Girls Group: Hoop Dont Hate

Purpose/ Goal: To empower young women to build community, find value in themselves, and
to incorporate positive self-care practices into everyday life.
Objectives:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Learn communication skills to build connection

Engage positively with others through activities and group discussion
Learn to identify and utilize personal strengths
Learn coping mechanisms to address stressors
Learn goal setting and practice monitoring progress
Incorporate movement to promote healthy body image

Why movement and hula hooping?

Movement will act as a catalyst to encourage deeper conversation. Through hula hooping,
participants will build (Category 1: #2) self-confidence and experience the ability to succeed.
Movement in the form of hula hooping allows for participants to be:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

vulnerable
playful
have fun
experience success
increase awareness and appreciation for bodies
let out stress and angst from the day

Group Membership/Participants: 7th grade girls will be selected through needs assessments,
teacher referral, and nurse referral based on feelings of isolation, poor self-esteem, and negative
self-care practices.
Format: The group will meet weekly for 8 weeks for 55 min. during a rotating period schedule.
The location of the group meetings is TBD.
Role of Leaders: The role of the leadership in this group will be as role models, instructors and
facilitators of discussion.
Responsibilities:
1. Ruth: Processing facilitator, content delivery
2. Kali: movement and activity instructor, content delivery
Group Rules:

1. Rules necessary for learning and vital to creating a safe group environment will be
established by group members
2. Keep conversations confidential
3. Take turns sharing
4. Dont identify people outside of the group by name
5. Listen to others while talking
6. Be on time and come prepared
7. Contributing to all activities in a comfortable way
8. **Remind students of exception to confidentiality rules**
Structure of Session Plans:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Connect activity
Check in/ review last weeks goals
Movement activity
Talk about it: theme of the week
a. Process/Discussion
b. Goal setting
5. Journal prompt
6. Question and comment box
7. Movement Activity

Lesson Plans
Framework: This curriculum utilizes the ASCA Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success as a
framework to encourage growth in the social/emotional domain. The overall curriculum
emphasis is on the first three Mindset Standards in Category 1, while each lesson aligns with a
one or more of the Behavior Standards in Category 2 (Learning Strategies (LM), Selfmanagement Skills (SMS), and Social Skills (SS)).

Mindset Standards:
#1. Belief in development of whole self, including a healthy balance of mental,
social/emotional and physical well-being
#2. Self-Confidence in ability to succeed
#3. Sense of belonging in the school environment

See lessons below for related ASCA Behavior Standards

Week 1: Introduction
ASCA Standards: LS #7; SS #1, #2, #4, #6,
Goal: To lay the foundation for a positive, safe and therapeutic group dynamic

a. Share Purpose of group: To empower young women to build community, find

value in themselves and incorporate positive self-care practices into everyday life.
b. Develop rules as a group
i. *See above for list for essential rules*
c. Connect: Two Truths and a lie
In turn, girls each tell two true things and one false thing about themselves.
The group tries to guess which one is the lie.
d. Students may pick their hula hoops
i. Hoop practice
ii. Video of hula hoop dancer
iii. video from beginning to professional hooper
e. Goal setting
f. Students decorate own journals
Week2: Self-Exploration
ASCA Standards: LS #7, #4; SMS #5, #7; SS #1, #2, #4, #6
Goal: To encourage young women to explore what makes them unique, identify positive/
defining characteristics and practice positive self-talk.
a. Connect: Walk the line
Objective: to build trust among group members (pg 11)
b. Goal review/movement activity
c. Talk about it: What defines you (pg24)
Write prompts on popsicle sticks and have each girls draw a stick and answer a
prompt
Skill: Power Thinking (pg13)
Discuss difference between negative and positive self-talk. Often times young
women have a hard time identifying and talking about their strengths. Use power
thinking to articulate personal strengths and value.
Give each girl 3 cards I am... I can I will... and have each girl fill them out.
d. Goal setting
e. Journal: Three words that describe you (pg28)
Week 3: Choices
ASCA Standards: LS #1, #7; SMS #1, #5, #7; SS #1, #2, #4, #5, #6
Goal: To learn healthy decision making skills and see the power in choice.
a. Connect activity: What five non-food or water items would you bring to a deserted
island? (pg49).
b. Goal review/movement activity
c. Talk about it:
Today I choose (pg55) everything in life is a choice.

After exploring the consequences of our choices, introduce the idea of drama
free and drama queen reactions (pg61).
In teams of two, have student respond to scenarios in drama free and drama
queen reactions.
d. Goal setting
e. Journal topic: Reflect on the statement that You cant change anything but your
reaction (pg61).
Week 4: Friendship and Healthy Relationships
ASCA Standards: LS #7; SMS #1, #5, #7; SS #1, #2, #4, #6
Goal: Participants will identify what makes a good friend and recognize what qualities they
themselves offer in friendship.
a. Connect activity: Read story about two friends and have students list positive and
negative aspects of their friendship (pg99).
b. Goal review/movement activity
c. Talk about it: Showdown (pg107)
Girls begin by discussing common conflicts they face with their friends.
Write conflicts on slips of paper as the girls discuss.
Divide group into pairs and have each pair create and preform a role play that
depicts the conflict and a solution.
d. Goal Setting
e. Journal topic: Divide paper in two. On one side write essential characteristics of a
good friend, on other side write qualities you offer in friendship (pg114).
Week 5: Emotions
ASCA Standards: LS #7; SMS #5, #7; SS #1, #2, #4, #6
Goal: To help girls identify what provokes sadness in each of them and what techniques they use
to process these feelings.
a. Connect: Charades acting out emotions listed on slips in a basket (similar to pg 83).
b. Goal review/movement activity
c. Talk about it: Feeling blue (pg92)
Aknowledge it is okay to feel sad; it means you are passionate. What is
happiness without experiencing sadness?
Explore coping mechanisms
d. Goal Setting
e. Journal topic: On one side of a notecard list what you look like when you feel sad.
One the other side list different activities that make you feel good. When you feel sad
pull out this notecard and try some of the coping strategies.

Week 6: Coping with Stress and Sadness

ASCA Standards: LS #7; SMS #5, #7; SS #1, #2, #4, #6
Goal: To identify stressors, learn how to avoid stressors and practice coping mechanisms for
dealing with stress.
a. Connect activity: Stress (pg157) draw a card and pair up with your match, list top 5
stressors in your life and share with group.
b. Goal review/movement activity
c. Talk about it: deal with it (pg 158).
Ask girls to share how they deal with identified stressors from connect activity.
Then introduce AAA of stress management Avoid Accept and Adjust.
d. Goal Setting
e. Journal topic: No journal activity this week, close with a guided meditation. Student
lie on the ground, think of a beautiful safe place and lead them through a breath work
exercise.
Week 7: Redefining Success and Finding Value
ASCA Standards: LS #7; SMS #5; SS #1, #2, #3, #4, #6
Goal: identify positive and relatable role models in order to redefine concept of success and
recognize personal value within that framework.
a. Connect activity: Body image (pg31)
each student draws a letter from a bag and gives an, I am or I like
statement that begins with that letter.
b. Goal review/movement activity
c. Talk about it: combine Role models (pg21) and Shes All That (pg 37)
Each girl will name a personal role model in their life and list 10 of their
qualities on post-it notes.
When everyone is done, place all post it notes on the board and compare
qualities.
d. Goal setting
e. Journal topic: divide paper hot dog style. On one side list standards of success, on
the other side list personal strengths (pg 39).
Week 8: Closing Session
ASCA Standards: LS #7; SMS #7; SS #1, #2, #4, #6
Goal: To prepare for the ending of the group and closure by reflecting on the experience and
saying good-bye.
a. Connect: Appreciation chains

f. b. Goal review/movement activity

c. Talk about it: Reflect on experience and talk about skills that can be used after the
group.
d. Journal Topic: What is a skill that you have learned in this group that you will use
throughout your life?