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Small Group Curriculum

Name of group: Friendship Frenzy

Focus of group: Volta Elementary is home to students from thirty-eight different countries.
Many of the students are new to the country therefore creating numerous reasons why students
might have a hard time making friends. According to the needs assessment that was given to all
third-grade students at Volta Elementary, 33 out of 90 students answered either Strongly Agree
or Agree when asked to share their feelings on “I get scared to talk to a new friend”. Out of
those 90 students, 15 marked Neutral, probably meaning that they are not confident when talking
to a new friend. This raises a concern within the third grader students, in that we want them to
be able to make friends easily. If they are having issues at this age, it might cause them to
become shy and discourage them from interacting with others in the future.

Goal: The goal of this group is to encourage students to talk to their peers with confidence and
respect the diversity that not only the school offers but further teach students what our country
offers.

Number of Students: 5 in each group

Grade Level: Third grade

Adult Leader: The adult leader would consist of a licensed professional school counselor and an
ELL teacher

Number of Sessions: Four, 30 minute sessions

ASCA Mindsets and Behaviors:

M 1. Belief in development of whole self, including a healthy balance of mental,

social/emotional and physical well-being
M 2. Self-confidence in ability to succeed
M 3. Sense of belonging in the school environment
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Materials:
 Informed Consent Form
 Pre and Post Tests
 2 eggs, one white and one brown
 Kiwi
 Toy Story video
 Number image
 Paper
 Pencils

Description of Group:

Session one:

The first session will begin with the introduction of the group’s leaders; the school counselor and
ELL teacher. We would then go around and have each student introduce themselves as well as
share what animal they would be if any and why. Leaders of the group would then share with
the students the purpose of the group and its rules. A brief pre-test would be given to students to
fill out with the help of instructions.

Following the pre-test, leaders would demonstrate the "It's what's on the inside that counts"
activity. With a kiwi, the outside is rough, hairy, and certainly does not look edible. However,
once you cut it open, you find a deliciously sweet inside. With a brown and white eggs, you
would assume that the insides would be different as well. Once you crack them open, though,
you discover that they are actually the same. This would show students the value of getting to
know one another, because the more you know, the more respectful you become. We would then
have an open discussion with the group, on how they feel this relates to real-life.
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Session two:

Introduce the session with this Toy Story short video of Woody getting jealous of Buzz, who is
the new cool toy that everyone likes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X26WrP8YDDk&t=77s

Ask the group to anonymously share times where they felt secluded or saw others secluded from
a group and how it made them feel. Talk about why some people react by anger and possibly
bullying.

Share this video of Buzz and Woody working together to resolve an issue they were both in, and
how without them working together they would have not ben able to resolve it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIsFg3FSpEQ

Session three:

Reflect back to the last session and show students this picture.
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Ask the students to guess what the meaning behind this image is.

After opening up the conversation, explain that different people might have different views on
similar subjects. It is important that we look at things from other’s points of views. While the
person on the left sees the item on the floor as a number 6, the person on the right sees the
number 9. Even though they are looking at the same thing, they see something different based
on where they are looking from. If they showed a little empathy, they would understand that it
can be seen as either a 6 or 9, and that is okay.

Open up a conversation between the students to share a time where they had a disagreement and
came to terms at the end.

Session four:

Pass these “Plan of Action” worksheets out and ask students to fill them out.
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Focus on the question of “How can I make a good friend?” question, to create ways of
approaching others to become friends.

The leaders will then pass out the post-test to students and remind them that their school
counselor is available to talk whenever they are feeling uncomfortable and unable to make
friends.

Plan for Evaluation:

Process Data: Ten students took part in the “Friendship Frenzy” small discussion group, five
students per group.

Perception Data: In comparison to the pre-test, post-data results found that 55% of students
reported that they will now try becoming friends with a classmate who does not have any other
friends and 20% more students stated they can be friends with someone who does not look like
them.

Outcome Data: 3rd grade students will show a decrease of 10% in discipline referrals and a 5%
increase in attendance.

Follow Up: The counselor will check up on discipline referrals, focusing on bullying, in the next
month after the group’s completion.

References

http://www.elementaryschoolcounseling.org/making-and-keeping-friends.html