Warm Up: Feelings Check-in

Teacher Script: "Good morning, everyone! Let's start our day by checking in with our feelings. How are you feeling right now? Think about it, and when I point to you, you can share one word about how you're feeling, or show me with a face!"

Student Response Space: (Teacher to facilitate verbal sharing or quick hand signals/facial expressions)

Activity: When to See the Counselor

Teacher Instructions:

1. Prepare the Chart: Before class, draw a simple chart on a whiteboard or large piece of chart paper. Divide it into three columns with a simple drawing of a happy face, a sad face, and a worried/frustrated face at the top of each.

2. Introduce the Activity: "We talked about our school counselor being a helper. Sometimes, when we have big feelings, the counselor can help us. Let's think about different feelings and when we might want to talk to our school counselor."

3. Brainstorm Scenarios: For each feeling, ask students to share an example of when they might feel that way and when it might be helpful to talk to the school counselor. Write their ideas (or draw simple pictures for younger students) under the corresponding face.

   • Happy Face Column: "When might you feel super happy? (e.g., getting a new toy, playing with friends). These are great feelings! The counselor helps us keep feeling happy too, by making sure school is a fun place."
   • Sad Face Column: "When might you feel sad or lonely? (e.g., missing someone, friend is mad). When you feel this way, the counselor can listen and help you feel better."
   • Worried/Frustrated Face Column: "When might you feel worried or a little frustrated? (e.g., can't do a puzzle, someone took your crayon). The counselor can help you think of ways to solve problems and feel calmer."

4. Emphasize Support: "Remember, the school counselor is like a superhero for your feelings! They are there to help you understand your feelings and find solutions to problems, so you can have a great day at school."

Student Participation: Students will verbally share ideas, which the teacher will record on the chart.

Cool Down: Counselor Connection

Teacher Script: "Wow, we learned so much about our school counselor today! For our cool-down, I want you to draw one thing you remember about our school counselor, or something they can help you with. It could be a picture of a counselor helping someone, or a picture of a feeling they can help with!"

My Counselor Connection Drawing/Idea:

Meet the School Counselor Script

Warm-Up: How Are You Feeling? (3 minutes)

(Teacher): "Good morning, everyone! Let's start our day by checking in with our feelings. How are you feeling right now? You can tell me in one word, or show me with a happy face, a silly face, or maybe even a sleepy face!"

(Allow a few students to share their feelings. Validate all responses.)

(Teacher): "It's okay to feel all sorts of feelings – happy, silly, sleepy, even a little grumpy sometimes! We all have different feelings, and they can change throughout the day."

Introducing the School Counselor & Video (4 minutes)

(Teacher): (Advance to Counselor Role Slide Deck - Slide 1)
"Sometimes we have super happy feelings, and sometimes we have feelings that are a little tricky. Who do you talk to when you have big feelings? Maybe your mom, your dad, a grandparent, or another grown-up at home?"

(Allow students to share. Then, transition.)

(Teacher): (Advance to Counselor Role Slide Deck - Slide 2)
"Well, guess what? We have a very special helper right here at school who is an expert at helping with feelings and solving problems! This person is called our School Counselor!"

"Our school counselor is a friendly grown-up who is here to listen to you. They want you to feel happy and safe when you are at school. Let's watch a quick video to learn more about what they do!"

(Advance to Counselor Role Slide Deck - Slide 3 and play the video. Allow approx. 2 minutes for the video.)

Discussion: Let's Talk About Counselors! (5 minutes)

(Teacher): (After the video, advance to Counselor Role Slide Deck - Slide 4)
"Wow, that was a great video! What did you learn about our school counselor from the video?"

(Allow a few students to share key takeaways from the video.)

(Teacher): "That's right! Our school counselor is here to help when you have big feelings that are a little hard to handle."

"For example, if you feel sad because you miss your family, or lonely because you don't have anyone to play with, the counselor can help you with those feelings."

"If you feel worried about a test, or scared about something new, the counselor can talk to you and help you feel brave."

"And if you feel mad because a friend took your toy, or frustrated because you can't build your tower, the counselor can help you figure out how to solve those problems and be a good friend."

"They help us learn how to be kind, how to share, how to solve problems, and most importantly, how to feel good inside our hearts and heads!"

Activity: When to See the Counselor (2 minutes)

(Teacher): (Transition to Feelings Chart Activity.)
"Now, let's do an activity together! We have a feelings chart here."

(Point to the chart prepared for Feelings Chart Activity.)

"If you feel happy, that's great! The counselor helps make sure school is a happy place. But if you feel really sad, or worried, or maybe a little mad, when could you talk to our school counselor?"

(Guide students to offer a few simple scenarios for each feeling, writing them on the chart as suggested in the Feelings Chart Activity. Keep it quick due to time.)

(Teacher): "Great ideas, everyone! Remember, the school counselor is a safe person to talk to when you need help or have big feelings."

Cool-Down: One Big Idea (1 minute)

(Teacher): (Advance to Counselor Role Slide Deck - Slide 5)
"Remember, your school counselor is a friendly adult who is always ready to help you."

"To finish up today, I'm going to give you a Cool Down: Counselor Connection sheet. On this paper, I want you to draw one thing you learned about the school counselor or when you might see them. What's one big idea you'll take away about our special helper?"

*(Distribute the Cool Down: Counselor Connection sheets. Collect them as students exit or complete the task.)