Small Group Plan

Rachel J. Slocum

Spring Arbor University

Small Group Plan

A. Description of Group:

Small group will be comprised of 6-8 9th graders who are struggling with academic achievement. The group will meet once a week for 45 minutes over the course of four consecutive weeks. The group will be held during the school day on the same day but at a different time each week so students will not miss more than one of each class. The counselor will let the appropriate teachers know ahead of time when their student is going to be pulled.

B. Plan for Obtaining Participants:

The counselor will ask teachers to recommend students who they think would benefit from a study skills small group. After the counselor decides which of those students will be invited to participate in the small group the teachers who recommended those students will send a note home with the students informing the student’s parents of the recommendation and providing them with some information regarding the small group. The note will also provide the school counselors phone number for the parents to call if they do not wish their child to participate in the small group.

C. Parent/Guardian Notification:

This note is to inform you that Ms. Slocum is providing a small group to teach students several study skills with the goal of helping them achieve greater academic success. The group will meet once a week at different times for four consecutive weeks. I have recommended that participate in this small group as I believe it will be very beneficial to him/her. However, if you do not wish him/her to participate in this group or if you have any questions please feel free to contact Ms. Slocum at 517-750-5555.

D. Curriculum Overview:

The overall objective of this small group is to have the students be able to identify at least one skill and how they can use it by the end of the four weeks. Each week the students will learn a different study skill and how to apply it. This small group is meant to be the first of a three part series on study skills. This part addresses what to do in preparation for studying, while the other two will address what to do while studying and what to do after studying. The four sessions in this small group will cover organizing school work, setting goals for studying, time management, and picking a location to study.

E. Session Curriculum:

1. Session 1: A Place for Everything and Everything in Its Place

a. Objective: After discussing the importance of staying organized in order to do well in school students will at the end of this session have all of their class work organized into folders provided to them by the counselor.

b. Session Content:

The counselor will start off the session by thanking the students for participating and introducing the small group topic, study skills. The counselor will then read off the following statements and have the students stand if it applies to them.

I often have trouble finding my homework.

I often forget when assignments are due.

I have trouble concentrating when I study.

I am often overwhelmed and don’t know what to focus on when I study.

I am confident in my ability to study well.

Fallowing this exercise the counselor will explain that these are challenges that many students have in school and the goal of this small group is to give them tools to help them overcome these particular challenges. The counselor will then introduce the topic for this small group, organization. This should take about five minutes.After introducing the topic for this session the counselor will give the students 10 seconds to find one of their English Assignments in their backpack. The counselor will then have the students discuss what it is like to not have the right assignments or the right books when they go to class, after which the counselor will talk to students about the importance of keeping school work organized. This should take about 15 minutes.

After the counselor is done talking the counselor will ask the student to offer some ideas for keeping their work organized. After the ideas have been shared the counselor will provide the students with folders for their homework, one for each subject. The counselor will also give them markers and allow them to decorate their folders for 15 minutes, making sure to include the name of the class the folder is for in the decoration.

When the students are done decorating their folders the counselor will have the students go through their backpacks and put all of their class work in each of their respective folders. The counselor will go around provide help to whoever needs it.

This should take about 10 minutes. The completion of this task will meet the objective for this session.

After the students are organized the counselor will inform the students that their folders will be checked at the beginning of every session to make sure it has been maintained, after which the students will be dismissed.

2. Session 2: Getting Your Priorities Strait

A. Objective: After learning about setting goals based on priorities students will set at least two school related goals to be completed in the fallowing week.

B. Session Content:

After greeting the students the counselor will have the students take out their folders that they made during the last session and check them to see that they are still organized. The counselor will then introduce the topic for the day, goal setting. This should take about 5 minutes.

Have the students complete Activity One about priorities, located at the end of the session content. Have the students share what order they put things in and why. The counselor can then define priorities and ask the students to share what they think good priorities are as opposed to bad priorities. After the students share the counselor can talk to them about making sure school is a priority in order to do well because if it is not other things can easily get in the way and keep homework from getting done. This should take about 10 minutes.After talking about priorities the counselor should talk to the students about setting goals based on priorities. The counselor can teach the students about setting S.M.A.R.T. goals the second hand out at the end of this session. The counselor will then ask students to share some ideas about how they can use S.M.A.R.T. goals in relation to school work. This should talk about 15 minutes.

After the students have finished discussing S.M.A.R.T. goals give the counselor can give them two S.M.A.R.T. goals worksheets, which is located at the end of this session. Have them use the worksheet to set two school related goals for the fallowing week. Ask for volunteers to share their goals with the group. This should take about 15 minutes. The writing of these goals will achieve the objective for this session. The counselor will remind the students that their folders will be checked again next week before dismissing them from the session.

3. Session 3: Time Flies When You Don’t Write Things Down

A. Objective: After learning how to use a monthly and a weekly planner the students will at the end of this session demonstrate that they can manage their time effectively by completing the weekly and monthly planner activities during the session.

B. Session Content:

After greeting the students the counselor will check their folders. The counselor will then ask the students to share about how they did with their two goals from the last session. This should take about 5 minutes.

After the counselor is done checking the folders and goals progress the counselor will introduce the topic for this session, time management. The counselor will then give the students a couple minutes to write down everything they do in a normal school day around what time they do them. After they are done the counselor will inform the students that what they just did was a form of time management, at which point the counselor will explain what time management means and why it is important for success in school. This should take about 5 minutes.

When the counselor is done explaining what time management is and its importance the counselor will hand the students the monthly planner handout located at the end of this session. The counselor may also hand out markers so that the students can color code their planner. The counselor will then walk the students through using the monthly planner. The counselor will first explain fixed time, things that students have to do at a certain time. The counselor will then ask students for examples of when they think would be a fixed time activity. Examples may include school, sport practice, church, etc. The counselor will then have the students write on their planner all of the fixed time events that they can think of for that month and what time they are. The counselor will then explain the importance of setting aside a certain time every day, preferably the same time, to do homework. The counselor will then have the students write down for the month when they think they will do homework, making sure that they allow time for it every day. Finally the counselor will explain that the remaining time is what the students can use for other activities. In other words, there should always be a time set aside for just homework. Have the students share what times they set aside for homework and why they think that time would work best. This activity should take about 15 minutes.

Upon completion of the monthly planner hand the students a weekly planner handout located at the end of this session. Again hand the students markers so they can color code if they would like. Then have the students write out their assignments, at least for the fallowing week, on the days they are due. Explain

the importance of keeping track of this in order to turn work in on time. Also explain the importance of keeping track of when big assignments are due so that they can begin working on them ahead of time instead of waiting until the last minute. This activity should take about 15 minutes. The achievement of the objective will be based on the students completion of these two activities. Students will be dismissed after showing the counselor their completed planners. The counselor will remind the students that their folders will be checked again next week before they are dismissed.

3. Session 4: Location, Location, Location

A. Objective: After researching the best environment for studying the students will draw a picture depicting the environment they have chosen to study in based on their research and present it to the group at the end of the session.

B. Session Content:

This session should take place in a computer lab. After greeting the students the counselor will check their folders. The counselor will then ask the students to share about their experience using their planners during the past week, if it helped them or not. After students share the counselor will introduce this session’s subject, study location. This should take about 5 minutes.

The counselor will then have the students share about the area they usually study in and how that works for them. After sharing the counselor will break the students up into pairs and have them research the best studying environment and take note of what they find. The counselor should walk around and check on students’ progress. This should take 10 minutes.

After their time is up pass out paper and markers and have the students draw the area they have chosen to study in based on what they found in their research. Again walk around to check on students’ progress. This should take about 10 minutes.

When they are done with their pictures have the students briefly share their pictures and their research findings with the group. This should take about 15 minutes. Student presentations achieve session objective.

After the students’ presentations the counselor will read off the fallowing statements and have the students stand if it applies to them. Have the students explain for one the statements how it applies to them. This should take 5 minutes.

I can easily find my homework when I need it at least some of the time.

I know how to set goals to help me know what to focus on when I study.

I know how to keep track of assignment due dates.

I can concentrate on my work in the sport where I study.

I am confident in my ability to study well.

F. Pre/Post Group Evaluation:

The results of the small group will be evaluated based on the students responses to the statements read at the beginning and the end of the small group. The statements are negative in the first session and positive in the last session so if students stand for most of the statements both times then improvement was made. The students however need to be able to explain the change in the last session, as stated in the description for session four. If they cannot explain how the statements in the last session apply to them than improvement was not made.