Lesson Plans & Think Sheets
I've decided to start publishing all of my school guidance counselor lesson plans here. If you want to use them, all I ask is that you drop me a note telling me how you used them and if you found it effective. Criticism welcome.
I'm a counselor at a school serving Kindergarten - 8th grade. One of the policies I've adopted is to use and encourage teachers to issue "Think Sheets" as part of a natural consequence for any behavior considered mean after the second time.
The script is something like this..
1st time: Hey there Tina, I watched you call Sarah a name that was inappropriate. If I was called that name it would hurt my feelings and she probably felt bad about it. If anyone called you that name I would stop them and tell them they are not allowed to. Please don't use that kind of language. (smiles pats on the backs, send the student away).
2nd time: similar script and the student must spend some time with me (or the teacher) at lunch filling out a think sheet.
3rd time: probably office referral or whatever else the school policy states and time with me (or the teacher) doing a think sheet.
So here's the deal with think sheets, students can take as long as they want to fill them out but they must be done right. If they don't want to fill them out, they can come back the next day and the next until they want to work on it.. but remember, don't egg on the students or ride them hard. That will make them not want to work with you (duh). Be nice, respectful, but firm that the thing needs to get done, even if they are disrespectful with you.
Here's what a think sheet looks like (you can make your own sheets using this template, just include enough space for them to answer adequately):
Name ........ Grade........... HR.. Date. etc..
1. What did I do? Be specific. (use only I statements) this section can be really tricky for them if they've never done one before. It's essential that their description of the incident start with "I". Not He or She. Whatever they got caught doing is a good start, ex. "I called Sarah the B word". For the lower El (k-2) I just have a large box on the back of the page and they can draw whatever it was they did, but not draw why.. that comes later. Also in the lower el, the drawing is the only part filled out by the student, the teacher discusses and fills out the remaining q&a with the student.
2. What was wrong with what I did? (Did you hurt someone's feelings, body, property, reputation?) This section varies depending on the age as well. Simple checklist for younger, "I hurt -------'s --------."
3. What problem were you trying to solve? (Were you trying to get them to stop? Were you mad at them? Bored? Trying to get someone's attention? Trying to have fun?) Kids can become amazingly insightful and honest in this section. I am frequently surprised by the frequency with which students answer this question honestly which ultimately serves their own insight.
4. Next time I will solve the problem without hurting anyone by:
Usually a pretty easy answer goes here but sometimes real brain storming and teamwork are required to get a good answer.
So, I've adapted the think sheets into every grade level and encourage any teacher wishing to develop better relationships, see more personal growth in students and maintain better classroom managment to adapt something similar to your practices.
Peace.
I'm a counselor at a school serving Kindergarten - 8th grade. One of the policies I've adopted is to use and encourage teachers to issue "Think Sheets" as part of a natural consequence for any behavior considered mean after the second time.
The script is something like this..
1st time: Hey there Tina, I watched you call Sarah a name that was inappropriate. If I was called that name it would hurt my feelings and she probably felt bad about it. If anyone called you that name I would stop them and tell them they are not allowed to. Please don't use that kind of language. (smiles pats on the backs, send the student away).
2nd time: similar script and the student must spend some time with me (or the teacher) at lunch filling out a think sheet.
3rd time: probably office referral or whatever else the school policy states and time with me (or the teacher) doing a think sheet.
So here's the deal with think sheets, students can take as long as they want to fill them out but they must be done right. If they don't want to fill them out, they can come back the next day and the next until they want to work on it.. but remember, don't egg on the students or ride them hard. That will make them not want to work with you (duh). Be nice, respectful, but firm that the thing needs to get done, even if they are disrespectful with you.
Here's what a think sheet looks like (you can make your own sheets using this template, just include enough space for them to answer adequately):
Name ........ Grade........... HR.. Date. etc..
1. What did I do? Be specific. (use only I statements) this section can be really tricky for them if they've never done one before. It's essential that their description of the incident start with "I". Not He or She. Whatever they got caught doing is a good start, ex. "I called Sarah the B word". For the lower El (k-2) I just have a large box on the back of the page and they can draw whatever it was they did, but not draw why.. that comes later. Also in the lower el, the drawing is the only part filled out by the student, the teacher discusses and fills out the remaining q&a with the student.
2. What was wrong with what I did? (Did you hurt someone's feelings, body, property, reputation?) This section varies depending on the age as well. Simple checklist for younger, "I hurt -------'s --------."
3. What problem were you trying to solve? (Were you trying to get them to stop? Were you mad at them? Bored? Trying to get someone's attention? Trying to have fun?) Kids can become amazingly insightful and honest in this section. I am frequently surprised by the frequency with which students answer this question honestly which ultimately serves their own insight.
4. Next time I will solve the problem without hurting anyone by:
Usually a pretty easy answer goes here but sometimes real brain storming and teamwork are required to get a good answer.
So, I've adapted the think sheets into every grade level and encourage any teacher wishing to develop better relationships, see more personal growth in students and maintain better classroom managment to adapt something similar to your practices.
Peace.