Lesson Plan
Empathy in Action Plan
Students will understand empathy and active listening, identify different emotions, and practice responding empathetically in role-play scenarios.
This lesson is crucial for developing strong social-emotional skills, helping students build better relationships and navigate social situations more effectively.
Audience
6th Grade Group
Time
60 minutes
Approach
Through interactive role-play and guided reflection.
Materials
Review and display: Walk in Their Shoes Slides, Print and cut: Facilitator Role-Play Prompts, Prepare: Emotion Charades Activity cards, and Refer to: Reflective Share-Out Discussion prompts
Prep
Teacher Preparation
15 minutes
- Review all generated materials: Empathy in Action Plan, Walk in Their Shoes Slides, Facilitator Role-Play Prompts, Emotion Charades Activity, and Reflective Share-Out Discussion.
- Ensure technology is ready for the Walk in Their Shoes Slides.
- Print and cut out the role-play prompts from Facilitator Role-Play Prompts.
- Prepare any necessary materials for the Emotion Charades Activity (e.g., emotion cards).
- Arrange the classroom for small group work and role-playing space if possible.
Step 1
Warm-Up: How Are You Feeling?
5 minutes
- Display Slide 2: "How Are You Feeling?"
- Ask students to share one word that describes how they are feeling today and why. Encourage brief explanations.
- Emphasize that it's okay to feel a variety of emotions and that understanding our own feelings is a first step to understanding others'.
Step 2
Introduction to Empathy
10 minutes
- Display Slide 3: "What is Empathy?" and Slide 4: "Empathy vs. Sympathy."
- Lead a brief discussion on what empathy means, using examples relevant to 6th graders (e.g., seeing a friend upset because they lost a game).
- Explain the difference between empathy (understanding and sharing feelings) and sympathy (feeling sorry for someone).
- Display Slide 5: "Active Listening: The Key to Empathy."
- Discuss active listening techniques: making eye contact, nodding, asking clarifying questions, and not interrupting.
Step 3
Emotion Charades Activity
10 minutes
- Explain the Emotion Charades Activity to the students.
- Divide students into pairs or small groups.
- Have each group pick an emotion card from the Emotion Charades Activity and act it out without speaking.
- Other groups guess the emotion.
- After each round, discuss how they recognized the emotion and what an empathetic response might look like.
Step 4
Empathy in Action: Role-Play
20 minutes
- Display Slide 6: "Role-Play Time!"
- Explain the role-play activity using the Facilitator Role-Play Prompts.
- Divide students into pairs or small groups. Each group will receive a scenario.
- One student will act out the scenario, expressing an emotion.
- The other student(s) will practice active listening and respond empathetically.
- After a few minutes, have students switch roles or scenarios.
- Circulate and provide guidance, using prompts from Facilitator Role-Play Prompts as needed.
Step 5
Debrief and Reflection
10 minutes
- Bring the whole group back together.
- Display Slide 7: "Reflect & Share."
- Use the prompts from the Reflective Share-Out Discussion to guide a discussion about their experiences during the role-play.
- Focus on what they learned, what was challenging, and how they can apply empathy in real life.
Step 6
Wrap-Up: Empathy Challenge
5 minutes
- Display Slide 8: "Your Empathy Challenge!"
- Encourage students to practice empathy and active listening in their daily lives over the next week.
- Ask them to observe how others are feeling and try to respond empathetically.
- Briefly recap the importance of empathy and active listening for strong relationships.
Slide Deck
Welcome to 'Walk in Their Shoes'!
Understanding Others, Understanding Ourselves
Today, we'll learn about:
- What empathy truly means
- How to listen actively
- Practicing empathy in real-life situations
Let's get started!
Welcome students and set a positive tone. Explain that today's lesson is about understanding others' feelings.
How Are You Feeling Today?
Share one word that describes your current feeling and why.
Prompt students to share one word that describes how they are feeling today and why. Encourage brief explanations. Emphasize that it's okay to feel a variety of emotions and that understanding our own feelings is a first step to understanding others'.
What is Empathy?
Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.
It's putting yourself in someone else's shoes to see things from their perspective.
Define empathy clearly. Use relatable examples like understanding why a friend is sad about a lost pet or frustrated with a difficult homework assignment. Emphasize that empathy is about feeling with someone, not just feeling sorry for them.
Empathy vs. Sympathy
Empathy: I understand how you feel.
(You imagine yourself in their situation)
Sympathy: I feel sorry for you.
(You acknowledge their situation from your own perspective)
Which one helps us connect more deeply?
Clarify the distinction between empathy and sympathy. Sympathy is feeling pity or sorrow for someone, while empathy is a deeper connection where you truly try to understand their emotional experience. Provide clear examples for each.
Active Listening: The Key to Empathy
How do we show someone we're truly listening and understanding?
- Eye Contact: Look at the person speaking.
- Nodding & Affirming: Show you're engaged.
- No Interruptions: Let them finish their thoughts.
- Ask Questions: "How did that make you feel?"
- Reflect Back: "So, if I understand correctly..."
Introduce active listening as a crucial component of empathy. Explain and model each technique: making eye contact (respectfully), nodding to show engagement, asking open-ended questions (e.g., "Can you tell me more?"), and summarizing what you hear to confirm understanding.
Time to Practice: Role-Play!
Now, let's put our empathy skills into action!
You'll work in pairs to act out scenarios and practice:
- Expressing emotions clearly
- Actively listening to your partner
- Responding with empathy
Remember to really try to 'walk in their shoes'!
Briefly introduce the role-play activity. Explain that students will practice both expressing emotions and responding empathetically. Reassure them that it's a safe space to practice and learn.
Reflect & Share
Let's talk about what we learned and experienced.
- What was it like to act out an emotion?
- What was it like to try and understand someone else's feelings?
- Was it easy or challenging to listen actively and respond empathetically?
- How can you use these skills in your daily life?
Facilitate a group discussion using the prompts from the Reflective Share-Out Discussion material. Encourage honest sharing and highlight different perspectives. Validate all feelings and experiences.
Your Empathy Challenge!
Empathy is a superpower that helps us build stronger friendships and a kinder community.
This week, look for opportunities to:
- Notice how others are feeling.
- Listen actively when someone is speaking.
- Try to understand their perspective.
Be an empathy superhero!
Conclude the lesson by reinforcing the importance of empathy. Challenge students to look for opportunities to practice empathy in their daily interactions over the coming week. Encourage them to be mindful of how others might be feeling.
Script
Facilitator Role-Play Prompts
Introduction to Role-Play (Teacher Script)
"Alright, fantastic work with Emotion Charades! Now we're going to take our empathy skills a step further with some role-playing. In these scenarios, one of you will act out a situation and express an emotion, and the other will practice active listening and respond empathetically. Remember, the goal isn't to solve the problem, but to show understanding and support.
Here are some tips for our 'actor' and our 'empathizer':
For the Actor:
- Think about how your character would truly feel.
- Use your voice and body language to show the emotion.
- Try to explain why you're feeling that way.
For the Empathizer:
- Listen carefully with your whole body – eyes, ears, and mind.
- Nod, make eye contact, and use encouraging words.
- Ask questions like, 'How did that make you feel?' or 'Tell me more.'
- Try to put yourself in their shoes. What would you need to hear or feel if you were them?
After each mini-scenario, we'll quickly switch roles or move to a new scenario. I'll be walking around to offer support and ideas. Don't worry about being perfect; this is a practice space!"
Role-Play Scenarios (Cut into individual cards for students)
Scenario 1: The Lost Homework
- Actor: You worked really hard on a big homework assignment, and you can't find it anywhere. You're feeling really frustrated and a little scared about what your teacher will say.
- Empathizer: Respond to your friend's frustration and fear about losing their homework.
Scenario 2: Excluded from a Game
- Actor: You saw a group of your friends playing your favorite game during recess, and they didn't invite you to join. You're feeling sad and a little left out.
- Empathizer: Respond to your friend's sadness and feeling of being excluded.
Scenario 3: An Unfair Grade
- Actor: You studied really hard for a test, but you got a much lower grade than you expected. You feel disappointed and a bit unfairly treated.
- Empathizer: Respond to your friend's disappointment and feeling that the grade was unfair.
Scenario 4: A Friend Moved Away
- Actor: Your best friend just told you they are moving to another state next month. You're feeling very sad and lonely already.
- Empathizer: Respond to your friend's sadness about their best friend moving away.
Scenario 5: Big Game Nerves
- Actor: You have a big sports game or a performance coming up, and you're feeling really nervous and anxious about it.
- Empathizer: Respond to your friend's nervousness about an upcoming event.
Scenario 6: Exciting News!
- Actor: You just found out you got the lead role in the school play / made the basketball team! You're feeling incredibly excited and proud.
- Empathizer: Respond to your friend's excitement and share in their joy empathetically.
Guiding Questions for Facilitator During Role-Play
- "What emotions are you noticing from your partner?"
- "How do you think your partner is feeling right now?"
- "What could you say or do to show you understand?"
- "Are you making eye contact? Are you nodding?"
- "Could you try asking them 'Tell me more about that'?"
- "How would you feel if you were in that situation?"
- "Remember, it's about listening, not fixing."
- "Great job with that empathetic statement!"
Activity
Emotion Charades: Guess the Feeling!
Objective: To help students recognize and express a variety of emotions non-verbally, building a foundation for empathetic responses.
Instructions:
- Preparation: Print and cut out the emotion cards below. Fold them or place them in a hat/bag.
- Introduction: Explain to students that before they can empathize with others, it's helpful to be able to recognize different emotions. This game will help them practice.
- Gameplay:
- Divide the class into small groups or play as a whole class with students taking turns.
- One student from a group (or a volunteer) picks an emotion card but does not show it to anyone else.
- The student then acts out the emotion using only facial expressions and body language (no talking or sounds).
- Their group (or the rest of the class) tries to guess the emotion.
- Once guessed correctly, discuss briefly: "How did you know they were feeling [Emotion]?" and "What might someone say or do to show empathy for someone feeling [Emotion]?"
- Continue with different students and emotion cards.
Emotion Cards (Print and cut along the lines)
Emotion Cards (Print and cut along the lines)
Card 1
Happy
Card 2
Sad
Card 3
Angry
Card 4
Scared
Card 5
Excited
Card 6
Confused
Card 7
Surprised
Card 8
Frustrated
Card 9
Proud
Card 10
Shy
Card 11
Nervous
Card 12
Disappointed
Card 13
Grateful
Card 14
Bored
Card 15
Peaceful
Card 16
Annoyed
Discussion
Reflective Share-Out: Our Empathy Journey
Objective: To provide students with an opportunity to reflect on their experiences with empathy and active listening, and to share insights with the group.
Instructions for Teacher: Lead a whole-group discussion using the prompts below. Encourage open and honest sharing. Validate all responses and ensure a respectful environment where everyone feels heard.
Discussion Prompts
-
Thinking about our Emotion Charades activity:
- What was it like to act out an emotion without speaking? Was it easy or hard to convey?
- What clues did you look for when guessing emotions?
- How did recognizing those non-verbal cues help you understand the emotion?
-
During the role-play scenarios, when you were the "actor" (expressing an emotion):
- How did it feel to share your feelings in that scenario?
- What kind of response from your partner made you feel understood or supported?
- What kind of response made you feel less understood?
-
During the role-play scenarios, when you were the "empathizer" (listening and responding):
- What was challenging about actively listening and responding with empathy?
- What felt easy or natural?
- What did you learn about trying to "walk in someone else's shoes"?
- Can you share an example of an empathetic phrase or action you used?
-
Connecting to Real Life:
- Why is empathy an important skill to have in school, with friends, and with family?
- Can you think of a time recently when you wished someone had shown you more empathy?
- How do you think practicing empathy can help you build stronger friendships?
- What's one thing you will try to do this week to practice being more empathetic?
Teacher Note: Encourage students to elaborate on their answers and provide specific examples. Remind them that empathy is a skill that gets stronger with practice.