Classroom Counseling Lessons

In this unit, students learn the importance of being their best selves. They will learn to recognize their own emotions and those of others; link emotions and thoughts; connect emotions, thoughts, and actions; regulate their emotions; and have a growth mindset. Students learn the importance of understanding themselves in order to understand others and interact with one another in more helpful ways.

Students learn the importance of valuing others and gain strategies to create inclusive and welcoming environments, including appreciating one’s own and others’ contributions, taking others’ perspectives, practicing empathy, building relationships skills, and standing up for one’s self and others.

Students learn a range of social and communication skills including ways to support effective communication and ways to avoid communication mishaps. They learn about verbal and nonverbal communication and how to adapt to different settings including when participating in teamwork.

Students learn that encountering problems, including conflict with others, is a normal part of the human experience. As they learn to resolve problems and conflicts in an intentional way, students deepen their understanding of themselves and others. Through a four-step problem-solving process, students learn the importance of getting input from others when resolving conflict and working together to build healthy relationships.

• S – Stop, Think and Cool Off: Take a break and regulate your emotions before you try to resolve the conflict.
• T – Talk it Out: Engage in respectful dialogue and put both sides of the story on the table.
• E – Evaluate the Possible Solutions: Come up with solutions that are fair to everyone involved.
• P – Pick a Realistic Solution and Try It: Pick the solution that is best for everyone. Do it!

In our Bullying Prevention Unit, Key students learn that bullying is RUDe (Repeated, Unfair [imbalance of power or strength AND it leaves the target feeling scared or unsafe], Deliberate).

They learn how to Recognize, Refuse, and Report bullying (the 3R’s).

Recognize – The definition of bullying used in Second Step® is “bullying is when someone keeps being mean to someone else on purpose. The person it’s happening to hasn’t been able to make it stop. It is unfair and one-sided.”

We spend a lot of time focusing on “keeps,” “on purpose,” “unfair,” and “one-sided.”  We also emphasize that it isn’t ok to be mean, but not everything that is mean is bullying.

Report – When you report bullying you are telling a trusted adult that you have been bullied.  We spend time identifying who the trusted adults are at school. When you report, you use a strong, respectful (assertive) voice.

Refuse – When you refuse bullying, you are assertive, stand up straight, face the person you’re refusing, and tell them to stop.  “Stop it. I don’t like when you _____”.  Students who feel too unsafe are encouraged to refuse by staying away from the person they think is bullying them and play with other students.

Bystanders – When you see or know bullying is happening to someone else, you are a bystander to bullying. How can you help?  Be supportive. Report or help report the bullying. Stand up for someone being bullied. Be respectful and kind. Include everyone.

Upstanders – We use this term for people who “stand up” for someone who is being bullied.

The Child Protection Unit includes one grade level specific lesson in kindergarten through 5th grade classrooms. Escuela Key students learn ways to help them decide if something is safe or not: specifically, about safe, unsafe, and unwanted touches, and rules about touching private body parts (we define this to students as the area covered by swimsuits). They also learn to say no to unsafe or unwanted touches, and to tell an trusted adult if someone breaks rules about touching private body parts. Students also practice asking an adult for help, telling an adult about an unsafe situation, and being assertive to get out of unsafe situations.

Elementary school is about career and post-secondary exploration. All students in grades K-5 will explore the world of work through various activities. In addition, students in grades 3-5 use the app SchooLinks.

Students learn about various ways to maintain mental wellness, such as getting plenty of sleep, eating a well-balanced diet, getting exercise, going outside, socializing with friends, and practicing self-care and mindfulness. Students in older grades also learn about how to recognize when they (or a friend) needs support or help with their mental health and wellness.

Arlington County Public School’s mission is to ensure all students learn and thrive in a safe, healthy, and supportive learning environment. To assist your child in making the most positive life choices as they transition to middle school, our 3rd-5th graders will receive a lesson on avoiding risky behavior (such as becoming involved with vaping, in particular, and other drugs in general.) A trained Substance Abuse Counselor will be offering one 45-minute prevention-based lessons, which align with the Health and PE Standards of Learning (SOLs). The lesson topics include essential health concepts, healthy decisions, and advocacy and health promotion.