• lenny-learning-logoLenny Learning
  • Home
    Home
    • Lessons
    Lessons
  • Curriculum
    Curriculum
  • Surveys
    Surveys
  • Videos
    Videos
  • Support
    Support
  • Log In
lenny

Building Our Bridge: Understanding Perspectives

user image

Carri Russell

Tier 1
For Schools

Lesson Plan

Building Our Bridge: Understanding Perspectives

Students will be able to identify and articulate different perspectives in various situations and practice empathy.

Understanding that others have different viewpoints helps us communicate better, resolve conflicts peacefully, and build stronger, more inclusive communities.

Audience

All Grade Levels

Time

60 minutes

Approach

Interactive discussions, reflective journaling, and a collaborative activity.

Materials

Whiteboard or projector, Markers or pens, Understanding Perspectives Slide Deck, Perspective Ponderings Activity, My View, Your View Journal, and Bridging Perspectives Discussion

Prep

Review Materials

15 minutes

  • Review the Building Our Bridge: Understanding Perspectives Lesson Plan, Understanding Perspectives Slide Deck, Perspective Ponderings Activity, My View, Your View Journal, and Bridging Perspectives Discussion to ensure familiarity with the content and flow.
    - Prepare the classroom for group work and discussion.
    - Make copies of the My View, Your View Journal and Perspective Ponderings Activity as needed for your class size, or prepare for digital distribution.

Step 1

Introduction: What's Your Side of the Story?

10 minutes

  • Begin by projecting the title slide of the Understanding Perspectives Slide Deck.
    - Engage students with a brief warm-up question: "Have you ever seen something one way, and someone else saw it completely differently? What happened?" Allow a few students to share.
    - Introduce the concept of perspective-taking: understanding that different people can have different thoughts, feelings, and experiences about the same event or situation. Explain that today, we'll be building bridges to better understand each other's views.

Step 2

Exploring Different Lenses: Activity Time!

20 minutes

  • Transition to the Perspective Ponderings Activity. Distribute the activity sheets or explain how to access them digitally.
    - Guide students through the scenarios, encouraging them to think about how different characters or people in the scenarios might feel and why.
    - Facilitate small group or pair discussions as students work through the activity, prompting them to explain their reasoning.

Step 3

Deep Dive: Journaling Our Thoughts

15 minutes

  • Distribute the My View, Your View Journal prompts or direct students to the digital version.
    - Explain that journaling is a time for individual reflection. Students should choose one or two prompts that resonate with them and write about their thoughts on perspective-taking, a time they struggled with it, or a time they successfully understood someone else's view.
    - Encourage honest and thoughtful responses, emphasizing that there are no right or wrong answers, only personal reflections.

Step 4

Sharing and Connecting: Group Discussion

10 minutes

  • Bring the class back together for the Bridging Perspectives Discussion.
    - Reiterate the importance of respectful listening and sharing during discussions.
    - Use the discussion prompts to facilitate a conversation about the activity and journaling experiences. Encourage students to share insights they gained or challenges they faced in understanding different perspectives.
    - Conclude by summarizing key takeaways about empathy and the value of seeing things from another's point of view.

Step 5

Wrap-Up: Building Our Bridge Together

5 minutes

  • Project the final slide of the Understanding Perspectives Slide Deck.
    - Ask students to share one new thing they learned or one way they plan to practice perspective-taking in their daily lives.
    - Thank students for their participation and emphasize that building bridges of understanding is an ongoing process that strengthens their community.
lenny

Slide Deck

Building Our Bridge: Understanding Perspectives

How do you see the world? How do others?

Welcome students and introduce the lesson's main topic. Encourage initial thoughts on why understanding others is important. Ask students to think about the title - what does "Building Our Bridge" mean in this context?

What Is Perspective?

Perspective is how someone sees and understands the world, a situation, or an idea.

It's like looking at something from your own unique window! No two windows are exactly alike.

Define perspective clearly and simply. Provide examples that are relatable to students' lives (e.g., two people seeing a half-full/half-empty glass, or two friends having different favorite colors). Emphasize that it's okay to have different perspectives.

Activity Time: Perspective Ponderings

Get ready to put on your detective hats!

We're going to explore some scenarios and imagine how different people might feel or think. Why might they see things the way they do?

Introduce the "Perspective Ponderings" activity. Explain that students will be given different scenarios and asked to consider how various people involved might feel or think. Highlight the goal: to actively practice stepping into someone else's shoes.

Time to Reflect: My View, Your View Journal

Now it's your turn to think deeply.

You'll get a chance to write about your own experiences and thoughts on perspective-taking. There are no right or wrong answers – just your honest reflections.

Explain the purpose of journaling as a personal reflection time. Encourage students to choose a prompt that speaks to them and write honestly. Assure them that this is a safe space for their thoughts and feelings.

Let's Connect: Bridging Perspectives Discussion

After our activity and journaling, let's share what we've learned.

How did it feel to consider different perspectives? What insights did you gain? What challenges did you face?

Set the stage for the group discussion. Remind students of respectful listening and sharing. Emphasize that the goal is to learn from each other's insights and connect their activity and journal experiences to broader understanding.

Building Our Bridge: Together

Every time we try to understand someone else's perspective, we add another brick to our bridge of understanding.

How will you use what you learned today to build stronger connections?

Conclude the lesson by reinforcing the main message: understanding perspectives builds stronger relationships and communities. Encourage students to actively practice empathy in their daily lives. Ask for one takeaway from each student.

lenny

Activity

Perspective Ponderings Activity

Instructions: Read each scenario carefully. Then, answer the questions that follow, thinking about how different people might see the situation.

Scenario 1: The Missing Lunch

Maya packed a delicious sandwich for lunch. When she opened her lunchbox, it was gone! Her friend, Liam, looked upset too, because his apple was missing.

  1. How might Maya feel? Why?





  2. How might Liam feel? Why?





  3. Imagine a new student, Sam, who just arrived from a country where sharing food is a very common way to make friends. If Sam saw the lunchbox and took a piece, how might Sam be feeling or thinking? Why?





Scenario 2: The Art Project Mishap

The class was working on a large mural for the school hallway. Everyone had a section to paint. Sarah was very proud of her vibrant blue sky. When she came back from the restroom, she saw a big splash of bright orange paint right across her sky section. Her classmate, Ben, was standing nearby, holding an orange paintbrush.

  1. How might Sarah feel? Why?





  2. How might Ben feel if he accidentally splashed the paint? Why?





  3. How might Ben feel if he was actually trying to add a sunset to the sky because he thought it would make the mural more beautiful, and he didn't realize it was Sarah's specific section? Why?





Scenario 3: The Loud Laughter

During quiet reading time, a group of students in the back of the room started laughing very loudly.

  1. How might a student who is trying to read and concentrate feel? Why?





  2. How might the students who are laughing feel? What might be happening that made them laugh loudly?





  3. How might the teacher feel? Why?





lenny
lenny

Journal

My View, Your View Journal

Instructions: Choose one or two of the prompts below and write about your thoughts and experiences. There are no right or wrong answers, just your own reflections.

Prompt 1: A Time I Saw It Differently

Think about a time when you and someone else saw a situation or event very differently. What was the situation? How did you see it, and how do you think the other person saw it? What happened as a result?











Prompt 2: Stepping into Their Shoes

Describe a time when you tried to understand someone else's perspective, even if it was difficult. What did you do to try and understand? How did it change your understanding of the situation or the person?











Prompt 3: The Challenge of Perspective-Taking

What makes it hard to understand someone else's perspective sometimes? What feelings or thoughts get in the way? How do you think we can overcome these challenges?











Prompt 4: Building Bridges

Imagine our classroom or school as a community where everyone tries their best to understand each other's views. What would that look like? How would it feel? What can you do to help build those bridges?

lenny
lenny

Discussion

Bridging Perspectives Discussion

Instructions: Let's come together to discuss what we've learned about understanding perspectives. Listen respectfully to your classmates and share your thoughts openly.

Discussion Prompts:

  1. Reflecting on the Activity:
    - What was challenging about trying to see things from different perspectives in the "Perspective Ponderings Activity"?
    - Were there any scenarios where you found it surprisingly easy to understand another point of view? Why?


  2. Journal Insights:
    - What was one interesting thought or realization you had while writing in your journal?
    - Did anyone write about a time they successfully understood another person's perspective? What did that feel like?


  3. Real-Life Connections:
    - Can you think of a time outside of school where understanding someone else's perspective would have made a big difference?
    - How can practicing perspective-taking help us solve problems or prevent arguments with friends or family?


  4. Building Our Bridge:
    - What is one thing you can do this week to try and understand someone else's perspective better?
    - How does listening to different perspectives make our classroom and school community stronger and more inclusive?


  5. **The

lenny
lenny