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Ready to Share?

Randy

Tier 1
For Schools

Lesson Plan

Opening Circle Blueprint

Facilitate a safe, structured opening circle where each student practices sharing and active listening to build trust and community.

Starting group counseling with a predictable circle routine helps students feel seen, heard, and respected—laying the groundwork for deeper peer support.

Audience

6th Grade Class

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Structured circle with talking piece and guided prompts

Materials

Chairs arranged in a circle, Talking Piece (e.g., soft toy), Ground Rules Poster, and Timer or stopwatch

Prep

Prepare the Circle Space

5 minutes

  • Arrange 6–8 chairs in a circle before students arrive
  • Place the talking piece in the center
  • Hang or display the Ground Rules Poster at eye level
  • Review the procedure in Opening Circle Blueprint

Step 1

Welcome & Warm-Up

5 minutes

  • Greet each student by name as they enter the circle
  • Remind students of confidentiality: “What’s shared here stays here.”
  • Briefly review the ground rules: respect, one speaker at a time, listening ears on

Step 2

Introduce Talking Piece

3 minutes

  • Show the talking piece and explain its use: “Only the person holding this may speak; everyone else listens.”
  • Model passing the piece to your co-facilitator or a volunteer

Step 3

Check-In Sharing

15 minutes

  • Pass the talking piece around; each student shares their name and one word describing how they feel today
  • If time allows, invite one or two volunteers to elaborate on their word (optional prompt: “Can you tell us more about why you chose that word?”)

Step 4

Debrief & Reflection

5 minutes

  • Ask: “How did it feel to share? How did it feel to listen?”
  • Reinforce active listening: “I noticed hands stayed down and eyes on the speaker.”
  • Highlight any positive behaviors you observed

Step 5

Closure & Transition

2 minutes

  • Thank everyone for participating
  • Remind students of confidentiality one more time
  • Collect the talking piece and transition to the next activity
lenny

Slide Deck

Ready to Share?

An icebreaker to build trust and practice sharing in our group counseling session.

Welcome students and introduce today’s icebreaker. Use this title slide to set a warm, inviting tone.

Ground Rules

• Respect everyone’s share
• One speaker at a time
• Listening ears on
• Confidentiality: What’s shared here stays here

Review each ground rule. Invite students to read aloud or summarize in their own words.

Talking Piece Instructions

• Only the person holding the piece may speak
• Others listen without interrupting
• Pass it clockwise when you’re done

Introduce the talking piece (soft toy or object). Model passing it and speaking when holding it.

Check-In Sharing

Share your name and one word that describes how you feel today.

Explain the check-in prompt. Pass the talking piece around; invite students to say their name and one word describing how they feel.

Active Listening Reminder

• Eyes on the speaker
• Hands still
• Nod or show you’re listening
• Give full attention

Highlight active listening behaviors. Encourage eye contact, nodding, and no interruptions.

Reflection Questions

  1. How did it feel to share?
  2. How did it feel to listen?
  3. What did you notice about our circle?

Use these questions to prompt reflection. Call on volunteers or discuss as a group.

Thank You & Transition

Great job everyone! Let’s keep our circle energy as we move on.

Thank students for participating and remind them of confidentiality again. Transition to the next activity.

lenny

Warm Up

Emotion Emoji Check-In

Time: 5 minutes

Materials:
• Emoji cards or printed sheet with various emotion emojis (happy, sad, excited, nervous, calm)
• Optional: Digital slide or projector displaying the emojis

Instructions:

  1. Introduction (1 minute)

    • “Today we’ll start by sharing how we feel using emojis. It’s a quick way to show our feelings without needing many words.”

  2. Emoji Selection (2 minutes)

    • Display or hand out the emoji cards.
    • Ask each student to choose the emoji that best matches how they feel right now.
    • Students can hold up their physical card or point to the emoji on the screen.

  3. Quick Shares (2 minutes)

    • Invite 3–4 volunteers to share which emoji they picked and one sentence explaining why.
    • Encourage short, honest responses: “I chose the anxious face because I have a big test today.”

  4. Transition

    • “Thank you for sharing! Now that we know how everyone’s feeling, let’s move into our circle activity.”




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lenny

Activity

Partner Bounce

Time: 10 minutes

Materials:
• Prompt cards or printed prompts (optional)
• Timer or stopwatch

Instructions:

  1. Pair Up (1 minute)

    • Ask students to find a partner.
    • Remind them to sit facing each other and maintain eye contact.

  2. Explain the Bounce Process (2 minutes)

    • Tell students: “You will take turns sharing a response to a prompt and your partner will ‘bounce’ it back by summarizing or reflecting what you said in one sentence.”
    • Model: Student A says, “I feel excited about our group session.” Student B then responds, “You’re feeling excited about our session.”

  3. Prompt Bouncing (5 minutes)

    • Distribute prompt cards or display prompts on the board.
    • Possible prompts:
      • “One thing I’m proud of this week is…”
      • “A challenge I faced today was…”
      • “One goal I have for this group is…”
    • Set a 1-minute timer.
    • Student A shares while Student B listens without interrupting. When the timer rings, Student B “bounces” the share back in one sentence.
    • Switch roles for the next prompt.

  4. Share Back Summaries (1 minute)

    • After two or three prompts, invite a few pairs to share with the whole group:
      • The prompt they used
      • How their partner bounced back their share

  5. Debrief & Transition (1 minute)

    • Ask: “How did it feel to share and have your partner reflect back what you said?”
    • Highlight active listening skills: eye contact, nodding, accurate reflection.
    • Transition back to the circle for the cool-down activity.




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lenny

Cool Down

One-Word Reflection

Time: 5 minutes

Materials: None (optional: index cards and pens)

Instructions:

  1. Prompt (1 minute)

    • “Think of one word that best describes how you feel right now about today’s session or what you’re taking away from our circle.”

  2. Reflection (2 minutes)

    • Invite students to write their word on an index card, sticky note, or in the chat.
    • Use no more than one word—keep it concise.

  3. Share-Out & Debrief (2 minutes)

    • Go around the circle (or scan the chat) and have each student share their word aloud.
    • Ask: “What do you notice about our collective words? Do we see any common themes?”

Your one word:



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