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Positive Peer Interactions- 8th grade transitioning to high school

Positive Peer Interactions


8th grade students transitioning to high school

Purpose
● To provide support to students anxious about entering high school.
○ How to start conservations.
○ The importance of listening and making eye contact.
○ Body language and facial expressions.
○ Personal space and touching

Logistics
Group Composition
Students in 8th grade that are about to enter high school who have shown concern and/or
anxiety about entering high school.

Group size
8 to 12 students - no more than 12.

Group Time Per Session


45 minutes

Number of Sessions

One session per week for a total of six weeks. Six sessions total.
Positive Peer Interactions- 8th grade transitioning to high school

Week 1 - Introduce Yourself/Greetings

Resources

● Permission Slip to participate


● Cardstock, stickers and markers

Beginning
Introduction
Review the purpose of the group: This group will help 8th grade students transitioning to high
school. The topics we will cover are Starting Conservations,
Listening & Making Eye Contact, Body Language & Facial Expressions, and
Personal Space & Touching.
The skills and awareness gained will help the students feel more comfortable
entering high school, making friends, connecting with teachers, and building lasting
relationships.
Housekeeping and Rules
● The meetings will take place every Wednesday from 1:00pm to 1:45pm, in the
Counseling Center.
● Ask the group what kind of rules they would need for the group so all members feel safe,
respected and free to share new ideas or thoughts. Suggest some of the following rules:
a. Share talk time.
b. Respect other group members opinions.
c. Everything said in the room stays in the room - confidentiality.
d. You do not have to talk, you have the right to pass.
e. Choose your words wisely, no put-downs.
Introductions
Have the students take a piece of cardstock, markers, and stickers. Have them spend the next
5 minutes creating fun name tags to put on their desk each week.

Middle
.
1. Gather the students and tell them we are going to play a game called Blobs and Lines so
we can get to know each other better.
2. For the first game, everyone needs to line up in alphabetic order by first name. You must
do this without talking!
3. For the second game, everyone needs gather up with others who get to school the same
way - by car, bus, bike or walk.
4. For the last game, everyone needs to line up in order of birthdays from January 1, to
December 31 - do this without talking!
Positive Peer Interactions- 8th grade transitioning to high school

End

Have the students spend about 5 minutes writing down concerns they have about entering
high school.
Spend about 10 minutes letting them share their concerns and talk about them as a group.
End the session with questions such as these:
● What was it like to participate in the group today?
● What were some feelings you had?
● What do you hope to gain from the group?
Ask volunteers to share their responses if they feel comfortable doing so.

Give a brief overview of what we will cover at the next session. Remind the students of the day,
time and location of the meeting.
Positive Peer Interactions- 8th grade transitioning to high school

Parent Letter

Dear Parent:

Your son/daughter _____________________________, has been selected to participate in the


Positive Peer Interactions group counseling program at American Middle School. This group is
designed to help students with the transition from 8th grade to high school.

Topics that will be covered include: starting conservations, listening and eye contact, body
language and facial expressions, and personal space/touching.

The group will be led by a trained counselor who will promote a safe environment for all
students. Everything shared in the group will remain confidential.

Students involved in this program will miss class once a week for 6 weeks for 45 minutes. The
students have stated they understand they will still be responsible for classwork and missed
assignments.

If you would like further information regarding this group and the purpose, please feel free to
contact me at: ______________________.

_______________________________________
School Counselor

Please sign below if you agree to allow your child to participate in this group.

_________________________________________
Parent
Positive Peer Interactions- 8th grade transitioning to high school

Week 2- Starting Conversations


Resources
- Post its, markers, poster board
- Situations for Conversation Starters Handout
- Conversation Map Handout
Beginning
1. Greet group by saying good afternoon, how is everyone’s day going?
2. Deep breathing and chair stretches.
3. Ask students if they have any questions about last week.
4. Go around the group and play a name game to see if everyone remembers each other’s
names. Example: My name is Cool Candace, and everyone after her has to say the name
of everyone that came before them as well as give themselves a nickname with the same
letter as their first name.

Middle
1. Explain to students that the topic this week is starting a conversation. Explain there’s 3
situations for conversation starters- past, present and future. Hand out Situations for
conversation starters worksheet, and have everyone take turns reading sentences.
2. Activity one- bring out poster board and write “Greetings” on the top. Give each kid
some post its and ask them to write a few greetings on each post it. Examples: hello,
what’s up, etc. Then have them put it on the poster board and hang it up on the wall for
everyone to see. As they put their greeting on the board, have them practice saying
different greetings to each other.
3. Hand out Conversation Map to the group and give instructions. Have students work in
pairs.

End
1. Have students answer two questions with a partner.
a. “One thing I learned today was…”
b. “One way I can use what I learned today is…”
2. Preview next meeting.
Positive Peer Interactions- 8th grade transitioning to high school

Situations for Conversation Starters

Past:
1. You overhear someone talking about his or her vacation.
2. You see your friend on a Monday morning.
3. You see your classmates after a school break.
4. A friend just came back from taking a hard test.

Present:
1. You are eating lunch with your classmates.
2. You see someone playing with a Gameboy or some electronic toy.
3. You see someone wearing a T-shirt that has the name of a school on it.
4. You are in line at a movie theater and you see someone from school who is also on line.

Future:
1. It's Friday before school lets out for the weekend and you are with your classmates.
2. It's the end of the school day on Wednesday and you are saying goodbye to your friends.
3. You overhear your friends talking about their school break plans.
Positive Peer Interactions- 8th grade transitioning to high school

NAME: _______________________________

1). UNDERLINE the GREETING words red.


2). UNDERLINE the STARTING COMMENT or QUESTION words green.
3). UNDERLINE the words in the BODY of the Conversation light blue.
4). UNDERLINE the SHORT EXPLANATION words purple.
5). UNDERLINE the FAREWELL words orange.

A: Hi – I haven’t seen you for a while! How have you been?

B: Pretty good. I was out sick for a couple days.

A: Bummer – what was wrong?

B: I just had a cold. Did I miss anything fun in gym?

A: No – we are still working on Track & Field stuff.

B: That’s good. Well, the bell is about to ring, I better go. Catch you later.

A: Bye! See you at recess.

6). Write your answers for these questions:

How many talking turns did Person A take? ________

How many talking turns did Person B take? ________

What was the topic? _____________________________________

Which Person made the Starting Comment or Question? A or B(circle one)

Which person gave a Short Explanation to end the conversation? A or B


(circle one)
Positive Peer Interactions- 8th grade transitioning to high school

Week 3- Listening/ Eye Contact


Resources
● Making eye contact activity sheets (Next page).
● Pre-made headbands with either emotions or famous person/cartoon/animal attached to it.
Another possible way to play is by using an app on a smartphone, iPad, tablet, etcetera.
Beginning
1. Ask students if there are any questions from last week’s topic.
2. Go around the circle. Have students say their names and one positive interaction they
have had since the last meeting.
Middle
1. Ask students what they think eye contact means. Then tell them People speak with their
eyes as well as their words. When people make eye contact, they look at the person to
whom they are talking or listening. Making eye contact doesn’t mean staring into the
other person’s eyes the whole time. It means looking at her every so often, so that she
realizes you understand and care about what she is saying. Without even speaking to you,
other people are constantly giving you feedback about what you are doing. If you don’t
make eye contact with them, you won’t be aware of their reactions. Likewise, if they
don’t look at you while they are speaking or listening to you, they can’t fully know how
you are feeling.
2. Have students pair up. Each person should be the listener and speaker for all three
scenarios. Have students discuss how they felt with each other for each scenario.
3. Students will then have the opportunity to use what they learned about appropriate eye
contact through a round of the game Headbandz. .
End
1. Ask students to finish the question, “One thing I learned today was…”
2. Preview next week’s meeting.
Positive Peer Interactions- 8th grade transitioning to high school

Making Eye Contact


ACTIVITY SHEET

Tell your partner everything you did from the moment you got up this morning until now. While
you are talking, your partner should never take his eyes off your face—he should actually stare at
you.

While you were talking, how did you feel about the eye contact your partner was making with
you?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Tell your partner everything you are planning to do when you get home from school until you go
to sleep. While you are talking, your partner should never look at your face.

While you were talking, how did you feel about the eye contact your partner was making with
you?

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________

Tell your partner everything you are planning to do this weekend. While you are talking, your
partner should look at you some of the time.

While you were talking, how did you feel about the eye contact your partner was making with
you?

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
Positive Peer Interactions- 8th grade transitioning to high school

Week 4- Body language/ facial expressions

Group size- No more than 12 students


Duration- 45 minutes
Setting- Classroom or conference room (chairs are set up in a circle)
Goals- Students will acquire the knowledge, attitudes, and interpersonal skills to help them
understand and respect self and others using positive body language with proper facial
expression for friendship enhancement.
Materials: Body Language in Communication handout.

Beginning-
● Explain the importance of body language for communicating.
● Pass out Body Language in Communication worksheet and discuss body language “dos”
and “don’ts” and review worksheet. Practice body language styles on sheet, and
encourage students to have fun with it, especially the “don’ts” category.

Middle-
● Have students get into pairs.
● One pair at a time, have student briefly talk about any topic. One person should talk and
the other should demonstrate body language “don’ts”.
● Have partners switch roles but now have the listener demonstrate body language “dos”.
● After each group has gone, have students go around the room and discuss behaviors that
they noticed and how it made them feel (as the listener and talker).
● Did members notice any ways that they (or others) use body language with appropriate
facial expression effectively in the group?
● Go around and ask people how they think their body language impacts how peers view
them. How can body language impact friendship?

End-
Evaluation:
● Students are evaluated based upon their ability to effectively describe and demonstrate
positive and negative body language and facial expressions. Discuss the importance of
body language and appropriate facial expression to friendship enhancement.

Discuss- Did you know:


Ø 70% of our communication comes through our body language.
Ø 23% of our communication is through our tone of voice.
Ø 7% of what we communicate is through our words.
Positive Peer Interactions- 8th grade transitioning to high school

Name: ______________________________

Body Language in Communication

The communication process is non-verbal as well as verbal. Behavior expresses meaning,


sometimes more clearly than words. To be effective in our relationships with others, we need to
be able to tune into body language with appropriate facial expression and tone of voice.

We need to pay attention to how we say things as well as what we say.

Dos Don’ts

Eyes good eye contact Stare, glare, jittery, no eye


contact

Voice (volume) loud enough to be heard too soft or loud


clearly

Voice (tone) tone communicates disinterested, gruff tone,


understanding sarcastic

Facial expressions matches your own or other’s frown, yawn, sigh, scowl,
feeling; smile blank look

Posture leaning forward slightly, leaning away, rigid,


relaxed slouching, crossing arms

Movement toward away

Distance arm’s length too close (less than 2 feet);


too far (more than five feet)
Positive Peer Interactions- 8th grade transitioning to high school

Week 5- Personal Space/ Touching

Resources
● 4 different colored hula hoops ranging from big to small

Beginning
1. Have students review last week’s topic.
2. Ask students how they think it applies to this week’s topic.

Middle

1. Lay out hula hoops on the floor


2. Have one member stand in each of the four hula hoops while the other students take turns
standing outside the hula hoop while holding a brief conversation.
3. After 2 minutes have the member standing on the outside of the hula hoop step inside and
continue the conversation.
4. Repeat until all members have been inside each of the hula hoops.
5. Discuss how it feels to have personal space invaded in large group.
6. List some of the feelings and have facilitator lead the class in a discussion about how our
feelings influence our behaviors.
7. Ask the group, "Do you think everyone is aware when they invade another person's
space?" "Is there a polite, respectful way to ask someone to move out of your personal
space?"
8. Have the group members practice completing the sentence “I'd be more comfortable if
you......"
9. Role play techniques by letting others know when they are uncomfortable with the
invasion of their own personal space.
10. Group gives feedback on role play
End
1. Ask students to share with partners and then in the large group their responses to these
statements: “I learned . . .” and “One way I can use what I learned this week is…”
2. Preview next meeting
Positive Peer Interactions- 8th grade transitioning to high school

Week 6- Wrap Up/ What have you learned

Purpose-
● To reflect upon last few sessions and what new things they feel they have learned to
improve peer interactions.

Resource-
● Index cards

Beginning-
● Have all students sit in a circle, give them 5-7 minutes to chit chat using social skills that
they have learned in the last 5 sessions.

MIddle-
● Divide them into 2 groups (evens and odds).
● Have them sit facing each other.
● Give them index cards and have them write one positive thing about person facing them
in the other group, giving that person a compliment.
● Have them read out the compliment using social skills that they have learned in the past
sessions.

End-
● Have them evaluate what they liked about this session and if the techniques that they
have learned in the past sessions,
● Have helped them form better peer interactions?
● Do they feel more confident now using appropriate social skills?
● Do they feel their anxiety levels are down regarding transitioning to high school?
Positive Peer Interactions- 8th grade transitioning to high school

References
Brigman, G., & Goodman, B. E. (2008). Group counseling for school counselors: A practical

guide (3rd ed.). Portland, ME: Walch Education.

Icebreakers that Rock: https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/classroom-icebreakers/

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