This year I created a small group for students whose parents had divorced. It turned out all the members were boys, so I changed the name to "Knights of the Round Table." We had a ton of fun being knights and incorporating the knight theme into our group.
So I created a small group packet so you could do a similar group. This is perfect to pair with this free TPT resource I found on becoming a knight:
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Medieval-Times-Becoming-a-Knight-Overview-and-Activities-373496
This great way to include non fiction work and cover many Common Core standards!!
Here is how I used the packet, a description of the packet, and ideas for you:
Use the contents to create a packet the students can take with them at the end of the group.
*Introducing knight page: Use this page as an icebreaker to have fun and get to know each other. Students can create their own “Knight name” or simply add their own name. Then draw themselves as a Knight. Use this as a cover for your packet.
*Shields: We used this two ways. First, we used it as an icebreaker for the second session. The students created their own “coat of arms” that told us about themselves. For example, I decorated mine with paw prints and colored it blue. I am sure you aren't shocked I included my pups. For my group I actually let the students use large pieces of poster board to create huge life size shields. You could also use cardboard or the outline in the packet.
Next, we used this as the last page in our packet. Each student wrote down ways they could “protect” themselves in the future with different coping skills. We discussed how knights used swords and metal armor to protect themselves, but we can always do that. What we can do is develop coping skills that help us.
Examples:
*Divorce group: What skills help you when your parents fight, when you feel angry that your family has changed, etc. Here are some ideas my group came up with: read a book on divorce for resources and help, talk to an adult like their parents or the school counselor, talk to each other, think about the positive instead of the negative, call the parent you are missing.
- New to school: How can you make new friends? Introduce yourself to someone new, ask the play with them at recess, find out what you have in common, offer to help them, etc.
*Anger group: What skills can help you calm down when you start to feel angry? Take deep breaths, walk away, use an “I- Message”, take a break, etc.
Idea: You can also, use a shield for them to write down group rules such as confidentiality to discuss how following these rules and being confidential “protects” the group..
First, we read about how a young man became a knight. Then we created a comic strip documenting that journey. Next, I had them create a comic strip that told me about their own journey.
Examples:
*Divorce group: Tell us about the journey you took as your family changed. You can start whenever you would like (when you were born, before the divorce, when you got the news about the separation) and end your comic with today or where you would like to be.
- New to school: Tell us about the journey you took coming to this school. Start with your previous school and end with this group.
*Anger group: Tell us about a time you got angry. Include the events that lead up to it, what you looked like when you got angry, what you did, and what happened after.
* Reflection pages: Use these pages to wrap up the group and get feedback on how the group ran.
*Pre/Post surveys: Have the student’s fill out the surveys at the start of the group and at the end to rate how they are coping and feeling about school, their friends, and home.
You can use this packet to run any boys small group on a variety of topics. I used it for divorce, but you can easily incorporate it into any topic like anger, starting a new school, transitioning to middle school, etc. The 15- page packet includes two icebreaker activities, a variety of comic strip options, three shield templates, 3 pre/post surveys, and a reflection page.
Get the packet on my TPT store here:
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Knights-of-the-Round-Table-a-small-group-for-boys-1728765
Our PTA theme this year is "sweet." This made me think of pop rocks which lead me to our "attendance rocks challenge."
With field days and contests upon us we have started talking about jealousy, pride, and self esteem.
This time of year is all about testing, field days, and more testing. I know this time of year I start to lapse on my training with Brooklyn and the dogs get away with a lot.
This time of year I love to do lessons on perseverance (although I still need spell check to help me with that word after many years of teaching.). My favorite book this time of year is "The Three Ninja Pigs" by Corey Rosen Schwartz. I love it so much I've blogged about it many times . I love it so much that I created a packet designed to help teachers and counselors tie it into testing, perseverance/resiliency , team work, problem solving, cultural appreciation, and of course CCSS. Also, you can connect this book to bullying (link at the end of the blog post).
