GREAT FALLS PUBLIC SCHOOL

K-12 COUNSELING CURRICULUM

ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT DOMAIN

Big Idea: As a lifelong process, learning requires skills, knowledge and an assumption that learning is inherent in life.

ACADEMIC STANDARDS

A. Students will acquire the knowledge, attitudes, and interpersonal skills that contribute to effective learning.	B. Students will complete school with the academic rigor and preparation essential to choose from a wide range of substantial post-secondary options, including college.	C. Students will understand the relationship of academics to the world of work, to life at home, and to life in the community.
Enduring Understanding: A positive attitude, solid knowledge base, and good interpersonal skills will help me all my life.	Enduring Understanding: Education will increase my choices in life.	Enduring Understanding: My education is important to my future.

CAREER DEVELOPMENT DOMAIN

Big Idea: Our contribution to the world is dependent upon the connections we make among our personal attributes, our education, our skills, and our experiences.

CAREER STANDARDS

A. Students will acquire the skills to investigate the world of work and to make informed career decisions.	B. Students will employ strategies to achieve future career goals with success and satisfaction.	C. Students will understand the relationship among personal qualities, education, training, and the world of work.
Enduring Understanding: If I know how to find out about careers, I will make better decisions for my future.	Enduring Understanding: I will make better decisions for my future if I research and explore options available to me.	Enduring Understanding: The qualities I develop in myself and the skills I learn will help me be more successful in my future work.

PERSONAL/SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT DOMAIN

Big Idea: Individual maturation in a complex and diverse society demands skilled interactions, understanding of self, empathy for others, and continuous reflection.

PERSONAL/SOCIAL STANDARDS

A. Students will acquire the attitudes, knowledge, and interpersonal skills to help understand and respect self and others.	B. Students will make decisions, set goals, and take necessary action to achieve goals.	C. Students will understand safety and survival skills.
Enduring Understanding: It is essential that I learn how to develop good relationships with others in my life and to know and understand myself.	Enduring Understanding: Planning increases the likelihood of success	Enduring Understanding: Developing skills and the internal strength to cope with and manage my life will help me with all that I do.

MIDDLE SCHOOL

ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT DOMAIN

Big Idea: As a lifelong process, learning requires skills, knowledge and an assumption that learning is inherent in life.

Academic Standard A: Students will acquire the knowledge, attitudes, and interpersonal skills that contribute to effective learning.

Enduring Understanding: A positive attitude, solid knowledge base, and good interpersonal skills will help me all my life.

BENCHMARKS

Grade 7	Grade 8	Essential questions
Aa1. I can identify attitudes and behaviors that lead to successful learning by recognizing my strengths and weaknesses. Aa2. I can apply knowledge and learning styles to influence school performance positively. Aa3. I can practice being responsible for my actions. Aa4. I can demonstrate the ability to work both independently and cooperatively with other students.	Aa1. I can identify attitudes and behaviors that lead to successful learning by recognizing my strengths and weaknesses. Aa2. I can apply knowledge and learning styles to influence school performance positively. Aa3. I can practice being responsible for my actions. Aa4. I can demonstrate the ability to work both independently and cooperatively with other students.	How do my attitudes, knowledge, and skills contribute to my learning?

ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT DOMAIN

MIDDLE SCHOOL

Big Idea: As a lifelong process, learning requires skills, knowledge and an assumption that learning is inherent in life.

Academic Standard B. Students will complete school with the academic rigor and preparation essential to choose from a wide range of substantial post-secondary options, including college.

Enduring Understanding: Education will increase my choices in life.

BENCHMARKS

Grade 7	Grade 8	Essential questions
Ab1. I can describe how my education will increase my choices in life. Ab2. I can establish challenging academic goals. Ab3. I can utilize assessment results in educational planning. Ab4. I can understand the relationship between classroom performance and success in school.	Ab1. I can describe how my education will increase my choices in life. Ab2. I can establish challenging academic goals. Ab3. I can use assessment results in educational planning. Ab4. I can understand the relationship between classroom performance and success in school.	What do I need to do to be prepared for life after high school?

MIDDLE SCHOOL

ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT DOMAIN

Big Idea: As a lifelong process, learning requires skills, knowledge and an assumption that learning is inherent in life.

Academic Standard C: Students will understand the relationship of academics to the world of work, to life at home, and to life in the community.

Enduring Understanding: My education is important to my future

BENCHMARKS

Grade 7	Grade 8	Essential questions
Ac1. I can understand the relationship between learning and work. Ac2. I can explain how school success will help me make the transition from student to community member.	Ac1. I can identify ways in which decisions I make about my education relate to other major life decisions. Ac2. I can explain how school success will help me make the transition from student to community member. Ac3. I can develop an educational plan for successfully completing academic requirements.	In what ways do the choices I make impact my life? What choices do I have in school? Why should I care about my reputation within and outside of school?

MIDDLE SCHOOL

CAREER DEVELOPMENT DOMAIN

Big Idea: Our contribution to the world is dependent upon the connections we make among our personal attributes, our education, our skills, and our experiences.

Career Development Standard A: Students will acquire the skills to investigate the world of work in relation to knowledge of self and to make informed career decisions.

Enduring Understanding: If I know how to find out about careers, I will make better decisions for my future.

BENCHMARKS

Grade 7	Grade 8	Essential questions
Ca1. I can develop skills to locate, evaluate and interpret career information. Ca2. I can develop an awareness of personal abilities, skills, interests, and motivations.	Ca1. I can develop skills to locate, evaluate and interpret career information. Ca2. I can develop an awareness of personal abilities, skills, interests, and motivations. Ca3. I can set goals and make a plan for my future.	What skills do I have? What skills do I need to have so that I can make work and career decisions? What tools can I use to investigate the world of work?

MIDDLE SCHOOL

CAREER DEVELOPMENT DOMAIN

Big Idea: Our contribution to the world is dependent upon the connections we make among our personal attributes, our education, our skills, and our experiences.

Career Development Standard B: Students will employ strategies to achieve future career goals with success and satisfaction.

Enduring Understanding: I will make better decisions for my future if I research and explore options available to me.

BENCHMARKS

Grade 7	Grade 8	Essential questions
C b1. I can use technology and other resources to explore career information. .	Cb1. I can use technology and other resources to explore career information. . C b2. I can apply decision making skills to career planning and course selection. Cb3. I can identify personal skills, interests and abilities and relate them to career options. C b4. I know the various ways in which occupations can be classified.	How do I achieve career goals with success and satisfaction?

MIDDLE SCHOOL

CAREER DEVELOPMENT DOMAIN

Big Idea: Our contribution to the world is dependent upon the connections we make among our personal attributes, our education, our skills, and our experiences.

Career Development Standard C: Students will understand the relationships among personal qualities, education, training, and the world of work.

Enduring Understanding: The qualities I develop in myself and the skills I learn will help me be more successful in my future work.

BENCHMARKS

Grade 7	Grade 8	Essential questions
Cc1. I can understand the importance of responsibility, dependability, punctuality, integrity, and effort in the workplace. Cc2. I can identify personal preferences and interests which influence career choice and success.	Cc1. I can understand the relationship between educational achievement and career success. Cc 2. I can identify personal preferences and interests which influence career choice and success.	How do my personal traits contribute to my success at school? How does what I do in school relate to my future world of work? How do personal qualities, education, training and the world of work relate to each other?

MIDDLE SCHOOL

PERSONAL/SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT DOMAIN

Big Idea: Individual maturation in a complex and diverse society demands skilled interactions, understanding of self, empathy for others, and continuous reflection.

Personal/Social Standard A: Students will acquire the attitudes, knowledge, and interpersonal skills to help understand and respect self and others.

Enduring Understanding: It is essential that I learn how to develop good relationships with others in my life and to know and understand myself.

BENCHMARKS

Grade 7	Grade 8	Essential questions
P/Sa1. I can develop positive attitudes toward self and others as unique and worthy persons. P/Sa2. I can identify, express and appropriately respond to feelings. P/Sa3. I can distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate behavior. P/Sa4. I can recognize personal boundaries, rights, and privacy needs. P/Sa5. I can understand the need for self control and how to practice it. P/Sa6. I can demonstrate awareness that thoughts and feelings affect interpersonal relationships. P/Sa7. I can work toward recognizing, accepting, and appreciating ethnic and cultural diversity.	P/Sa3. I can distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate behavior. P/Sa4. I can recognize personal boundaries, rights, and privacy needs. P/Sa5. I can understand the need for self control and how to practice it. P/Sa6. I can demonstrate awareness that thoughts and feelings affect interpersonal relationships. P/Sa7. I can work toward recognizing, accepting, and appreciating ethnic and cultural diversity. P/Sa8. I can work toward recognizing and respecting differences in various family configurations.	How do my attitudes, knowledge, and interpersonal skills contribute to respect for self and others? How do I show a positive attitude for self and others? Can I recognize how I am feeling and respond appropriately?

MIDDLE SCHOOL

PERSONAL/SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT DOMAIN

Big Idea: Individual maturation in a complex and diverse society demands skilled interactions, understanding of self, empathy for others, and continuous reflection.

Personal/Social B. Students will make decisions, set goals, and take necessary action to achieve goals.

Enduring Understanding: Planning increases the likelihood of success.

BENCHMARKS

Grade 7	Grade 8	Essential questions
P/Sb1. I can demonstrate when, where, and how to seek help for solving problems and making decisions P/Sb2. I can apply conflict resolution skills.	P/S b3. I can learn the goal setting process and use it in social interactions.	How do making decisions and setting goals contribute to my development? How do I set and achieve goals based on sound decisions, and where do I go for help?

MIDDLE SCHOOL

PERSONAL/SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT DOMAIN

Big Idea: Individual maturation in a complex and diverse society demands skilled interactions, understanding of self, empathy for others, and continuous reflection.

Personal/Social Standard C: Students will understand resiliency and safety skills

Enduring Understanding: Developing skills and the internal strength to cope with and manage my life will help me with all that I do.

BENCHMARKS

Grade 7	Grade 8	Essential questions
P/Sc1. I can differentiate between situations requiring peer support and situations requiring adult professional help. P/Sc2. I can identify resource people in the school and community and how to seek their help.	P/Sc3. I can learn resiliency and coping skills to manage life situations. P/Sc4. I can identify the positive ways of dealing with the stress of significant changes. P/Sc5. I can differentiate between situations requiring peer support and situations requiring adult professional help.	What do I need to know to keep myself safe? How do I develop coping skills and the internal strength that I will need to manage my life?