Jennifer DuPriest
Counselor in the Classroom
School Counselors support students in a variety of ways through both direct and indirect services. One of the direct services school counselors provide are classroom social emotional learning (SEL) lessons. Topics for lesson units are chosen through collaboration with teachers to meet the needs of the students, tie in to school and district goals, as well as to build upon units from previous grade levels.
Starting in the 2021-22 school year, the school counselors at Mabel Rush will be able to be in all the classrooms approximately once a week all year long.
To learn more about some of what is covered in counselor lessons, please read below for descriptions of topics for each level. You can jump to a specific grade level using the menu on the right.
All Levels
Kelso's Choices
All levels work with "Kelso's Choices" or "Kelso's Wheel" on some level with their classes. Kelso gives us ideas of choices we can use to help us solve small problems:
Wait and cool off
Go to another game
Talk it out
Share and take turns
Ignore it
Walk away
Tell them to stop
Apologize
Make a deal
As students get older, they are encouraged to try two of Kelso's choices before coming to an adult for help when they are faced with a small problem.
Zones of Regulation
The "Zones of Regulation" curriculum provides students with tools to identify and categorize emotions, an essential step in self regulation.
Things you might hear from your student about our lessons:
Blue Zone: When we are in the "blue zone," we have low energy. We might feel sad, sick, or tired. It is expected that we will be in the blue zone when we are sick or had something sad happen to us. It's okay to be in the blue zone, but we don't want to live here all the time. We want to find a way to raise our energy.
Green Zone: When we are in the "green zone," we have a medium amount of energy. We might feel happy, ready to learn, or calm. It is expected that we will be in the green zone when it is time to learn in the classroom. The green zone is where we want to spend most of our time. We are good to go!
Yellow Zone: When we are in the "yellow zone," we have a high amount of energy. We might feel silly, excited, or upset. It is expected that we will be in the yellow zone when we are at recess, something exciting has happened, or something annoying happens. It is okay to be in the yellow zone, but we don't want to live here all the time. We want to find a way to lower our energy.
Red Zone: When we are in the "red zone," we have a very high amount of energy and we are out of control. We might feel infuriated, ecstatic, or furious. It is never expected that we will be in the red zone long. We need to find a way to calm down.
Expected/Unexpected Behaviors: Expectations change based on where we are and who we are with, not based on how we feel. We have thoughts about other people, just like they have thoughts about us. When we do expected things, people tend to have good or comfortable thoughts about us. When we do things that are unexpected, people might have uncomfortable thoughts about us. People are more likely to want to be around others who do expected behaviors.
Kinder
In kindergarten we learn about what it means to be a good friend and how to solve different problems like what to do when we don't get our way or have a problem with a friend. We practice using Kelso's Choices and talking problems out ourselves in a calm way.
Things you might hear from your student about our lessons:
Strong feelings: Feelings that can overwhelm us and make it difficult to control our words and actions (angry, sad, frustrated, etc.)
Feelings that cause us to "explode" or "erupt": Sometimes when we don't calm down our bodies when we have a strong feeling, the stress from that strong feeling can build up and something that is usually easy to handle can cause us to "erupt" or do something that isn't safe or kind.
"Ice Cube Melt": A relaxation strategy where students tense all of their muscles and then slowly relax them starting at their head and making their way to their toes.
1st
In 1st grade we talk about how our brain learns and how to have a growth mindset. We build on our knowledge of self-regulation to learn about how to be good communicators, problem solvers, and friends using lessons from the "Sanford Harmony" curriculum.
Things you might hear from your student about our lessons:
Conversation "makers": One of the main ways we communicate is through conversations! We "make" a conversation - or keep it going - by asking questions or making comments that match the topic, showing interest, and listening. This is one way we learn about our friends and show we care about them.
Conversation "breakers": We "break" a conversation when we say or do something that interrupts the flow of a conversation. We might make a comment or ask a question that doesn't match the topic, not take turns talking, or not pay attention when someone else is talking. People can feel uncomfortable or confused when we "break" a conversation.
Problem Solving Steps: We break problem solving down into 4 steps:
STOP: Calm down
IDENTIFY: Figure out what the problem is. Try saying it out loud using "I want___. You want___." ("I want to ride bikes. You want to stay inside.")
THINK: Think of different solutions you could try. Are they fair? How will others feel?
TRY: Try out a solution! If it doesn't work, try something new.
2nd
In 2nd grade we use the "Second Steps" curriculum and learn and practice skills that help us be good friends and solve problems. We focus on how to use Kelso's Choices in the best way to solve problems and be PAX leaders.
Things you might hear from your student about our lessons:
Empathy: Empathy is understanding and caring about how someone else feels.
Compliment: Telling someone something that you like about them or that they did well. "Your new shoes are really colorful!" "I like the picture you drew."
Put down: Telling someone something mean and unhelpful that might cause someone to feel sad. "Your new shoes are really ugly." "Is that supposed to be an elephant? It looks like an ugly horse." Laughing at someone when they get hurt.
Criticism: Telling someone something they did wrong in a respectful way so that they can fix it. "I don't like when you take my crayons without asking. Please stop." "You need to fix problem number three. You didn't finish showing your work."
When is it "my business?": One part of being a good problem solver is learning to recognize when us trying to problem solve is actually helpful! Sometimes if we try to help when something isn't "our business," we can make a problem bigger. We learn how to recognize when we should help, when we should let someone else solve it, and when we need to get an adult for help.
3rd
In 3rd grade we use the "Steps to Respect" curriculum and learn and practice skills that help us be good friends such as how to be a good listener, how to join a group, and identifying and responding to bullying.
Things you might hear from your student about our lessons:
Parts of a good conversation: 1) Decide the topic, 2) Ask friendly, respectful questions about the topic, 3) Show good listening, 4) Say something to show you are listening, and 5) End the conversation politely.
How to join a group: 1) Stand nearby, look, and listen, 2) Say something positive or ask questions, 3) Ask to play or join, 4) If they say no, say something helpful or find a way to help, 5) Ask again to play or join
Definition of bullying: "Bullying is unfair, one-sided, and involves an imbalance in power. It happens when someone keeps hurting, frightening, threatening, or leaving someone out on purpose."
The 3 "R's" of bully prevention: Recognize, Report, and Refuse. Students learn to use the definition of bullying to help figure out if a situation is bullying and are encouraged to tell adults whenever they see bullying happen. Although bullying is a big problem that we expect students need an adult's help with, we also teach ways to refuse bullying if they feel safe:
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Act assertively (stand tall and look confident)
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Say what you mean in a strong, respectful voice
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Leave and go tell an adult about the bully.
4th
In 4th grade we use the "Steps to Respect" and "Sanford Harmony" curriculum and build on our knowledge of self regulation to practice good communication and problem solving skills, including what to do if there is a bully.
Things you might hear from your student about our lessons:
"Caterpillar thoughts": Thinking "like a caterpillar" helps us recognize that things can change, just like a caterpillar will one day become a butterfly. Something might be hard now, but we can learn and practice to get better. I might feel sad now, but I won't feel like this forever. This is part of having a growth mindset.
"Worm thoughts": When we think "like a worm," we are stuck thinking nothing can change. I feel like this gives worms a bad name, but for the sake of the metaphor we talk about how worms just stay on the ground and don't change but will instead dig deeper into the ground, like the way we might dig our heels in and not be willing to see things from a different angle.
Definition of Bullying: "Bullying is unfair, one-sided, and involves an inbalance of power. It happens when someone keeps hurting, frightening, threatening, or leaving someone out on purpose."
Problem Solving Steps: We break down problem solving into 5 steps, building on the 4 steps we learn in the first grade curriculim:
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Check your feelings and calm down if needed
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Idenitify the problem
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Think of solutions that are:
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Safe
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Fair
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Others will feel comfortable with
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Will work
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- Try a solution and if it doesn't work go back to step 1
5th
In 5th grade we use the "Steps to Respect" curriculum and learn and practice skills for problem solving including identifying and responding to bullying.
Things you might hear from your student about our lessons:
Problem Solving Steps: We break down problem solving into 5 steps, building on the 4 steps we learn in the first grade curriculim:
-
Check your feelings and calm down if needed
-
Idenitify the problem
-
Think of solutions that are:
-
Safe
-
Fair
-
Others will feel comfortable with
-
Will work
-
- Try a solution and if it doesn't work go back to step 1
Definition of bullying: "Bullying is unfair, one-sided, and involves an imbalance in power. It happens when someone keeps hurting, frightening, threatening, or leaving someone out on purpose."
Definition of assertiveness: "Saying what you mean in a strong and respectful way."
Standing up to a bully: 1) Decide if it is safe, 2) Get calm, 3) Be assertive, 4) Tell them to stop (ex. "Stop calling me names. I don't like it."), 5) Name it (ex. "That's bullying."), 6) Walk away and tell an adult.