lenny

Empathy Power

Lesson Plan

Walking in Their Shoes

Students will be able to define empathy and recognize different emotions. Students will practice perspective-taking and identify strategies for showing empathy in various situations.

Understanding and practicing empathy helps students build stronger relationships, resolve conflicts peacefully, and create a more supportive classroom and community environment. It's a key social-emotional skill for life.

Audience

5th Grade Group

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Interactive discussion, role-play scenarios, and reflective writing.

Materials

The Empathy Advantage (slide-deck), Empathy Role-Play Scenarios, My Empathy Action Step, Whiteboard or chart paper, and Markers

Prep

Review Materials

10 minutes

Step 1

Introduction & Warm-Up

5 minutes

  • Begin by asking students: "What does it mean to 'walk in someone else's shoes'?" Allow for a few responses.
  • Introduce the concept of empathy as understanding and sharing the feelings of others.
  • Transition to the slide deck, The Empathy Advantage Slide Deck.

Step 2

Exploring Empathy

10 minutes

  • Go through The Empathy Advantage Slide Deck, facilitating discussion around what empathy looks and feels like.
  • Discuss different emotions and how we can recognize them in ourselves and others.
  • Emphasize that empathy is a strength that helps us connect with people.
  • Ask: "Why is empathy an important strength to have?"

Step 3

Empathy in Action

10 minutes

  • Introduce the Empathy Role-Play Scenarios Game.
  • Divide students into pairs or small groups.
  • Distribute the scenarios and instruct students to act them out, focusing on showing empathy.
  • After a few minutes, bring the group back together to briefly discuss what they observed and how challenging or easy it was to demonstrate empathy.

Step 4

Cool-Down & Reflection

5 minutes

  • Distribute the My Empathy Action Step Cool Down.
  • Ask students to reflect on what they learned and write down one concrete action step they can take to practice empathy.
  • Collect the cool-down slips as an exit ticket.
lenny
0 educators
use Lenny to create lessons.

No credit card needed

Slide Deck

Empathy Power: Walking in Their Shoes

Understanding feelings, building connections, and solving problems together!

Welcome students and introduce the topic of empathy. Ask them what the title "Empathy Power" makes them think of.

What is Empathy?

Imagine you could feel what someone else feels.

It's understanding and sharing the feelings of others.

It's like putting yourself in their shoes!

Start with a simple question to get them thinking. 'What does it mean to put yourself in someone else's shoes?' Guide them towards understanding empathy as seeing things from another's perspective and understanding their feelings.

Recognizing Emotions

Empathy starts with noticing how others are feeling.

  • Happy, Sad, Angry, Scared, Surprised, Disgusted

    How do these emotions look on someone's face or in their body language?

Discuss how different emotions can look and feel. Use examples of facial expressions or body language. Ask students for examples of different emotions and how they might show them.

Empathy: Your Social Superpower!

Empathy helps us:

  • Make new friends and keep old ones.
  • Understand why people act the way they do.
  • Work better in teams.
  • Solve problems and disagreements.

    It's a strength that makes the world a kinder place!

Explain why empathy is a valuable strength. Connect it to real-life situations like making friends, working in groups, or resolving disagreements. Ask: "Why do you think empathy is a superpower?"

Putting Empathy into Practice

Empathy is a skill you can practice!

  • Listen actively.
  • Pay attention to body language.
  • Ask how others are feeling.

    Ready to try?

Introduce the idea of practicing empathy. Explain that like any skill, it gets stronger with practice. Transition to the role-play activity.

lenny

Game

Empathy Role-Play Scenarios

Instructions: With a partner or small group, choose a scenario below. Act out the situation, focusing on how you can show empathy towards the other person. Think about what they might be feeling and how you can respond kindly and supportively.

Scenario 1: Lost Toy

  • Character A: You accidentally lost your friend's favorite toy that they let you borrow. You feel terrible and are scared to tell them.
  • Character B: You are Character A's friend. You just found out your favorite toy is lost.

Discussion Points: How does Character A feel? How does Character B feel? What empathetic responses can Character B give to Character A? How can Character A show empathy for Character B's feelings even though they are upset themselves?













Scenario 2: New Kid

  • Character A: You are new to this school and feel a bit shy and lonely during lunch break.
  • Character B: You see the new kid sitting by themselves.

Discussion Points: How does Character A feel? What could Character B do or say to show empathy? What might stop Character B from approaching Character A, and how can they overcome that?













Scenario 3: Failed Test

  • Character A: You studied really hard for a test, but you didn't do very well. You feel disappointed and a little embarrassed.
  • Character B: You are Character A's friend. You did well on the same test.

Discussion Points: How does Character A feel? What should Character B not say? What empathetic words or actions can Character B offer? How can Character B support their friend without making it about their own success?













lenny
lenny

Cool Down

My Empathy Action Step

Name: _____________________________

Instructions: Think about what we discussed today about empathy. What is one specific thing you can do to practice empathy in your daily life? It could be at home, at school, or with your friends. Write down your action step below!












Bonus: How do you think practicing this action step will make others feel, and how might it make you feel?












lenny
lenny
Empathy Power • Lenny Learning