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Walk a Mile in Their Shoes

Lesson Plan

Walk a Mile in Their Shoes Lesson Plan

Students will define empathy and perspective-taking and practice applying these concepts to hypothetical situations to develop stronger social-emotional skills.

Understanding empathy and perspective-taking helps students build stronger, more meaningful relationships, resolve conflicts, and create a more inclusive and supportive classroom and community environment.

Audience

6th Grade Small Group

Time

45 minutes

Approach

Interactive discussion, scenario analysis, and a creative project.

Materials

Prep

Teacher Preparation

15 minutes

  • Review the Empathy & Perspective Slide Deck to familiarize yourself with the content.
    - Read through the Walk a Mile Project Guide to understand the project expectations.
    - Prepare a few simple, age-appropriate scenarios for the scenario activity. Examples: a new student joining class, someone feeling left out at recess, a friend struggling with homework.

Step 1

Warm-Up: What Does It Feel Like?

5 minutes

  • Ask students to silently think of a time they felt really happy and a time they felt a little sad or frustrated.
    - Ask them to share (voluntarily) one word that describes how they felt in each situation.
    - Introduce the idea that understanding these feelings in ourselves can help us understand others.

Step 2

Introduction to Empathy and Perspective-Taking

10 minutes

  • Use the Empathy & Perspective Slide Deck to introduce the definitions of empathy and perspective-taking.
    - Facilitate a brief discussion using the questions on the slides: "What does 'walking in someone else's shoes' really mean?", "Why is it important to try and understand others' feelings?"

Step 3

Scenario Activity: See Through Their Eyes

15 minutes

  • Present 2-3 prepared scenarios to the small group.
    - For each scenario, ask students to discuss:
    - How might the person in this situation be feeling?
    - Why might they be feeling that way?
    - If you were in their shoes, what would you want someone to do or say?
    - How can we show empathy in this situation?
    - Encourage diverse perspectives and respectful listening.

Step 4

Project Introduction: Empathy in Action

10 minutes

  • Introduce the "Walk a Mile" project using the Walk a Mile Project Guide.
    - Explain that this project will allow them to apply their understanding of empathy and perspective-taking in a creative way.
    - Briefly go over the project expectations and answer any initial questions.

Step 5

Cool-Down: One Takeaway

5 minutes

  • Ask each student to share one new thing they learned or one way they plan to practice empathy this week.
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Slide Deck

Walk a Mile in Their Shoes

Understanding Empathy & Perspective-Taking

For 6th Graders - Small Group Session - 45 Minutes

Welcome students and introduce the topic. Explain that this lesson is about understanding others better.

What is Empathy?

Empathy is feeling with someone.

It's understanding and sharing the feelings of another person. It's about connecting with their emotions.

Imagine your friend is upset because their pet ran away. Empathy is feeling some of that sadness with them.

Define empathy simply for students. Emphasize 'feeling with' someone. Ask for examples if time permits, like feeling sad when a friend is sad.

What is Perspective-Taking?

Perspective-Taking is seeing through someone else's eyes.

It's the ability to understand a situation or topic from another person's point of view, even if it's different from your own.

Imagine two people watching a soccer game from different sides of the field. They might see the same event, but from slightly different angles.

Define perspective-taking. Highlight 'seeing through their eyes'. Ask students what makes it hard to see things from another person's view (e.g., different experiences, not knowing all the facts).

Why Does It Matter?

Why are Empathy and Perspective-Taking Important?

  • Better Friendships: You understand your friends more deeply.
  • Solve Problems: You can find solutions that work for everyone.
  • A Kinder Community: We create a more supportive and understanding environment.

Discuss why these skills are important. Connect it to real-life situations like friendships and school. Encourage students to share their own thoughts on why it matters.

Putting it into Practice

How can we use Empathy and Perspective-Taking in our daily lives?

We can start by listening, observing, and trying to imagine ourselves in someone else's situation.

  • Listen carefully: Pay attention to what people say and how they say it.
  • Observe: Notice body language and facial expressions.
  • Ask questions: Gently ask if you're unsure how someone feels.
  • Imagine: Think, "If I were them, how would I feel?"

Introduce the idea of applying these concepts to scenarios. Explain that they will be working through some examples together as a group. This slide sets up the next activity mentioned in the lesson plan.

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Project Guide

Walk a Mile Empathy Story Project

Objective

To demonstrate your understanding of empathy and perspective-taking by creating a short story or comic strip that explores a character's feelings and point of view in a challenging situation, and how empathy can be shown.

Project Description

Imagine you are a storyteller! Your task is to create a piece that helps others "walk a mile" in someone else's shoes. You will choose a character and a situation, then show how they feel and why, and how empathy can play a role.

Instructions

Step 1: Choose Your Format

Decide if you want to create a:

  • Short Story: 1-2 pages long.
  • Comic Strip: 4-6 panels.

Step 2: Create Your Character and Situation

Think about:

  • A main character: What are they like? What are their strengths and challenges?
  • A challenging situation: This should be something relatable for a 6th grader. Examples:
    • Being new to a school
    • Struggling with a difficult subject
    • Feeling left out of a group
    • Having a disagreement with a friend
    • Dealing with a family change

Step 3: Develop the Story/Comic

Your story or comic should include:

  • The situation: Clearly describe what is happening.
  • Your character's feelings and perspective: Show, don't just tell, what your character is feeling and why. What are they thinking? What do they wish others understood?
  • An empathetic response (optional but encouraged): How might another character show empathy or perspective-taking towards your main character? What actions or words demonstrate this?

Step 4: Add Details

  • Short Story: Include vivid descriptions of feelings, thoughts, and actions.
  • Comic Strip: Use drawings and speech bubbles/thought bubbles to convey the story. Make sure the emotions are clear in your drawings.

Deliverables

  • A complete short story (1-2 pages) OR a 4-6 panel comic strip.
  • (Optional) A brief paragraph explaining what you learned about empathy and perspective-taking from creating your project.

Due Date

[Teacher to set due date]

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