Running head: CLASSROOM GUIDANCE LESSON

Sarah Gilbert
Classroom Guidance Unit Grades K, 1st, & 3rd
CLED 604
Virginia Commonwealth University

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Purpose
October is National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month and during this
month, Bensley Elementary helps increase awareness and prevent bullying through a
school wide approach. According to Meraviglia, Becker, Rosenbluth, Sanchez, &
Robertson (2003), bullying increases throughout elementary school so it is critical that
educators intervene early. The most effective approaches for bully prevention in schools
involve school-level intervention designed to change the overall culture and climate of
the school (Whitted, 2005). Fortunately, Chesterfield County Public Schools continues to
incorporate the Promote Respect anti-bullying campaign into their positive behavioral
intervention and supports program. Therefore, administrators, teachers, school
counselors, and other stakeholders are held accountable to improve the school climate.
One way that schools counselors can help with bully prevention is through classroom
guidance lessons. The school counselor team at Bensley Elementary conducted bully
prevention lessons in every classroom during October. According to McCormac (2014),
childrens literature can be an effective and non-threatening way to integrate bullying
education into existing programs. Each classroom guidance lesson included childrens
literature so that students were able identify what bullying is, types of bullying, and/or
strategies to handle bullying situations.

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Letter to Parents
Bensley Elementary School
Dear Parents/Guardians:
My name is Sarah Gilbert. I am a graduate student in the Counselor Education Program
at Virginia Commonwealth University. As a requirement for this program, I will be
working under the supervision of Mrs. Perry, School Counselor. I will be developing and
presenting a classroom guidance lesson on bully prevention. The classroom guidance
lesson will aim for students to be able to:

Define Bullying
Identify bullying behaviors
Identify strategies to handle bullying situations

Requirements for the VCU Counselor Education Program include videotaping the lesson
that will be reviewed by other graduate students for educational purposes.
Confidentiality will be maintained, and all tapes will be destroyed at the completion of
the semester.
If you have any concerns or questions regarding the classroom guidance lesson, please
contact Mrs. Perry or myself at 804-743-3610 or through the email address listed below.
Thank you for your time. I am looking forward to working with your child!
Sincerely,

Sarah Gilbert, Graduate Student

Gilbertsm@vcu.edu
Virginia Commonwealth University
School of Education
Counselor Education Department

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ASSESSMENTS
Kindergarten Assessment
This assessment involved a thumbs up or thumbs down assessment to see
if students knew the questions that I asked before and after the bully prevention
lesson. Thumbs up means the student knows the answer and thumbs down means
the student does not know the answer. Students were asked if they knew the
meaning of bullying and the second question was thumbs up or thumbs down if
you know who you can tell when someone is bullying you.
1st Grade Pre/Post Assessment
1.

What is bullying?
a. Talking about someone
b. Being mean to others on purpose
c. Being mean to others on purpose and repeating over time

2.

What can you do to stop bullying?

a. Be mean to them
b. Cry
c. Be a good friend

3. Who can you tell if you or someone else is being bullied?

a. Teacher
b. School Counselor
c. Principal
d. All of the above
3rd Grade Pre/Post Assessment
1. What is bullying?
a. Talking about someone
b. Being mean to others on purpose
c. Being mean to others on purpose and repeating over time
2. What can you do to stop bullying?
a. Be mean to them
b. Cry
c. Tell an adult
3. Which of the following is a type of bullying?
a. Physical
b. Emotional
c. Verbal
d. Cyber

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e. All of the above

4. Who is someone that helps a friend when they are being bullied?
a. Aggressor/Bully
b. Target/Victim
c. Bystander
d. Upstander
Leader Self-Assessment (Questions for Reflection)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

I am a good listener
I use my leadership skills well
I model positive behaviors
I create a healthy environment for students
My lesson involved all the components
I use effective classroom management skills
How were my attending behaviors?
What basic listening skills did I use?
What is something that I can do to improve this lesson?
Teacher/Counselor Assessment

Please rate the following from 1 to 5 where 1 = strongly disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 =

neutral, 4 = agree, and 5 = strongly agree
The presenter was very organized

The presenter began on time and used

the time well
The presenter was knowledgeable about
the topic

The presenter had good presentation

skills

The presentation was well tailored to

the audience

Please list any suggestions to improve this lesson:

Please list any additional comments/questions/concerns:

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3rd Grade Classroom Guidance Unit
One Bully Prevention
Sarah Gilbert
LEVEL AND GRADE: 3rd Grade Students
LESSON: Bully Prevention
PURPOSE: Students will be able to identify bullying behaviors and strategies to handle
bullying situations.
ASCA STANDARDS:
PS:B1.5 Demonstrate when, where and how to seek help for solving
problems and making decisions
B-SS 5. Demonstrate ethical decision-making and social responsibility
PS:B1.5 Demonstrate when, where and how to seek help for solving
problems and making decisions
B-SS 5. Demonstrate ethical decision-making and social responsibility
VA STANDARDS:
EP1 Exhibit the principles of character, including honesty,
trustworthiness, respect for the rights and property of others, respect for
rules and laws, taking responsibility for ones own actions, fairness, caring
and citizenship
EP2 Understand how to make and keep friends and work cooperatively
with others
GOALS:

95% of students will know what bullying is

Students will understand what it means to be an upstander
Students will understand the 4 different types of bullying

DURATION: 30 minutes
MATERIALS:
ONE by Kathryn Otoshi
Color Character Posters
Pre/Post Test
Yoga Cards
One Sheet
THINK sheet (Optional)
Here is a sample link to the Emaze I use with this lesson:
https://www.emaze.com/@AWOOWFZW/bully-lesson

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OVERVIEW/LESSON DESCRIPTION:
1. Introduction (5 minutes)
a. Introduce yourself
b. Inform students of class expectation during the lesson
c. Inform students what the purpose of the lesson is for
2. Beginning/Getting on Board Activity (5 minutes)
a. Inform students that we will do some breathing exercises before we
start the lesson
b. Choose Yoga Card (This will help set the tone and get students
grounded)
i. Pick one or two students from class to hold up the card so the
whole class can see
ii. Model what the breathing exercise is and do two or three more
times with students
c. Give pre-test on bullying
3. Middle (15 minutes)
a. Ask students questions about What is a bully?
b. What does it feel like? What does it sound like? What have you heard?
c. Inform students about what a bully is
d. Identify the 4 kinds of bullying
e. Go over roles: Aggressor (Bully), Target (Victim), Bystander, and
Upstander
f. Read/Show video of the Book One
i. Ask questions throughout the book to keep them engaged
(Example: What do you think is going to happen in the story?
Who is the main character? What is red doing to make blue feel
this way?)
g. Choose students from the class to read aloud what their color chart
says on how to handle bullying situations
4. End (5 minutes)
a. Have students complete Post-Test
b. Hand out One Sheet
i. Ask students to write what they can do to be an upstander
c. Summarize Lesson
d. Save time for Questions/Comments
Questions:
Can someone tell me what bullying means?
What does bullying feel like? What does bullying look like?
Who can you tell if you are in a bullying situation?
Who can tell me what an upstander is?
What is red (the aggressor) doing to make blue (the victim) feel this way?
What are some ways that you can be an upstander?

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1st Grade Classroom Guidance Unit
Recess Bully Prevention
Sarah Gilbert
LEVEL AND GRADE: 1st Grade Students
LESSON: Bully Prevention
PURPOSE: Students will be able to identify bullying behaviors and strategies to
handle bullying situations.
ASCA STANDARDS:
PS:B1.5 Demonstrate when, where and how to seek help for
solving problems and making decisions
B-SS 5. Demonstrate ethical decision-making and social
responsibility
PS:B1.5 Demonstrate when, where and how to seek help for
solving problems and making decisions
VA STANDARDS:
EP1. Exhibit the principles of character, including honesty,
trustworthiness, respect for the rights and property of others, respect for
rules and laws, taking responsibility for ones own actions, fairness,
caring, and citizenship
EP2. Understand how to make and keep friends and work cooperatively
with others,
EP4. Demonstrate good manners and respectful behavior towards others,
GOALS:

95% of students will know what bullying is

Students will be able to identify who they can go to when they are
in a bullying situation
Students will be able to identify respectful behavior towards others

DURATION: 30 minutes
MATERIALS:
Recess Queen by Alexis O'Neill
Pre/Post Test
Recess Queen Friend Worksheet
THINK sheet (Optional)
OVERVIEW/LESSON DESCRIPTION:
1. Introduction (5 minutes)

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a. Introduce yourself
b. Inform students of class expectation during the lesson
c. Inform students what the purpose of the lesson is for
2. Beginning/Getting on Board Activity (5 minutes)
a. Give pre-test on bullying
b. Ask students to answer What is a Bully?
c. Tell students the definition of a bully: A bully is being mean to
other people on purpose over and over again (repeating over
time)
d. Inform students on what they will learn in this lesson
3. Middle (15 minutes)
a. Pull out the Book Recess Queen
i. Ask questions before you read
1. Can you predict what this book might be about?
2. What does the cover of this book tell us about
this character?
a. Read/Show video of the Book Recess Queen
ii. Here is a video link of the book if you do not have
access to the book:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obMuxpBKVrI
iii. Ask questions throughout the book to keep them
engaged
1. How is Mean Jean being a bully?
2. What do you think is going to happen next?
3. How did Katie Sue get Mean Jean to stop
bullying
4. Can you think of ways that we cannot be a bully
or stand up to someone that is being a bully?
4. End (5 minutes)
a. Post Test
b. Hand out Recess Queen Friend Sheet
i.
Tell student to follow the directions on the sheet:
Draw a picture of you being a good friend to Mean
Jean and then write ways to be a good friend at
recess.
c. Summarize Lesson
d. Save time for Questions/Comments
Questions:
Who can tell me what bullying means?
What does bullying look like?
How do people feel when they are being bullied?
How is Mean Jean being a bully?
How did Katie Sue get Mean Jean to stop bullying

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Can you think of ways that we cannot be a bully or stand up to someone

that is being a bully?
How are ways that you can be a good friend?

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Kindergarten Classroom Guidance Unit
Billy Bully Bully Prevention
Sarah Gilbert
LEVEL AND GRADE: Kindergarten Students
LESSON: Bully Prevention
PURPOSE: The purpose of this lesson is to raise awareness of bullying for
students in Kindergarten. Students will have an understanding of what bullying is,
what it looks like and know whom they can report to about bullying situations.
ASCA STANDARDS:
B-SS 5. Demonstrate ethical decision-making and social
responsibility
VA STANDARDS:
EP2. Understand how to make and keep friends and work
cooperatively with others
EP6. Identify resource people in the school and community and
understand how to seek their help
GOALS:

100% of students will know what bullying means

Students will learn what bullying looks like
Students will learn how to be a good friend

DURATION: 30 minutes
MATERIALS:
Billy Bully by Alvaro Galan
Pre/Post Test
Bully Friend Coloring Sheet
Coloring Utensils
OVERVIEW/LESSON DESCRIPTION:
1. Introduction (5 minutes)
a. Introduce yourself
b. Inform students of class expectation during the lesson
c. Inform students what the purpose of the lesson is for
2. Beginning/Getting on Board Activity (5 minutes)
a. Ask pre assessment questions:
i. What is a Bully?

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ii. Who can you tell if you are being bullied?
b. Tell students what they will learn in the lesson
3. Middle (15 minutes)
a. Explain and help students understand that bullying is when
someone does something on purpose to make them feel bad or
hurts them over and over again.
b. Explain to students who they can tell if they are in a bullying
situation
c. Read Billy Bully to students and ask questions along the way
iv. Was there bullying?
v. Who was bullied?
vi. Who was the bully?
vii. What happened?
viii. What did the characters do to stop bullying?
4. End (5 minutes)
a. Ask Students again the same questions from the beginning of the
lesson
b. Tell students to go back to their seats
c. Hand out Bully Friend Coloring Sheet
i. Tell students to draw a picture of them being a good friend
ii. Go around the room and ask students how they can be a
good friend
d. Summarize Lesson
e. Save time for Questions/Comments
Questions:
What is a bully?
Who can you tell if you are in a bullying situation?
What does it feel like to get bullied?
What did the characters do to stop bullying?
How can you be a good friend?

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Data Reporting Method
Process data provides evidence that an event occurred. This data tells us
who received the lessons, when they received it, and the duration of the lesson. In
each lesson, students that were present were either in Kindergarten, 1st, or 3rd
grade. The duration of each lesson about bully prevention lasted about 30
minutes.
Perception data tells us what students learned from the lessons. This data
informs us on the attitudes, skills, and knowledge from the students as a result
from the lesson. This data comes from the pre and posttest scores that were given
before the lesson and right after the lesson. Each grade level received a pre test
that was administered before I gave the lesson. While the students were
completing the pre test, I was setting up for the lesson and/or walking around the
room to see if there were any individual questions. After the lesson was
completed, a posttest was administered so that I was able to see what students
learned from the bully prevention lesson.
Each classroom guidance lesson included childrens literature so that
students were able identify what bullying is, types of bullying, and/or strategies to
handle bullying situations. Comparison of the pre and posttest results that after
each lesson, students knowledge and awareness about bullying increased. I have
to add that the pre/post from my 1st grade lesson was inconclusive. Due to their
developmental age, the pre/post test was not appropriate or accurate of what the
students actually learned. I would like to note that my counselor supervisor
observed the first grade lesson as effective because the students were engaged and
answering the questions correctly when I said them aloud. When I conduct
lessons with this age group for next time, I will either do a thumbs up/thumbs
down evaluation or use a different type of evaluation so they are able to
understand the questions on paper.
The data from the self report evaluation and teacher/counselor evaluation
can be used to help me tweak my lessons so that the lessons are stronger and more
effective in the future. This feedback is necessary so that I am able to reflect on
my weaknesses and strengths as a counselor educator. I can present this data to
administrators, teachers, and stakeholders so they can see that students are gaining
knowledge about important topics through classroom guidance lessons.

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14
References

Mccormac, M. (2014). Preventing and responding to bullying: An elementary school's 4year journey. Professional School Counseling, 18(1), 1-14.
doi:10.5330/prsc.18.1.55607227n4428tkp
Meraviglia, M. G., Becker, H., Rosenbluth, B., Sanchez, E., & Robertson, T. (2003). The
expect respect project. creating a positive elementary school climate. Journal of
Interpersonal Violence, 18(11), 1347.
Whitted, K. S. (2005). Best practices for preventing or reducing bullying in schools.
Washington, DC : doi:10.1093/cs/27.3.167