"The Recess Queen" (Targeted Grade 1)
Lesson Plan
Adapted from/Counselor Name: Karen Ward
Title of Lesson: The Recess Queen
Quarter: Anytime
Audience: Classroom Small Group
Level: Primary (K-2) Intermediate (3-5)
Target Grade: 1st

COUNSELING STANDARDS
PERSONAL/SOCIAL
* Students will acquire the knowledge, attitudes and interpersonal skills to help them understand and respect self and others.
* Students will make decisions, set goals, and take necessary action to achieve goals.

COUNSELING COMPETENCY(IES)
Describe how behavior influences the feelings and actions of others. Identify resource people in the school and community, and know how to
seek their help.

MATERIALS/RESOURCES:
The book, The Recess Queen, by Alexis O’Neill.
Paper.
Chart of tattling vs. telling.

ACTIVITY:
Before you read the book, talk about being safe in school. Ask, what makes you feel safe at school? (i.e. having adults available for support,
kids playing nicely, kids playing non-competitive games) Ask, what is a bully? Ask, have you ever been bullied or seen someone else being
bullied? Today I am going to read a book called, The Recess Queen. Tell the class that the main character’s name is Mean Jean the Recess Queen. Ask, do you think Mean Jean might be a bully? After reading the book, ask what happened that helped Mean Jean change; what did
Katie Sue do to make a difference in the way the other students felt about Mean Jean; what was Mean Jean’s new name. Katie Sue’s plan for
dealing with a bully worked because most bullies really want to have friends, but don’t know how to make friends, however, talking and playing
with a bully does not always work. Teach students three strategies for dealing with a bully: walk, talk, or tell. Discuss what each of these
strategies means. You may want to teach the difference between tattling and telling. (I have included a chart telling the differences.) The chart is
from the book, Bully Proofing Your School, by Carla Garrity and others.) As a closure, or at the next class meeting, generate ideas through
prewriting activities (e.g. brainstorming, webbing, drawing, writer’s notebook, group discussion). You may want to start the draft for a story or
check with the teacher ahead of time about starting the writing process.

EVALUATION:
Pretest/Postest: What is a bully?
How did the student change as a result of this lesson? Students will demonstrate strategies to deal with bullying.
Information/Comments/Follow-up: