to be the sick mom. Students will volunteer to show empathy for the mom. The school counselor will then lead the students through acting out the different situations throughout the story. Students will take turns practicing the character that shows empathy and the character that is having difficulty.

Summarize/Close: The school counselor will close the lesson by asking students guiding questions about empathy:
- What happens when we have empathy for others?
- How does it feel when someone has empathy for you?
- How do you feel when you show empathy towards someone you care about?

Number of Students: 6
Planned length of lesson: 30 - 40 minutes

Follow-Up Plans: The school counselor should set aside time to follow-up with students that missed the group by holding a separate lunch bunch session with them. The school counselor can read aloud the book and practice role-play scenarios with the student(s).

References
Akos, P. (2000). Building empathic skills in elementary school children through group work. Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 25(2), 214-223. DOI: 10.1080/01933920008411462
- Summary: The study above provides examples of how lessons and activities focused on empathy in children in grades 3 - 6 can help them develop social skills and healthy relationships with their peers.

Albiero, P., Gaspari, A., & Matricardi, G. (2022). A training to develop six- to nine-year-olds' empathy towards ethnically different people. Intercultural Education, 33(3), 335-353. https://doi.org/10.1080/14675986.2022.2070697
- Summary: In this study, children ages 6 - 9 were taught lessons that focused on developing empathy for other ethnic groups. Students were given opportunities to learn about emotions, empathy, and how to have empathy towards people in other ethnic groups than themselves.

American School Counselor Association. (2022). ASCA student standards: Mindsets & behaviors for student success. American School Counselor Association. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/7428a787-a452-4abb-afec-d78ec77870cd/Mindsets-Behaviors.pdf
- Summary: The ASCA mindsets and behaviors supported the school counselor in creating goals for the small group. The ASCA mindsets and behaviors also help the counselor to make connections between the goals and the activities utilized in the lessons.

Lam, G. (2018). How to foster empathy in children [Image]. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/10/well/live/how-to-foster-empathy-in-children.html
- Summary: The image pictured above is from a New York Times article about children and empathy. The image reflects being able to see from another person's point of view.

Sanders, J. (2017). You, me, and empathy. UpLoad Publishing.
- Summary: This is a children's book featuring a young character that explains different problems or situations they have faced recently. In each situation the main character expresses empathy for another and thinks about how they can be helpful to their friends and family.

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Image taken from the digital version of the Worry Monster lesson.

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Lesson 7: Empathy for yourself/things you can control

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Lesson 7: Empathy for yourself/things you can control

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Lesson Plan Title: Worry Warriors

Small Group Lesson: 7 of 8
Target Audience: Third grade students from military families
Evidence Base: Research-Informed
ASCA Student Standards Targeted:
The ASCA mindsets that will be targeted are:
"M1. Belief in development of whole self, including a healthy balance of mental, social/emotional and physical well-being" (ASCA, 2020).

The ASCA behavior standards that will be targeted are:
"Behavior: Self-Management Skills: 7, demonstrate effective coping skills when faced with a problem." (ASCA, 2022).

Behavior- social skills: create positive and supportive relationships with other students." (ASCA, 2022).

Student Learning Objectives:  Student will create worry personifications and describe at least three qualities of “worry monster.” And the students will share their worry monsters with the group.

Materials:

Worry monster printable

Scissors

Glue

Stapler

Markers

Crayons

Colored pencils

Topic/Focus:  Understanding what worries are and what we can do to subdue those worries by identifying them.

Intro:  Welcome students back to group!  Review group rules.  Give students opportunity to share high/low from previous week.  Allow students to go as they feel comfortable.  Will utilize the “hot potato” opening activity.

Communicating the Objective:  School counselor will state, “Sometimes when we have a lot of worries, does anyone know what a worry is?  A worry is something that bothers us or a thought/event that will not go away.  It is something we think of often.  Giving your worry a name makes it seem not so scary.”  Then we will explain that we will be talking about “worry monsters.”  We will tell them, “You might be wondering what a “worry monster” is.  A “worry monster” is a little monster that creeps around in our minds when we are feeling worried about something.  We all feel worried in different ways and about different things, so we each have unique and different worry monsters.  Today we are going to create our own “worry monsters” by coloring and picking out the legs, eyes, arms, and mouth.  We will also name our “worry monster.”  Once they are all done, we will then share with our group what the name of our “worry monster” is and what they do.

Teach Content:  Students will begin by cutting out their “worry monster” and build it through the different printable.  Each student will name their “worry monster” and write the qualities of their monster.  When the lesson is done, each student will have a chance to hold up their “worry monster” and tell us about them.  There will be an example “worry monster” to share with the students, so that they will have a visual and idea of what we are making.

Practice Content:  We will say, “Now that we have named our “worry monsters”, and you know when it comes around, you can know when to expect your “worry monster” And now you know how to tell him/her how to get out of here.”  I will then say, “When I feel Franky coming my way, I stop and tell him, “Franky I don’t want your worries right now.  I want to feel happy and calm.  Please leave!”  I will then let them know that they can do that as well.  We will practice different ways we can tell our “worry monster” to go away.  As a group we will brainstorm different things they can say and practice saying it out loud. Once they find the statement that they like best, they can write it down on the last page and say it out loud.

Summarize/Close:  We will thank students for their willingness and sharing their “worry monster” with everyone. We will say, “Remember what you have shared with our group and DO NOT feel alone in their worry. And we will see you next week at our last session!  It is important to prepare the students the end of our small group.

Data Collection Plan:
- Number of Students: 6
- Length: 30 - 40 minutes based on the time that it takes to pick up lunches and meet in the Art Room

Follow-Up Plans: When students are absent, the school counselor will find a time to touch base with the student during the week. The school counselor will explain what the student missed and give them any materials that were completed in group. The student will be given the option to work on these at home and bring them to the next session.

References:

American School Counselor Association. (2022). ASCA student standards: Mindsets & behaviors for student success. American School Counselor Association. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/7428a787-a452-4abb-afec-d78ec77870cd/Mindsets-Behaviors.pdf

I utilized American School Counselor Association in order to find the mindsets and behaviors for the worry monster lesson.

Counselor Keri. (2022). Worry Warriors. https://shop.counselorkeri.com/collections/group-counseling-curriculum/products/worry-warriors-group-counseling-program-for-worry-and-anxiety-management

I utilized Counselor Keri website for the worry monster activity.

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The image above is the actual worksheets we will be using for the lesson.

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Lesson Plan Title: Walking in someone else’s shoes

Small Group Lesson: 8 of 8
Target Audience: Third grade students from military families
Evidence Base: Research-Informed
ASCA Student Standards Targeted:
The ASCA mindsets that will be targeted are:
"M1. Belief in development of whole self, including a healthy balance of mental, social/emotional and physical well-being.

The ASCA behavior standards that will be targeted are:
"Behavior: B-SMS 7. Effective coping skills" (ASCA, 2020).
Self-Management Skills: 7, "demonstrate effective coping skills when faced with a problem." (ASCA, 2022).

Behavior- "social skills: create positive and supportive relationships with other students." (ASCA, 2022).

B-SS 2. "positive, respectful, and supportive relationships with students who are similar to and different from them"(ASCA, 2020).

B-SS 4. "Empathy" (ASCA, 2020).

Student Learning Objectives:  The objective is for students to have an understanding what empathy is, how to describe it, and how to respond correctly to others by being empathetic.

Materials:

Shoe printable

Responding with empathy sheet

Stapler

Markers

Crayons

Colored pencils

Topic/Focus:  Learning how to identify empathy and how to respond with empathy correctly.

Intro:  Welcome students back to group!  Review group rules.  Give students opportunity to share high/low from previous week by utilizing the “hot potato” activity.  Allow students to go as they feel comfortable.

Communicating the Objective:  School counselor will state, “Throughout the past eight weeks we have learned how to identify our emotions, how to express our emotions, how to regulate our emotions, how to identify emotions in others, and today we will be wrapping up our group with understanding what empathy is and how to show empathy towards others. Does everyone have a good understanding what empathy is?  Empathy is being able to understand how someone is feeling without them expressing in words what they are feeling.  For instance, if I were to make _____ face- what emotion do you think I am feeling?

Teach Content:  First, we will read the book; “A little Spot of empathy.”  A story about how a world could use a little more empathy and how easy it is to see things from another person's perspective and show kindness.

As a group we will be going over the “In someone else’s shoes” paper.  We will go through each statement/question together:

·       Showing empathy to others makes them feel:

·       A time I showed empathy to someone else was:

·       Empathy is important because:

·       Empathy means:

Once we are done answering each statement, the students will be able to color in the shoe.  we

Practice Content:  We will move onto the next sheet; “Responding with empathy.”  This printable has different scenario and as a group we will go one by one to match each situation to the correct feeling and response. Each situation we will stop and discuss how we would handle and respond to the situation.  For example: Scenario- There is a new student in your class and it’s her first day.  We would choose the feeling: nervous and we would respond by talking to her to make her feel comfortable.

Summarize/Close:

3-2-1 Group Reflection- questions to be asked:

·       How are you feeling about group ending?

·       What are three things that you have learned in group that really stuck to you?

·       What are two things you will do differently now that group is over?

·       What is one way you would like for the group to continue to support you even after we are no longer meeting together?

Wrapping up we will thank the students for being a part of the group and remind them that even though this is the ending, we are there to support them in the future. We will also remind the students that they can reach out to fellow group members after group.  And encourage them to utilize the emotional regulation and empathy skills.

Data Collection Plan:
- Number of Students: 6
- Length: 30 - 40 minutes based on the time that it takes to pick up lunches and meet in the Art Room

Follow-Up Plans: When students are absent, the school counselor will find a time to touch base with the student during the week. The school counselor will explain what the student missed and give them any materials that were completed in group. The student will be given the option to work on these at home and bring them to the next session.

References:

American School Counselor Association. (2022). ASCA student standards: Mindsets & behaviors for student success. American School Counselor Association. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/7428a787-a452-4abb-afec-d78ec77870cd/Mindsets-Behaviors.pdf

I utilized American School Counselor Association in order to find the mindsets and behaviors for the worry monster lesson.

Teachers Pay Teachers. (2022). Empathy Worksheets. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Empathy-Worksheets-Free-2234454?st=b484b927c1735edd4d496a2aeb8b8e15

I utilized Teachers Pay Teachers for the empathy worksheets for the activity.

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What is EMPATHY? Explaining Empathy to Kids - Emotions (The image above is an excerpt from the Smile and Learn Video link below.)

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Smile and Learn. (2021). What is empathy? Explaining empathy to kids - emotions [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27sho6s2eK8
- Summary: In this video, two characters explain what empathy is in a child friendly way. This video would be a good resource for the school counselor to lean on in lesson 6 when introducing empathy to the students.

Wellemental. (2020). Relaxing breathing practices for kids: Hot cocoa breath [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMHEVoif9xM
- Summary: This video is a supplemental resource for the school counselor to utilize when teaching students deep breathing techniques. The hot cocoa breathing takes place in lesson 4.

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What is EMPATHY? Explaining Empathy to Kids - Emotions

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Image above is reflective of the section below, our references. Below you can find all of the references for our assignment. 

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Akos, P. (2000). Building empathic skills in elementary school children through group work. Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 25(2), 214-223. DOI: 10.1080/01933920008411462

ALEX. (2022). ALEX Toys Ideal Hot Potato Electronic Musical Passing Game [Image]. Michaels. https://www.michaels.com/alex-toys-ideal-hot-potato-electronic-musical-passing-game/D504175S.html

Albiero, P., Gaspari, A., & Matricardi, G. (2022). A training to develop six- to nine-year-olds' empathy towards ethnically different people. Intercultural Education, 33(3), 335-353. https://doi.org/10.1080/14675986.2022.2070697

Auch, J. (2008). Tidewater glacier on the Antarctic coast [Photo]. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_glaciers_in_the_Antarctic

College of Liberal Arts at Texas A&M University. (2022). Diversity, Equity and Inclusion [Image]. Department of Communication and Journalism: College of Arts and Sciences. https://liberalarts.tamu.edu/communication/about-us/climate-inclusion/

Counselor Keri. (2022). Worry Warriors. https://shop.counselorkeri.com/collections/group-counseling-curriculum/products/worry-warriors-group-counseling-program-for-worry-and-anxiety-management

Corey, M. S., Corey, G., & Corey, C. (2017). Groups: Process and Practice (10th ed.). Cengage Learning US. https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/books/9781337515719

Daniels, N. (2019). Social skills activities for kids: 50 fun expercises for making friends, talking and listening, and understanding social rules. Rockridge Press.

David de Lossy, G. & David de Lossy, M. (2022). Young child comforting sad young friend [Photo]. Getty Images. https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/young-child-comforting-sad-young-friend-royalty-free-image/154687216?adppopup=true

Edossa, A.K., Schroeders, U., Weinert, S., & Artelt, C. (2018). The development of emotional and behavioral self-regulation and their effects on academic achievement in childhood. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 42(2), 192-202. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0165025416687412

Fewings, N. (2020). White paper on white surface [Photo]. UnSplash. https://unsplash.com/s/photos/creativity

Garcia, E., De Pedro, K.T., Astor, R.A., Lester, P., & Benbenishty, R. (2014). FOCUS school-cased skill-building groups: Training and implementation. Journal of Social Work Education, 51(1), S102-S116.  DOI: 10.1080/10437797.2015.1001292

Getty Images. (2020). Vector illustration cartoon of little girl consoling her crying friend [Image]. iStock by Getty Images. https://www.istockphoto.com/vector/vector-illustration-cartoon-of-little-girl-consoling-her-crying-friend-gm1269833446-373014616

Gordan, A. (n.d.). I feel like this [Image]. Mind Journal. https://themindsjournal.com/i-feel-like-this/

Greater Good in Education. (2022). Check-in circle for community building [Photograph]. Greater Good in Education. https://ggie.berkeley.edu/practice/check-in-circle-for-community-building/

Gustabofrazao. (2017). References loading [Image]. iStock by Getty Images. https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/references-gm846418196-140483527

Harmony. (2022). Healthy relationships start with harmony SEL. Harmony: Social & Emotional Learning. https://www.harmonysel.org/

Jian Zhao, Lijia Lin, Jiangshan Sun, Xudong Zheng, & Jia Yin. (2018). Students’ engagement in a science classroom: Does knowledge diversity matter? Journal of Educational Research, 111(6), 756–763. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220671.2018.1427036

Knowledge Tree. (2022). Colorful emotions chart [Image]. The Knowledge Tree. https://www.theknowledgetree.com/teacher-created-resources/colorful-emotions-chart-154003

Lam, G. (2018). How to foster empathy in children [Image]. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/10/well/live/how-to-foster-empathy-in-children.html

McClain, G. (n.d.). Launching elementary small groups [Image]. Military Boost. https://ministryboost.org/course/launching-elementary-small-groups/

Responsive Classroom. (2015). Our hopes and dreams for school. Responsive Classroom. https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/our-hopes-and-dreams-for-school/

Sanders, J. (2017). You, me, and empathy. UpLoad Publishing.

Smile and Learn. (2021). What is empathy? Explaining empathy to kids - emotions [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27sho6s2eK8

SolStock. (2014). Group of children having packed lunches [Photo]. iStock by Getty Images. https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/school-dinners-gm463374569-33262888

Teachers Pay Teachers. (2022). Empathy Worksheets. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Empathy-Worksheets-Free-2234454?st=b484b927c1735edd4d496a2aeb8b8e15

Texas Education Agency. (2022). Military family resources [Photo]. TEA.Texas.gov. https://tea.texas.gov/about-tea/other-services/military-family-resources

The Helpful Counselor. (2016). Activities for military children: Booklet, lapbook, and craftivity. Teachers Pay Teachers. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Activities-for-Military-Children-Booklet-Lapbook-and-Craftivity-1351382

Wellemental. (2020). Relaxing breathing practices for kids: Hot cocoa breath [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMHEVoif9xM

Woolrych, T., Eady, M.J., & Green, C.A. (2020). Authentic empathy: A cultural basis for the development of empathy in children. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 1-20. DOI: 10.1177/0022167820934222

World Health Organization. (2020). Life skills education school handbook: Prevention of noncommunicable diseases. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240005020Corey, M. S., Corey, G., & Corey, C. (2018). Groups: Process and practice (10th ed.)

WRSD. (n.d.). Breathing buddy [Photo]. Mrs. Allison's Page. https://sites.google.com/a/wrsd.net/mrs-allison-s-page/mindfulness/strategies