The small group plan involves 6-8 struggling 9th grade students who will meet once a week for 45 minutes over 4 weeks. The plan aims to teach students study skills to improve academic achievement. Each session will focus on a different skill: organizing materials, setting goals, time management, and choosing a study location. Students will complete related activities each week. The plan will be evaluated by comparing students' responses to statements about study skills read at the start and end, with the expectation that students should be able to explain positive changes by the final session.

1. Small Group Plan
Rachel J. Slocum
Spring Arbor University

2. Small Group Plan
A. Description of Group:
Small group will be comprised of 6-8 9th graders who are struggling with academic
achievement. The group will meet once a week for 45 minutes over the course of four
consecutive weeks. The group will be held during the school day on the same day but at a
different time each week so students will not miss more than one of each class. The
counselor will let the appropriate teachers know ahead of time when their student is going
to be pulled.
B. Plan for Obtaining Participants:
The counselor will ask teachers to recommend students who they think would benefit
from a study skills small group. After the counselor decides which of those students will
be invited to participate in the small group the teachers who recommended those students
will send a note home with the students informing the student’s parents of the
recommendation and providing them with some information regarding the small group.
The note will also provide the school counselors phone number for the parents to call if
they do not wish their child to participate in the small group.
C. Parent/Guardian Notification:
This note is to inform you that Ms. Slocum is providing a small group to teach students
several study skills with the goal of helping them achieve greater academic success. The
group will meet once a week at different times for four consecutive weeks. I have
recommended that participate in this small group as I believe it will be very
beneficial to him/her. However, if you do not wish him/her to participate in this group or
if you have any questions please feel free to contact Ms. Slocum at 517-750-5555.
D. Curriculum Overview:
The overall objective of this small group is to have the students be able to identify at least
one skill and how they can use it by the end of the four weeks. Each week the students
will learn a different study skill and how to apply it. This small group is meant to be the
first of a three part series on study skills. This part addresses what to do in preparation for
studying, while the other two will address what to do while studying and what to do after
studying. The four sessions in this small group will cover organizing school work, setting
goals for studying, time management, and picking a location to study.

3. E. SessionCurriculum:
1. Session1: A Place for Everything and Everything in Its Place
a. Objective: After discussing the importance of staying organized in order to do
well in school students will at the end of this session have all of their class work
organized into folders provided to them by the counselor.
b. SessionContent:
The counselor will start off the session by thanking the students for participating
and introducing the small group topic, study skills. The counselor will then read
off the following statements and have the students stand if it applies to them.
I often have trouble finding my homework.
I often forget when assignments are due.
I have trouble concentrating when I study.
I am often overwhelmed and don’t know what to focus on when I study.
I am confident in my ability to study well.
Fallowing this exercise the counselor will explain that these are challenges that
many students have in school and the goal of this small group is to give them
tools to help them overcome these particular challenges. The counselor will then
introduce the topic for this small group, organization. This should take about five
minutes.
After introducing the topic for this session the counselor will give the students 10
seconds to find one of their English Assignments in their backpack. The counselor
will then have the students discuss what it is like to not have the right assignments
or the right books when they go to class, after which the counselor will talk to
students about the importance of keeping school work organized. This should take
about 15 minutes.
After the counselor is done talking the counselor will ask the student to offer
some ideas for keeping their work organized. After the ideas have been shared the
counselor will provide the students with folders for their homework, one for each
subject. The counselor will also give them markers and allow them to decorate
their folders for 15 minutes, making sure to include the name of the class the
folder is for in the decoration.
When the students are done decorating their folders the counselor will have the
students go through their backpacks and put all of their class work in each of their
respective folders. The counselor will go around provide help to whoever needs it.

4. This should take about 10 minutes. The completion of this task will meet the
objective for this session.
After the students are organized the counselor will inform the students that their
folders will be checked at the beginning of every session to make sure it has been
maintained, after which the students will be dismissed.
2. Session2: Getting Your Priorities Strait
A. Objective: After learning about setting goals based on priorities students will
set at least two school related goals to be completed in the fallowing week.
B. SessionContent:
After greeting the students the counselor will have the students take out their
folders that they made during the last session and check them to see that they
are still organized. The counselor will then introduce the topic for the day,
goal setting. This should take about 5 minutes.
Have the students complete Activity One about priorities, located at the end of
the session content. Have the students share what order they put things in and
why. The counselor can then define priorities and ask the students to share
what they think good priorities are as opposed to bad priorities. After the
students share the counselor can talk to them about making sure school is a
priority in order to do well because if it is not other things can easily get in the
way and keep homework from getting done. This should take about 10
minutes.
After talking about priorities the counselor should talk to the students about
setting goals based on priorities. The counselor can teach the students about
setting S.M.A.R.T. goals the second hand out at the end of this session. The
counselor will then ask students to share some ideas about how they can use
S.M.A.R.T. goals in relation to school work. This should talk about 15
minutes.
After the students have finished discussing S.M.A.R.T. goals give the
counselor can give them two S.M.A.R.T. goals worksheets, which is located
at the end of this session. Have them use the worksheet to set two school
related goals for the fallowing week. Ask for volunteers to share their goals
with the group. This should take about 15 minutes. The writing of these goals
will achieve the objective for this session. The counselor will remind the
students that their folders will be checked again next week before dismissing
them from the session.

8. 3. Session3: Time Flies When You Don’t Write Things Down
A. Objective: After learning how to use a monthly and a weekly planner the
students will at the end of this session demonstrate that they can manage their
time effectively by completing the weekly and monthly planner activities
during the session.
B. SessionContent:
After greeting the students the counselor will check their folders. The
counselor will then ask the students to share about how they did with their two
goals from the last session. This should take about 5 minutes.
After the counselor is done checking the folders and goals progress the
counselor will introduce the topic for this session, time management. The
counselor will then give the students a couple minutes to write down
everything they do in a normal school day around what time they do them.
After they are done the counselor will inform the students that what they just
did was a form of time management, at which point the counselor will explain
what time management means and why it is important for success in school.
This should take about 5 minutes.
When the counselor is done explaining what time management is and its
importance the counselor will hand the students the monthly planner handout
located at the end of this session. The counselor may also hand out markers so
that the students can color code their planner. The counselor will then walk
the students through using the monthly planner. The counselor will first
explain fixed time, things that students have to do at a certain time. The
counselor will then ask students for examples of when they think would be a
fixed time activity. Examples may include school, sport practice, church, etc.
The counselor will then have the students write on their planner all of the
fixed time events that they can think of for that month and what time they are.
The counselor will then explain the importance of setting aside a certain time
every day, preferably the same time, to do homework. The counselor will then
have the students write down for the month when they think they will do
homework, making sure that they allow time for it every day. Finally the
counselor will explain that the remaining time is what the students can use for
other activities. In other words, there should always be a time set aside for just
homework. Have the students share what times they set aside for homework
and why they think that time would work best. This activity should take about
15 minutes.
Upon completion of the monthly planner hand the students a weekly planner
handout located at the end of this session. Again hand the students markers so
they can color code if they would like. Then have the students write out their
assignments, at least for the fallowing week, on the days they are due. Explain

9. the importance of keeping track of this in order to turn work in on time. Also
explain the importance of keeping track of when big assignments are due so
that they can begin working on them ahead of time instead of waiting until the
last minute. This activity should take about 15 minutes. The achievement of
the objective will be based on the students completion of these two activities.
Students will be dismissed after showing the counselor their completed
planners. The counselor will remind the students that their folders will be
checked again next week before they are dismissed.

12. 3. Session4: Location, Location, Location
A. Objective: After researching the best environment for studying the students
will draw a picture depicting the environment they have chosen to study in based
on their research and present it to the group at the end of the session.
B. SessionContent:
This session should take place in a computer lab. After greeting the students the
counselor will check their folders. The counselor will then ask the students to
share about their experience using their planners during the past week, if it helped
them or not. After students share the counselor will introduce this session’s
subject, study location. This should take about 5 minutes.
The counselor will then have the students share about the area they usually study
in and how that works for them. After sharing the counselor will break the
students up into pairs and have them research the best studying environment and
take note of what they find. The counselor should walk around and check on
students’ progress. This should take 10 minutes.
After their time is up pass out paper and markers and have the students draw the
area they have chosen to study in based on what they found in their research.
Again walk around to check on students’ progress. This should take about 10
minutes.
When they are done with their pictures have the students briefly share their
pictures and their research findings with the group. This should take about 15
minutes. Student presentations achieve session objective.
After the students’ presentations the counselor will read off the fallowing
statements and have the students stand if it applies to them. Have the students
explain for one the statements how it applies to them. This should take 5 minutes.
I can easily find my homework when I need it at least some of the time.
I know how to set goals to help me know what to focus on when I study.
I know how to keep track of assignment due dates.
I can concentrate on my work in the sport where I study.
I am confident in my ability to study well.

13. F. Pre/Post Group Evaluation:
The results of the small group will be evaluated based on the students responses to the
statements read at the beginning and the end of the small group. The statements are
negative in the first session and positive in the last session so if students stand for most of
the statements both times then improvement was made. The students however need to be
able to explain the change in the last session, as stated in the description for session four.
If they cannot explain how the statements in the last session apply to them than
improvement was not made.