Category: Lesson Plans

Guest Post~ The Size of the Problem lesson

My friend, Kylie, wrote a blog post for me about the Size of the Problem.  Aimed to help middle school boys with coping skills and understanding the cause and effect relationship of behaviors and reactions, this is a really helpful lesson for ALL students.  I hope you check out her

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Goal Setting For Success

Day 2 with the 8th graders and I wanted to expand on the values lesson from yesterday (click here for the values lesson).  We talked about the quote, “Values are like fingerprints.  Nobody’s are the same, but you leave them all over everything you do.”  But first, we talked about

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Our Hidden Beauty

My lunch bunch groups were talking about what makes us special and unique.  Here is a recent lesson that I did with them that teaches about looking beyond our first glance and looking deeper.To begin, I had students take a piece of paper and their favorite color marker.  I asked

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SMART Guidance Programs–Curriculum Review

   Smart Guidance is an interactive computer/smart board program for school counseling.  It can be used with individual students, with small groups, and with classrooms and larger groups.  There are sound effects and animations that help to engage students and topics included from study skills, self-regulation, anger management, peer pressure,

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Goal Setting for Your Future–8th grade lessons

I had the opportunity to spend 3 days in the 8th grade classrooms.  Teachers had asked if I could talk to them about perseverance and getting ready for high school and their future.  After debating for several days about what to teach, I finally decided on setting goals, academic success

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The Importance Of Setting SMART Goals

I can’t wait to go to the 5th grade classes tomorrow.  I have my tennis balls ready and a great lesson to help them learn why setting goals is so important! I’m starting the students out by having them reflect on their year and thinking about 2016.   From there

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Getting Gritty with 8th Grade

When the 8th grade team asked me on Monday if I wanted to come in and talk with the entire 8th grade I jumped at my chance to get into the classroom.  Today was a half day and I was given the entire 8th grade (71 students) for 77 minutes.Basically

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Why Be A Renegade

ren·e·gade ˈrenəˌɡād/ noun 1. a person who deserts and betrays an organization, country, or set of principles. synonyms: traitor, defector, deserter, turncoat, rebel, mutineer “he was denounced as a renegade” adjective 1. having treacherously changed allegiance. “a renegade bodyguard” synonyms: treacherous, traitorous, disloyal, treasonous, rebel, mutinous “renegade troops” If you look at the definition, most people wouldn’t want to be

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Day 2- More Activities For Talking About Bullying

Day 2 and I was back in 7th grade classes to talk with them more about bullying.  Yesterday’s lesson took the whole period and there was little time to process and discuss the presentation and activity.  I used the first part of the period today to wrap up.   I

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A Lunch Bunch Lesson On Integrity

I don’t always do separate lessons for my girls groups and my boys groups, but this one I did just for my boys.  I knew that I wanted them to have an understanding of what integrity was so as they were eating their lunches, I started to ask them what

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