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Exploring Career Interests & Careers Activity Sheets

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Students start by taking an interest survey to identify passions, talents, skills- as well as- work location preferences. Next they design a compass about what matters to them before jumping in and exploring three different websites with loads of videos featuring different careers. Document is in an editable word file so teachers and counselors can tweak it to fit their student's needs! Great for grades 4-6.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: Sarah Bazemore

The "What Do You See?" Tree

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Skills: This activity has the potential to develop and enhance student’s emotional literacy, emotional regulation, social awareness, feelings of connection, empathy, and self-expression.Includes directions for how to use with staff!This versatile tool can be used in individual, group, classroom lessons, journaling prompts, and more!When discussing the figures avoid assigning a gender (unless the student assigns a gender in an individual session). If students begin to assign gender to a specific figure it can prohibit students from selecting figures. You don't need to correct students when they assign gender, just lead by example.Be considerate of student development. While students as young as five may be able to relate to the images others may struggle to understand.After a student identifies a figure ask them to tell you more about their choice. Allow students to assign emotions or feelings to the figures they select. While you may see an image as sad, happy, excited, etc. the student may be relating it to a different emotion.

Material Type: Teaching/Learning Strategy

Author: Sarah Bazemore

Emotions Wheel

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Skills: This activity has the potential to develop and enhance student’s emotional literacy, emotional regulation, social awareness, feelings of connection, empathy, and self-expression.Includes directions for staff wellness and developmentIncorporates: CBT Materials: Emotions Wheel, Sticky NotesThis versatile tool can be used in individual, group, classroom lessons, journaling prompts, and more!KEY CONCEPTS:Emotions are how your mind reacts to an experience.Emotions drive your decisions.These emotion wheels were inspired by Plutchik’s Emotion Wheel. To put it simply, an emotions wheel is a chart with primary emotions in the center that fans out with more specific emotions. It is a tool that will help your students learn to name what they’re feeling so they can become more self-aware and process their feelings more fully. There are four emotion wheel options. Select the best one for your students based on their age and developmental level. The grade levels below are only meant as a guide, you know your students best, select the wheel you think is the most appropriate.

Material Type: Teaching/Learning Strategy

Author: Sarah Bazemore

Strengths Spotting

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Skills: Recognizing strengths that we already have and others we want to cultivate.Incorporates: Positive Psychology, Motivational Interviewing, Solution Focused Brief Counseling Materials: Strength CardsThis activity is typically best for upper elementary through high school. Elementary and middle school students may need some additional explanation around the strengths and what they mean in order to accurate reflect on their skills.When a person recognizes and uses their strengths, they tend to be happier and have higher self-esteem. For those who struggle to recognize their strengths, strength-spotting can be an effective treatment technique. Helping students learn to recognize and use the strengths they already have can lead to improved wellbeing.“If we hope to highlight student strengths, we must understand what a deficit mindset looks and sounds like and move away from it with intentionality. We must be willing to make a commitment to focus on what’s strong, not what’s wrong.” -Larry Ferlazzo

Material Type: Teaching/Learning Strategy

Author: Sarah Bazemore

Wellness Wheel

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This is a simple, yet effective tool is an excellent way to not only introduce this concept to students but to also allow them the opportunity for reflection and goal setting. The activity adapts the eight dimensions to six dimensions for youth wellness and helps students to quickly understand that each area of life plays a role in supporting their overall wheel (well-being).

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: Sarah Bazemore

JOT Webinar Schedules

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Each webinar will include a 30-45 minutes presentation, followed by an opportunity for Question and Answers (Q/A) with attendees. All recordings will be posted on the Virginia Department of Education’s Career and Learning Center website for those unable to attend live!Webinars will be focused on one of the following topics (identified as areas of need by school counseling division leaders):Supporting Students with Anxiety Supporting Students with DepressionDesigning Effective Behavior InterventionsHelping Students Manage StressUsing Data to Plan, Monitor, and Evaluate your Comprehensive School Counseling ProgramPlease take a moment to explore the exciting sessions being offered this Fall and Winter! The two flyers linked below have more information on each session, including dates, times, and registration links

Material Type: Lesson

Author: Sarah Bazemore

Administrator/Counselor Partnership Plan

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The Partnership Plan includes documents to be utilized year round to ensure that school counselors and administrators are working in alignment and have a mutual understanding of the role of the school counselor. Partnership Plan Tools should be completed in the following order:SCARS: School Counselor Activity Rating Scale (beginning of year)SCARS Analysis Tool (beginning of year)Admin/School Counselor Collaborative Agreement (beginning of year)GOOD Meeting Template (utilized throughout the year during monthly meetings)

Material Type: Teaching/Learning Strategy

Author: Sarah Bazemore

Curriculum Mapping Tool

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Intentional planning of Tier I supports provides all students essential opportunities to acquire new skills and more powerful opportunities for development when immersed throughout collaborative daily learning.  Using the Curriculum Map is a great way for staff to combine efforts that focus on strengthening skills, knowledge and behaviors which often makes a greater impact on overall student development.

Material Type: Teaching/Learning Strategy

Author: Sarah Bazemore

VA SEL Guidance Standards Selection and Prioritization Tool

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The Virginia SEL Guidance Standards are meant to serve as a resource for school divisions and are not required or mandated for implementation. As such, school or division teams have the autonomy to prioritize the selection of specific standards that address student needs and compliment their mission and vision. This tool can guide teams through this process. School data (such as: climate surveys, academic data, postsecondary enrollment data, or behavior data) can help school teams identify the social, emotional, and cognitive developmental needs of students. Additionally, stakeholders such as students, teachers, administrators, and caregivers should be involved when determining which SEL standards should be prioritized, taught, and measured.

Material Type: Teaching/Learning Strategy

Author: Sarah Bazemore

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