Active listening, assertive expression, and boundary-setting strategies for interpersonal success. Develops proficiency in conflict mediation, cooperative teamwork, and the cultivation of healthy romantic and platonic connections.
A 10-minute lesson focused on the connection between empathy and charity, teaching students how to identify needs and act with generosity. Includes a slide deck, worksheet, and anchor chart.
Equips middle schoolers (6th-8th) with strategies to handle complex social dynamics and personal setbacks using realistic role-play scenarios.
Helps 3rd to 5th graders develop grit and perspective when facing academic and social challenges through collaborative role-play.
Introduces 1st and 2nd graders to the concept of 'bouncing back' from small mistakes and managing big feelings using role-play scenarios.
A 20-minute lesson focused on emotional regulation through the metaphor of 'internal weather,' helping students identify feelings and practice self-care strategies.
A 20-minute lesson focused on humility and valuing the unique strengths of others, using the metaphor of a mosaic to show that every individual is a vital piece of a larger whole.
A suite of professional school counseling forms for managing student referrals, tracking progress, and providing feedback to teachers and families.
A social-emotional learning lesson focused on navigating difficult social moments like overhearing gossip, managing physical impulses, and adapting to routine changes through roleplay and scripts.
A lesson focused on collaborative behaviors and classroom community through a hands-on sentence building activity.
A review of all skills learned in the unit. Students earn their "Forest Scout" status by demonstrating each of the five core skills through a series of fun forest-themed challenges.
Focuses on making and keeping friends through kind words and actions with Felix the Fox. Students learn how to join a group and say kind things to their peers.
Teaches the concepts of sharing and taking turns using Sammy and Sassy the Squirrels. Students practice using "I want" statements and waiting for a timer or natural break.
Focuses on personal space and keeping hands to self using the metaphor of a hedgehog's space bubble. Students practice asking for permission before touching others or their belongings.
Teaches self-regulation strategies, specifically deep breathing, through the character of Barnaby the Bear. Students learn how to identify "big feelings" and use the "Calm Down Cave" technique.
Focuses on whole-body listening and following multi-step directions using the character of Willow the Wise Owl. Students practice identifying what a good listener looks like and sounds like.
A lesson focused on recognizing and valuing the diverse backgrounds and experiences of classmates to build a more respectful community.
A skill-building lesson on how to ask open-ended questions and listen actively to learn about others in the community.
An exploration of the traits people can see and the qualities that are hidden underneath, fostering deeper understanding of self and others.
A lesson designed to help students identify and celebrate the unique traits that make up their individual identities.
Students apply verbal strategies to actual classroom transition requests using choral responses to confirm steps.
In pairs, students take turns being the 'Teacher' and the 'Student' to practice giving and repeating explicit steps.
Students engage in inhibition control activities where they must wait 5 seconds after hearing a command, repeat it, and only then act.
Moving from loud repetition to whispering, students practice 'self-talk.' They are given a single direction and must whisper it on a loop while performing the action.
Students practice the 'parrot' technique, where they must immediately repeat a single-step direction back to the speaker before moving. The lesson emphasizes that saying it locks it into the brain.
Students identify their own barriers to starting work and select a personal 'Power Phrase' motto for future tasks.
Students role-play scenarios where they help a peer get 'unstuck' using their self-talk prescriptions.
Students match specific self-talk 'prescriptions' to diagnosed problems and practice delivering these lines to characters.
Students act as 'Task Doctors' to determine why a character is stuck (boredom, difficulty, fatigue) and practice labeling these emotions.
Students identify behaviors that show someone is avoiding work and brainstorm what emotions might be driving those behaviors through case studies.
A culminating activity where students apply all previous strategies in a structured 'Conversation Championship' game to demonstrate mastery of topic maintenance.
Teaches students how to use 'bridge phrases' to shift topics politely and purposefully without disrupting the flow of conversation.
Focuses on building conversation momentum by using connecting blocks or paper chains to visualize follow-up questions and linked comments.
Students practice filtering their thoughts by distinguishing between 'on-track' and 'off-track' contributions using a 'Keep It or Trash It' sorting game.
Introduces the 'Conversation Train' metaphor where the engine is the main topic, helping students identify the shared focus of group interactions through a mystery bag challenge.
Students synthesize their learning by co-creating a class pledge and demonstrating the full cycle of retrieving, using, and returning tools correctly.
Working in teams, students organize shared table caddies and classroom shelves to ensure materials are accessible and easy to find for everyone.
Students practice simplified borrowing systems, such as card flipping or clothespin moving, to learn accountability for shared classroom resources.
Focusing on sensory items like headphones and fidgets, students learn specific storage needs and hygiene practices to keep tools safe and clean.
Students investigate 'healthy' versus 'sick' classroom supplies to understand how proper storage prevents damage. They explore cause and effect through a 'Supply Hospital' simulation.
A culminating classroom scavenger hunt where students apply all their help-seeking skills in a real-world mystery activity.
Develops self-regulation skills for the period between asking for help and receiving it, using 'While I Wait' choice boards.
Teaches students specific language and sentence stems to communicate their specific needs clearly and politely.
Focuses on the physical actions of getting attention politely, including hand-raising and non-verbal signals.
Students learn to distinguish between different types of helpers and classroom roles, establishing the 'Ask 3 Before Me' rule for seeking support.
The class formalizes their commitment to inclusion by co-creating and signing a classroom pledge.
Students design inclusive playground models to visualize a world where everyone can play together regardless of differences.
Students learn and practice specific upstander phrases to respond to unfair comments and stereotypes in a safe, structured environment.
Using puppets, students practice perspective-taking by identifying how characters feel when they are excluded based on stereotypes.
Students experience a structured simulation of unfairness to identify feelings associated with exclusion and define the concept of fairness.
Students create and present posters that showcase their unique mix of interests, celebrating their individual identities beyond stereotypes.
Partners find shared interests across outward differences using a simplified Venn diagram approach to build empathy and connection.
Students engage with community helper roles to see that skills and hard work determine career paths, regardless of appearance or gender.
Class examines toys and marketing to discuss why some are labeled for boys or girls, concluding that play and interests should not be limited by gender.
Students learn the difference between a fact (what we know for sure) and a guess (an assumption) using a Mystery Box activity. They connect this to how looking at someone's outside doesn't tell us everything about their inside.
The culminating lesson where students present their kits and practice using them through real-world simulations. A Gallery Walk allows students to learn from their peers' creative tool choices.
Students learn the value of social connections as a source of positive experiences. They identify people they can reach out to and create 'Social Coupons' to add to their kits for moments when they need a friend or family member.
Students begin the physical construction of their Sunshine Kits, decorating their containers and selecting specific sensory and movement tools to include based on their previous discoveries.
Students investigate how physical movement can shift their energy and mood. They learn to categorize activities as 'Energy Boosters' for low energy and 'Calm Downers' for high anxiety or overstimulation.
Students explore how their five senses can create simple positive experiences and help them feel happy or calm. They rotate through stations to identify personal sensory preferences for their Sunshine Kits.
Students role-play what to do if they see a friend being treated poorly in a game. They practice saying 'That's not nice' and getting help for their friend.
Students learn the specific action plan for when they encounter meanness: Stop looking, Block the person (or close the device), and Tell a trusted adult immediately.
Through simple storybooks or scenarios, students identify when a character is being a 'cyberbully' (mean online). They practice naming the behavior as 'not okay.'
Students practice sending 'digital kindness' by writing nice notes or drawing pictures for classmates. They learn the Golden Rule applies to tablets and computers too.
Students look at emojis and text messages to determine the emotion behind them. They discuss how it is harder to tell if someone is joking or being mean when you can't see their face.
Final reflections on the school year and the growth made in Open Circle.
A supplementary lesson clarifying the difference between getting others in trouble versus keeping them safe.
A full practice session using the complete problem-solving process on real scenarios.
Defining positive leadership and how to use SEL skills to help the group.
Practicing how to try a plan and what to do if it doesn't work as expected.
Choosing the best idea and making a detailed plan for how to carry it out.
Evaluating brainstormed ideas by asking 'What might happen if I try this?'
Learning the rules of brainstorming to generate many possible solutions to a problem.
Practice using 'I feel... because...' to identify the specific problem.
Focusing on the first step of the traffic signal: stopping to calm down.
Introduction to the Stop, Think, Go traffic signal model for solving problems.
Defining what a problem is and identifying common problems that occur in first grade.
Reviewing the categories of problems and how to tell the difference between them.
Discussing how teasing feels and practicing strategies to respond when being teased.
Students learn a two-step script for addressing annoying but not dangerous behavior.
Defining dangerous and destructive behaviors and knowing when to tell a responsible adult immediately.
Identifying healthy ways to express anger through words rather than hurtful actions.
Learning to speak clearly, slowly, and loudly enough so others can hear important ideas.
A lesson focused on taking ownership of mistakes through the metaphor of a 'Repair Shop'. Students will learn to move past blame and use a step-by-step process to fix their errors and learn from them.
An interactive game-show style lesson covering emotional intelligence, self-regulation strategies, personal accountability, and the 4-part apology method. Students compete in teams to identify 'top answers' for common social-emotional scenarios.
This lesson helps young students learn how to maintain their own emotional regulation and make positive choices even when their peers are experiencing emotional outbursts or disruptive behavior. It focuses on the 'lighthouse' metaphor—being a steady light during someone else's storm.
A set of resources designed to help students process behavioral incidents through reflection, identifying impact, and planning better choices.
A 20-minute targeted one-on-one session for first graders focused on naming simple feelings and learning "Power Words" to ask for help in the classroom.
A 20-minute targeted one-on-one session focused on identifying learning needs and feelings and practicing the 'scripts' needed to advocate for them effectively.
Teaches active listening and the steps of a meaningful apology to repair relationships with peers.
Teaches practical calm-down breathing techniques and tools through a social story and visual guide.
Focuses on identifying personal anger triggers and distinguishing between safe and unsafe choices when big feelings arise.
