Lesson Plan

School Counselor: Lyba Waraich

Lesson Plan Title:
Irrational Thoughts Vs. Facts
 Single Classroom Lesson
 Unit of Classroom Lessons: Lesson _____ of _____
 Small-Group Session Lessons: Lesson __3___ of ___6__
Target Audience: Grade 7 students who are at risk of anxiety and frequently visit the
counseling office.

Evidence Base:
 Best Practice (commonly used and believed to be of high quality)
 Action Research (individual investigates own practice to improve content/delivery)
 Research-Informed (a review of research provides foundation for content/delivery)
 Evidence-Based (highest level of evidence, results published in peer-reviewed journal)

ASCA Student Standards Targeted: Student Learning Objectives:

Identify 1–2 student standards relevant for For each of the selected student standards,
this targeted group and goal: write or select 1–2 learning objectives
(Best practice = select one)
M&B# Mindsets & Behaviors Statement Student Learning Objectives
Goal: For students to understand Student(s) will:
how thoughts can affect them. Students will discuss irrational thoughts and
M 1. appropriate responses via group discussion.
Belief in development of whole self,
including a healthy balance of
mental, social/emotional and
physical well-being
B-SMS
6. Ability to identify and overcome
barriers

Domain:
____Academic Development ___College & Career Readiness ___Social-Emotional Development
NYS Next Generation Standards: speaking/communication skills (communicating your irrational
thoughts/worries) i.e. (listening, speaking, communication skills, etc.)
Updated, June 2021
Materials:
De-catastrophizing worksheet
Popsicle sticks
Cut out of hand
Scissors
Pen/pencil

Describe how you will:

Introduce Lesson Start with icebreaker “My Qualities.” The students will be given a cutout
Topic/Focus: of a hand and on each finger will write one quality of themselves. Then
they will glue the hand to the popsicle stick.

Counselor will introduce topic by saying that we all have automatic

thoughts that affect how we feel. It is important to understand our
thoughts.

Communicate the In a small group, students sit in a circle and the counselor briefly review
Lesson Objective: lesson 2 and goes over the group norms and expectations.

Then the school counselor will communicate the lesson objectives by

discussing our perceptions, how we perceive things. These will be verbal
descriptions.

Students will understand their own irrational thoughts and how to

respond (using worksheet).

Teach Content: Today I am here to talk to you all about our negative patterns of thinking
especially thoughts that make us worried, anxiety.
The counselor will give the definition of cognitive distortions: negative
filters and patterns of thinking that are not based on facts or reality.
Then counselor will give example of some of the distortions:
Overgeneralization- making broad interpretation from a single or few
events. “I am always awkward.” Catastrophizing - seeing the worst
possible outcome of a situation.
Jumping to conclusions- interpreting meaning with no evidence.
“Should,” statement- “I should….”

Updated, June 2021

 Fortune Telling: The expectation that a situation will turn out badly
without adequate evidence.
Emotional Reasoning: The assumption that emotions reflect the way
things really.
are. "I feel like a bad friend, therefore I must be a bad friend.'
Magical Thinking: The belief that acts will influence unrelated situations.
"I am a good person-bad things shouldn't happen to me.
Then have a discussion about them.

Practice Content: Students will work independently to complete the “decatastrophizing”

worksheet (therapistaid). The students will identify parts of the brain and
explain for each of the parts how it will help them.
Summarize/Close: Summarize by stating that thinking about our automictic thoughts can
help us rationalize our worries. The lesson will conclude with the
students stating a takeaway from the lesson.

Data Collection Plan – For multiple lessons in a unit, complete this section only once for the unit.
Participation Data Plan:
Anticipated number 7
of students:
Planned length of 35 minutes
lesson(s):
ASCA Student Standards Data Plan:
For each lesson/unit/small group, school counselors will administer pre-/post-assessment
aligned with the selected ASCA Student Standards and student learning objectives.
Pre-/Post-Assessment items are: questions 1-4 are statements on a scale from 1 rarely to 4
almost all the time
1. I believe understanding our own anxieties is important to be responsible for ourselves.
2. I know 3 coping strategies to deal with anxiety
3. I know what is in my control
4. I follow a time management plan
5. Explain the difference between anxiety and stress as well as how it affects us
physically/brain?
Outcome Data Plan: (choose one and describe specific data point to compare)
Examples:
Achievement: School counselor will compare reading levels of students before and after delivery
of lesson.
Attendance: School counselor will compare number of absences last year to this year.

Updated, June 2021

Discipline: School counselor will compare total number of disciplinary reports for peer-on-peer
conflict first quarter with second quarter
⬜ Achievement (describe): School counselor will check what percentage of student’s
knowledge and skills about anxiety improved pre and post-test after delivery of unit of
lessons.

 Attendance (describe):

 Discipline (describe):
Follow-Up Plans
Explain your plan for students who missed the lesson.
The counselor will individually meet with student to discuss the lesson missed.

Explain your plan for students who did not demonstrate mastery on the pre-/post-assessment
of student standards (M&B)/student learning objectives.
The counselor will do short-term individual counseling with the student to provide more
support and provide referral if needed.

Updated, June 2021

Decatastrophizing

Updated, June 2021

icebreaker: “My Qualities”

Updated, June 2021