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Can You See My Side?

Lesson Plan

Stepping Into Their Shoes

Students will be able to identify different perspectives in communication scenarios and practice expressing empathy.

Cultivating empathy is fundamental for building compassionate relationships and understanding diverse viewpoints in the classroom and beyond. Understanding other's perspectives helps build stronger relationships and reduces conflict.

Audience

4th Grade Class

Time

40 minutes

Approach

Through discussion, reading, and role-playing.

Materials

Whiteboard or projector, Empathy in Action Slide Deck, Stories of Different Views Reading, and Role Reversal Play Activity

Prep

Review Materials

10 minutes

Step 1

Introduction & Warm-Up

5 minutes

  • Begin with a brief discussion: "What does it mean to 'see someone's side'? Why is it important?"
    - Introduce the lesson objectives (refer to Empathy in Action Slide Deck - Slide 1-2).

Step 2

Explore Perspectives

10 minutes

Step 3

Role Reversal Activity

15 minutes

  • Introduce the Role Reversal Play Activity.
    - Divide students into pairs or small groups.
    - Assign each group a scenario from the activity and guide them to practice role-playing, focusing on expressing different perspectives and empathetic responses.
    - Circulate to provide support and feedback.

Step 4

Share & Reflect

10 minutes

  • Bring the class back together.
    - Have a few groups share their role-play scenarios and how they demonstrated empathy.
    - Conclude with a reflection question: "How can practicing perspective-taking help us in our daily lives?" (refer to Empathy in Action Slide Deck - Slide 6).
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Slide Deck

Can You See My Side?

Understanding different points of view in communication!

Greet students and introduce the topic of communication and understanding others. Ask them what 'seeing someone's side' means to them.

Our Goal Today

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

  • Identify different perspectives in communication.
  • Practice showing empathy in various situations.

Clearly state the lesson's objective: to learn about empathy and practice seeing things from others' perspectives.

What is Perspective-Taking?

It's about trying to understand how someone else thinks or feels.

Imagine you and a friend are looking at the number 6. You see a 6, but your friend, standing opposite you, sees a 9! Both are correct from their own perspective.

Explain what perspective-taking is using simple language and relatable examples.

What is Empathy?

Empathy is when you understand and share the feelings of another person.

It's like putting yourself in their shoes and imagining how it feels to be them.

Define empathy and differentiate it from sympathy. Emphasize that empathy is about feeling with someone.

Time to Practice!

We're going to read some stories and then do an activity where we get to practice seeing things from different points of view and showing empathy. Let's get ready to step into some different shoes!

Transition to the activity, explaining that they will get to practice these skills.

How Will You Use Empathy?

Think about our discussion and activity today.

How can practicing perspective-taking and showing empathy help you in your friendships, with your family, and at school?

Conclude the lesson by prompting students to reflect on how they can use these skills daily.

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Reading

Stories of Different Views

Story 1: The Missing Soccer Ball

Leo loved playing soccer. Every day after school, he would rush outside with his bright blue soccer ball. One afternoon, he couldn't find it anywhere! He looked under his bed, in his closet, and even in the kitchen.

He stomped into the living room where his little sister, Mia, was building a tall tower with blocks. "Mia! Did you take my soccer ball?" he demanded, his voice loud and frustrated. "I need it for practice!"

Mia looked up, her eyes wide. "No, Leo," she said softly, "I didn't take your ball. I saw Mom take it this morning when she went to the park." Leo felt a pang of guilt. He had jumped to conclusions without asking nicely or thinking about what Mia might know. He apologized to Mia and quickly ran to ask their mom.

What was Leo feeling when he couldn't find his ball?



How do you think Mia felt when Leo yelled at her?



What could Leo have done differently?


Story 2: The Best Painting

Class was over, and Mrs. Davis asked the students to clean up their art supplies. Lily and Sam had both painted beautiful pictures of a sunny park. Lily used bright, bold colors and lots of glitter. Sam preferred softer, more realistic colors and detailed lines.

As they were putting their paintings on the drying rack, Sam accidentally bumped Lily's painting, and a tiny bit of blue paint from his brush smudged onto her sparkling sun. Lily gasped. "Sam! You ruined my sun!"

Sam felt terrible. "Oh no, Lily, I'm so sorry! It was an accident! I was just trying to reach the rack." Lily looked like she was about to cry, staring at the small blue smudge on her otherwise perfect sun. Sam looked at her painting and then at his, realizing how much that bright sun meant to her.

How did Lily feel when her painting got smudged?



How did Sam feel after he accidentally smudged Lily's painting?



If you were Sam, what could you say or do to show Lily you understood how she felt?


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Activity

Role Reversal Play: Stepping into Their Shoes

Objective: To practice seeing situations from different points of view and expressing empathy.

Instructions:

  1. Get into pairs or small groups.
  2. Read one of the scenarios below.
  3. Round 1: Choose who will play Character A and who will play Character B. Act out the scenario as it might happen, focusing on how each character feels.
  4. Round 2: Switch roles! Character A now plays Character B, and Character B plays Character A. Act out the scenario again, trying to remember what it felt like to be the other character.
  5. After both rounds, discuss the questions together.

Scenario 1: The Broken Toy

Characters:

  • Character A: Alex, who accidentally broke their friend Ben's favorite toy car.
  • Character B: Ben, whose favorite toy car is now broken.

Situation: Alex was playing with Ben's new toy car and it accidentally fell and broke a wheel. Alex is scared Ben will be mad. Ben is sad his car is broken.

Discussion Questions:

  • How did Alex feel? Why?


  • How did Ben feel? Why?


  • What could Alex say or do to show Ben empathy?


  • What could Ben do to understand Alex's accident?


Scenario 2: The Missed Playdate

Characters:

  • Character A: Chloe, who was really excited for a playdate with her friend David.
  • Character B: David, who had to cancel the playdate last minute because his little sister got sick.

Situation: Chloe is disappointed because David canceled their playdate without much warning. David feels bad that he had to cancel, but his sister really needed him.

Discussion Questions:

  • How did Chloe feel? Why?


  • How did David feel? Why?


  • What could David say or do to show Chloe empathy for her disappointment?


  • What could Chloe do to understand David's situation?


Scenario 3: The Group Project Idea

Characters:

  • Character A: Sofia, who has a brilliant idea for the group project and thinks it's the best.
  • Character B: Liam, who has a different idea for the group project and feels his idea isn't being heard.

Situation: Sofia is passionately explaining her idea, not giving much room for others to speak. Liam tries to chime in but gets overlooked, feeling frustrated that his idea isn't even considered.

Discussion Questions:

  • How did Sofia feel? Why?


  • How did Liam feel? Why?


  • What could Sofia do to show Liam empathy and make him feel heard?


  • What could Liam do to express his perspective respectfully?


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Lesson Plan

Stepping Into Their Shoes

Students will be able to identify different perspectives in communication scenarios and articulate how others might feel in those situations to develop empathy.

Developing empathy allows students to build stronger relationships, resolve conflicts peacefully, and understand the diverse experiences of their peers, making the classroom a more compassionate place.

Audience

4th Grade Students

Time

40 minutes

Approach

Through stories, discussion, and role-playing, students will explore different viewpoints.

Materials

Can You See My Side? (slide-deck), Stories of Different Views (reading), and Role Reversal Play (activity)

Prep

Review Materials

15 minutes

Step 1

Warm-Up: What Do You See?

5 minutes

  • Project an image that can be interpreted in two different ways (e.g., an optical illusion or a drawing that can be seen as two different objects).
    - Ask students: "What do you see?"
    - Facilitate a brief discussion where students share their observations, highlighting how different people can see the same thing differently. (Slide 1, 2)

Step 2

Introduction to Perspective-Taking

10 minutes

  • Use the Can You See My Side? to introduce the concept of perspective-taking and empathy.
    - Discuss why understanding another person's side is important in communication and relationships.
    - Introduce key vocabulary: perspective, empathy, understanding, viewpoint. (Slide 3-5)

Step 3

Reading: Stories of Different Views

10 minutes

  • Distribute or project Stories of Different Views.
    - Read the story aloud, or have students read it silently/in pairs.
    - After reading, lead a discussion about the different characters' perspectives and feelings in the story. (Slide 6)

Step 4

Activity: Role Reversal Play

10 minutes

  • Introduce the Role Reversal Play activity.
    - Divide students into small groups and assign them a scenario from the activity.
    - Instruct them to act out the scenario, first from one character's perspective, then switching roles to act out the other character's perspective.
    - Circulate to provide support and encourage thoughtful engagement. (Slide 7)

Step 5

Cool-Down: One Thing I Learned

5 minutes

  • Bring the class back together.
    - Ask students to share one new thing they learned about perspective-taking or empathy, or one strategy they can use to better understand someone else's side. (Slide 8)
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