Classroom Counseling Lessons

In this unit, students learn the importance of being their best selves. They will learn to recognize their own emotions and those of others; link emotions and thoughts; connect emotions, thoughts, and actions; regulate their emotions; and have a growth mindset. Students learn the importance of understanding themselves in order to understand others and interact with one another in more helpful ways.

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• Grades K-2 – Unit 1
• Grades 3-5 – Unit 1

Students learn the importance of valuing others and gain strategies to create inclusive and welcoming environments, including appreciating one’s own and others’ contributions, taking others’ perspectives, practicing empathy, building relationships skills, and standing up for one’s self and others.

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• Grades K-2 – Unit 2
• Grades 3-5 – Unit 2

Students learn a range of social and communication skills including ways to support effective communication and ways to avoid communication mishaps. They learn about verbal and nonverbal communication and how to adapt to different settings including when participating in teamwork.

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• Grades K-2 – Unit 3
• Grades 3-5 – Unit 3

Students learn that encountering problems, including conflict with others, is a normal part of the human experience. As they learn to resolve problems and conflicts in an intentional way, students deepen their understanding of themselves and others. Through a four-step problem-solving process, students learn the importance of getting input from others when resolving conflict and working together to build healthy relationships.

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• Grades K-2 – Unit 4
• Grades 3-5 – Unit 4

In our Bullying Prevention unit, Long Branch students learn how to Recognize, Report, and Refuse Bullying. We also learn about being Upstanders.

Recognize

Bullying hurts someone’s body, feelings or belongings; it happens on purpose; it is unfair or one-sided; it happens more than once; and we are unable to get it to stop.

Report

When we recognize bullying it happening, we must report it to a caring and trusted adult. When we report bullying, we try to use an assertive voice that is clear, serious, and respectful. In our Bullying Prevention Unit, all students are asked to identify caring and trusted adults in the Long Branch community who they could report bullying to.

Refuse

Both Upstanders and anyone who is experiencing bullying can refuse bullying by telling the bully or bullies to stop using an assertive voice.

Upstanders

Upstanders take responsibility for preventing and stopping bullying in their community. When they recognize an unsafe or unkind situation is happening, they can support the person experiencing the unsafe or unkind behavior by reporting it to an adult, refusing the bullying, and checking in on the victim. Upstanders understand that we all have a responsibility to keep Long Branch a safe and welcoming community for everyone.

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• 2nd Grade
• 3rd Grade
• 4th Grade
• 5th Grade

The Child Protection Unit includes one grade level specific lesson in Kindergarten through 5th grade classrooms. Long Branch students learn ways to help them decide if something is safe or not: specifically, about safe, unsafe, and unwanted touches, and rules about touching private body parts (we define this to students as the area covered by swimsuits). They also learn to say no to unsafe or unwanted touches, and to tell an adult if someone breaks rules about touching private body parts. Students also practice asking an adult for help, telling an adult about an unsafe situation, and being assertive to get out of unsafe situations.

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• Kindergarten
• 1st Grade
• 2nd Grade
• 3rd Grade
• 4th Grade
• 5th Grade

Students in grades 2-5 use the Career curriculum put out by Virginia Wizard. Learn more about VA Wizard here.

Students learn about various ways to maintain mental wellness, such as getting plenty of sleep, eating a well-balanced diet, getting exercise, going outside, socializing with friends, and practicing self-care and mindfulness. Students in older grades also learn about how to recognize when they (or a friend) needs support or help with their mental health and wellness.

Arlington County Public School’s mission is to ensure all students learn and thrive in a safe, healthy, and supportive learning environment. To assist your child in making the most positive life choices as they transition to middle school, our 5th graders will receive a lesson on avoiding risky behavior (such as becoming involved with vaping, in particular, and other drugs in general.) A trained Substance Abuse Counselor will be offering 1 45-minute prevention-based lessons, which align with the Health and PE Standards of Learning (SOLs). The lesson topics include essential health concepts, healthy decisions, and advocacy and health promotion.