Program Delivery
In order to address our program goals and related competencies, we have designed three classroom lessons, one small group intervention, and a year-long “Closing the Gap” program. Together, these programs lend themselves to long-term cultural and behavioral shifts at Budlong that will improve the equity and access in education at the school for students at all grade levels and support the transition of “today’s learners into tomorrow’s leaders”.
Each of our lesson plans relates to one of the three ASCA domains: academic, personal/social or career. The “My Academic Skills Balloons” lesson plan was specifically created for the fourth, fifth and sixth grade students to address an array of academic competencies. The main objectives of this lesson plan are to familiarize students with a working definition of what academic skills are as well as cultivate an understanding of the numerous examples that constitute an academic skill. Examples of academic skills include: review all work, use a planner, work well with others, prioritize assignments and complete work on-time. Additionally through this lesson plan, students can develop knowledge of the connection between implementing sound academic skills and being successful in their post-secondary pursuits.
A sample lesson plan called, “My Career Sundae” was specifically created for the second, third, and fourth graders at the school to address an array of career competencies. The main objectives of this lesson plan are for students to develop a basic awareness of various careers that fall within the 16 Career Clusters, have a basic understanding of the educational level an individual must obtain to pursue each of the presented careers and choose a few careers that might be of personal interest.
Although the idea of college, graduate school and a career feel very distant from these elementary school student’s current lives, it is essential to create the foundation and structure of their futures now. This will help facilitate transition to the various milestones and challenges that they will be faced with moving forward by actively engaging their minds in all the possibilities that lay before them. Setting preliminary goals now, will help these students successfully achieve later.
The deliverables that follow are directly tied to our needs assessment of the school. Here are the key data points that support these action items:
Our personal/social lesson, the “Relationship Recipe”, is an activity that will teach first and second grade students to identify and utilize positive interpersonal skills to create and maintain healthy relationships with peers and adults. Using the recipe cultivation process, students will decide on “ingredients” that are necessary for healthy friendships.
With this data in mind, we also created a four-session, psychoeducational small group for select first and second graders who have demonstrated difficulty maintaining friendships. The goals of this small group are to promote specific friendship and social skills that lead to improved friendships, and to provide group time for students to practice those skills. Friendship skills covered in group include talking and listening skills, caring for the feelings of others, and identifying fair solutions to conflicts. Ideally, the skills that students learn in the group environment will transfer into healthy decision-making and interpersonal development in the other areas of their lives.
Similarly, the “Closing the Gap” intervention “Budlong Buddies” was designed to help students develop interpersonal skills, identify school resources that support their development, and build “tomorrow’s leaders”, as referenced in the school’s motto. The program will give seventh and eighth grader student leaders or “Buddies” the opportunity to lead lessons and activities with first and second classrooms at least once a month throughout the academic year. The activities and/or lessons for each month are theme-based, in order to provide focus and consistency to the program. First and second graders will be able to look to the student leaders as friends, mentors and support resources within the school environment. Additionally, the counseling team will be able to free up resources to focus on a wider array of student needs and school goals, since the “Buddies” will be able to cover the majority of systemic interventions with the younger grades. The program “Buddies” will work directly with the school’s counseling team to ensure proper training and evaluation metrics for each month’s programming.
In line with the ASCA National Model, we have included the "School Counseling Curriculum" "Small Group" and "Closing the Gap" action plans. These documents provide detailed overviews of the resources, ASCA competencies/indicators, and projected data for our various lesson plans and interventions.
In order to address our program goals and related competencies, we have designed three classroom lessons, one small group intervention, and a year-long “Closing the Gap” program. Together, these programs lend themselves to long-term cultural and behavioral shifts at Budlong that will improve the equity and access in education at the school for students at all grade levels and support the transition of “today’s learners into tomorrow’s leaders”.
Each of our lesson plans relates to one of the three ASCA domains: academic, personal/social or career. The “My Academic Skills Balloons” lesson plan was specifically created for the fourth, fifth and sixth grade students to address an array of academic competencies. The main objectives of this lesson plan are to familiarize students with a working definition of what academic skills are as well as cultivate an understanding of the numerous examples that constitute an academic skill. Examples of academic skills include: review all work, use a planner, work well with others, prioritize assignments and complete work on-time. Additionally through this lesson plan, students can develop knowledge of the connection between implementing sound academic skills and being successful in their post-secondary pursuits.
A sample lesson plan called, “My Career Sundae” was specifically created for the second, third, and fourth graders at the school to address an array of career competencies. The main objectives of this lesson plan are for students to develop a basic awareness of various careers that fall within the 16 Career Clusters, have a basic understanding of the educational level an individual must obtain to pursue each of the presented careers and choose a few careers that might be of personal interest.
Although the idea of college, graduate school and a career feel very distant from these elementary school student’s current lives, it is essential to create the foundation and structure of their futures now. This will help facilitate transition to the various milestones and challenges that they will be faced with moving forward by actively engaging their minds in all the possibilities that lay before them. Setting preliminary goals now, will help these students successfully achieve later.
The deliverables that follow are directly tied to our needs assessment of the school. Here are the key data points that support these action items:
- 55% of first and second graders reported having experienced bullying as either a victim or witness
- 55% of first and second graders asserted that having more friends would make them feel happier at school
- 63% of first and second graders reported a desire to learn more about how to make friends.
Our personal/social lesson, the “Relationship Recipe”, is an activity that will teach first and second grade students to identify and utilize positive interpersonal skills to create and maintain healthy relationships with peers and adults. Using the recipe cultivation process, students will decide on “ingredients” that are necessary for healthy friendships.
With this data in mind, we also created a four-session, psychoeducational small group for select first and second graders who have demonstrated difficulty maintaining friendships. The goals of this small group are to promote specific friendship and social skills that lead to improved friendships, and to provide group time for students to practice those skills. Friendship skills covered in group include talking and listening skills, caring for the feelings of others, and identifying fair solutions to conflicts. Ideally, the skills that students learn in the group environment will transfer into healthy decision-making and interpersonal development in the other areas of their lives.
Similarly, the “Closing the Gap” intervention “Budlong Buddies” was designed to help students develop interpersonal skills, identify school resources that support their development, and build “tomorrow’s leaders”, as referenced in the school’s motto. The program will give seventh and eighth grader student leaders or “Buddies” the opportunity to lead lessons and activities with first and second classrooms at least once a month throughout the academic year. The activities and/or lessons for each month are theme-based, in order to provide focus and consistency to the program. First and second graders will be able to look to the student leaders as friends, mentors and support resources within the school environment. Additionally, the counseling team will be able to free up resources to focus on a wider array of student needs and school goals, since the “Buddies” will be able to cover the majority of systemic interventions with the younger grades. The program “Buddies” will work directly with the school’s counseling team to ensure proper training and evaluation metrics for each month’s programming.
In line with the ASCA National Model, we have included the "School Counseling Curriculum" "Small Group" and "Closing the Gap" action plans. These documents provide detailed overviews of the resources, ASCA competencies/indicators, and projected data for our various lesson plans and interventions.