Classroom lessons taught by the counselors are presented to all students at Nottingham. The lessons cover academic, career, and personal/social content. The lessons are based on the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) National Standards, Virginia Standards of Learning, and Arlington County Public Schools Competencies and Indicators for the School School Counseling Program. The lessons are thirty minutes a week. All students receive at least 10 lessons taught be the counselors.During the first cycle of the year (September 10 - November 21) the counselors teach in all third, fourth, and fifth grade classes. The lessons about friendship and bullying draw heavily on the Steps to Respect materials. The second cycle (December 1 - May 15) all kindergarten, first, and second grade classes have lessons taught by the counselors every other week. Most of the lessons in grades K-2 are literature based. Teachers may also request additional lessons to address specific needs unique to their class (i.e., sensitivity to students with exceptionalities).

Grade Level theme and lesson titles

Kindergarten (13 sessions)
What makes people good students, friends, and workers?
Introduction: Who Are the Counselors and What Is Our Job?

• Alike and Different
• Introduction to Feelings
• Debug Problem Solving (5 lessons)
  Step 1 Ignore - Stone Face
  Step 2 Turn, Walk, or Move Away
  Step 3 Friendly Talk
  Step 4 Straight Talk
  Step 5 Get Adult Help
• Workers at School
• Workers in the Community
• Career Visitors -2
• Saying No! (Personal Safety)
  

Grade 1 (13 sessions)
Becoming good students, friends, and workers
Introduction: All About the School Counselor

• It's OK to be Different
• Express Your Feelings
• Friends Are Beautiful on the Inside
• Talk It Out
• Kind Words
• Everyone Can Play
• Tattling vs. Telling
• Places of Work
• Tools of the Trade
• Career Visitors -2
• Hands Are for Helping Not Hurting (Safety)
  

Grade 2 (11 sessions)
Problem solving at school, home, and work
Introduction to the School Counseling Program

• All Kinds of People
• All Feelings are OK
• Friendship Begins with Respect
• Recipe for Friends
• Say Something
• Stop Teasing
• Tattling vs. Reporting
• 6 Career Paths
• Career Information
• Run, Yell, Tell (Personal Safety)
  

Grade 3 (10 sessions)
Building Bridges: School, Friends, and Future
Introduction: Get Started on the Right Foot

• Conversations
• Decisions
• Speak Up and Solve Problems
• Power of One
• Responding to conflict and bullying
• Rumors
• Positive Messages
• Crayons to College to Careers
• Why People Work
  

Grade 4 (10 sessions)
Getting along now and tomorrow

• Celebrate Diversity
• OH PLAY (3 study skills lessons)
• Organization Healthy Habits
• Plan Listen
• Attitude Your choice (short-term goal setting)
• Healthy Friendships
• Emotion Management
• Relational Aggression: Awareness & Strategies
• Cyber bullying and the 4Rs
• Careers and Me
• Careers Now, Then, & Future
  

Grade 5 (13-14 sessions)
Goals are dreams with deadlines

• Learning Strengths
• Goal Setting
• Friendship and Conflict
• Emotion Management
• All Types of Bullying
• Handling Relational Aggression
• Helpful Bystanders
• Cyber bullying
  
• What is My Career Goal?
• Career Magic
• Managing Stress
• Mental Health* (can also be taught by school psychologist)
• Too Smart to Start** (co-taught with school nurse) – 2 sessions
• Middle School*** (middle school counselors also participate in transition)