Unit Plan 26 (Grade 4 Counselor): Boundaries, Privacy, and Digital Respect

Focus: Extend boundary work into privacy, belongings, and age-appropriate digital choices. Students discuss respecting personal space, not touching others’ items, not sharing private information, and using devices responsibly. The counselor includes scenarios about taking or sharing pictures, using someone else’s account, teasing in digital spaces, or repeating private information.

Grade Level: 4

Subject Area: School Counseling (Boundaries • Privacy • Digital Respect)

Total Unit Duration: 1–2 weeks, 30 minutes per session

I. Introduction

This Grade 4 counseling lesson helps students understand that boundaries apply in person and in digital spaces. Students review personal space, belongings, privacy, and respectful ways to say, hear, and respond to “stop.” The counselor then extends those ideas to age-appropriate digital choices, such as not sharing private information, not using someone else’s account, not taking or sharing pictures without permission, and not joining teasing in digital spaces.

Students analyze realistic Grade 4 scenarios involving backpacks, desks, supplies, personal information, devices, pictures, accounts, messages, rumors, and online or digital teasing. The counselor emphasizes that responsible students protect safety, learning, respect, and trust by making careful choices and seeking adult help when something feels unsafe, harmful, repeated, or too big to handle alone.

Essential Questions

• What are boundaries, and how do they apply to personal space, belongings, privacy, and digital choices?
• How can students respect someone’s privacy in person and in digital spaces?
• What should students do if someone shares private information, uses an account without permission, or joins digital teasing?
• When should students ask a trusted adult for help with a boundary, privacy, or digital respect concern?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Identify examples of personal boundaries, including personal space, body boundaries, belongings, privacy, and requests to stop.
2. Explain how privacy applies to personal information, conversations, pictures, accounts, belongings, and digital communication.
3. Recognize unsafe, disrespectful, or irresponsible digital choices, such as sharing private information, teasing online, using someone else’s account, or sharing pictures without permission.
4. Practice assertive and respectful boundary phrases, such as “Please stop,” “That is private,” “I need space,” and “Do not share that.”
5. Name trusted adults who can help when a boundary, privacy, safety, or digital respect problem is repeated, harmful, unsafe, or too big to handle alone.
6. (Optional Session) Practice responding to boundary and digital respect scenarios through sorting, role-play, or response planning.

Standards Alignment — Grade 4 (ASCA-based Custom)

• C:S6.4b — Respect Personal Boundaries and Use Assertive Communication
  • Understand personal space, body boundaries, privacy, belongings, and respectful ways to say, hear, and respond to “stop.”
  • Example: A student says, “Please stop touching my backpack,” and immediately stops when another student asks for space.
• C:S6.4a — Identify Trusted Adults and Appropriate Help-Seeking
  • Name trusted adults at school and explain when to seek help for themselves or others.
  • Example: A student knows to tell a teacher, counselor, nurse, principal, or playground supervisor about unsafe behavior, repeated conflict, strong worries, or bullying concerns.
• C:S6.4c — Make Safe, Respectful, and Responsible Choices
  • Choose actions that support safety, learning, respect, and responsibility in classrooms, hallways, cafeteria, playground, group work, and digital spaces.
  • Example: A student chooses not to join online or in-person teasing and tells a trusted adult when someone is being harmed or targeted.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can explain what a boundary is.
• I can respect personal space, belongings, privacy, and digital information.
• I can use respectful words to say “stop,” ask for space, or protect privacy.
• I can make safe, respectful, and responsible choices with devices and digital communication.
• I can tell a trusted adult when a boundary, privacy, or digital problem is unsafe, repeated, harmful, or too big.