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Empathy In Action

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Lesson Plan

Action Steps Plan

Students will practice perspective-taking and caring behaviors through scenario discussions, role-play relays, and reflective journaling, then commit to daily acts of kindness.

Building empathy supports social awareness, strengthens classroom community, and equips 3rd graders with skills to understand others’ feelings and act with compassion.

Audience

3rd Grade Students

Time

25 minutes

Approach

Interactive role-play and reflective journaling

Materials

Putting Empathy to Work, What Would You Do?, Role-Play Relay, Empathy Journal Starter, and Kindness Pledge

Prep

Prepare Lesson Materials

5 minutes

Step 1

Warm-Up: What Would You Do?

5 minutes

  • Introduce scenario from What Would You Do?
  • Read the scenario aloud and have students pair up
  • Pairs discuss their solutions for 2 minutes
  • Invite 2–3 pairs to share their responses with the class

Step 2

Slide Discussion

5 minutes

  • Display Putting Empathy to Work
  • Define empathy and highlight its key steps (notice, understand, care)
  • Ask: “Why is it important to think about how others feel?”
  • Record student ideas on the board

Step 3

Activity: Role-Play Relay

8 minutes

  • Divide class into small groups of 4–5
  • Give each group a scenario card for Role-Play Relay
  • Students take turns acting out characters in the scenario
  • After each relay, peers identify one empathetic action they observed

Step 4

Reflective Journaling

5 minutes

  • Distribute Empathy Journal Starter
  • Prompt: “Write about a time you helped someone understand your feelings or when you helped someone feel better.”
  • Circulate to support students and encourage detail

Step 5

Cool-Down: Kindness Pledge

2 minutes

  • Display Kindness Pledge on chart paper
  • Read the pledge aloud as a class
  • Have each student sign their name to commit to daily acts of kindness
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Slide Deck

Putting Empathy to Work

Empathy means noticing, understanding, and caring about how others feel.

Welcome class! Today we're learning about empathy. Empathy is like stepping into someone else's shoes. We'll learn three simple steps to show empathy every day: notice, understand, and care.

Step 1: Notice

Pay attention to how others behave. Watch their facial expressions, tone of voice, and body language.

Ask students: What clues can tell us someone is feeling sad or happy? Show pictures of faces and discuss. Encourage students to look for those clues in real life.

Step 2: Understand

Try to imagine how that person is feeling and why they feel that way.

Invite a volunteer to share a time they felt left out. Ask the class: How might they have felt? Prompt them to use “I imagine you feel…” language.

Step 3: Care

Show kindness with your words or actions. A small act can make a big difference.

Brainstorm simple caring acts: smiling, offering help, saying nice words. Ask: What can you do if you see a friend who looks upset?

Practice: Putting It All Together

In pairs, pick a scenario from What Would You Do?. Identify how you can notice, understand, and care in that situation.

Be ready to share your ideas!

Guide pairs as they work. After 3 minutes, ask a few pairs to present. Highlight how they used each empathy step.

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Warm Up

Warm-Up: What Would You Do?

Scenario:

During recess, you notice a classmate standing alone looking sad while others play tag and chat. You remember they just moved here and haven’t made friends yet.

What could you do to help them feel included?

Think with your partner for 2 minutes and be ready to share your ideas.




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Activity

Role-Play Relay (Activity)

Description:
Students work in small groups to act out everyday school scenarios, practice the three steps of empathy (notice, understand, care), and discuss what they observed.

Materials Needed:

  • Scenario cards (see below)
  • Open space for role-play

Instructions:

  1. Divide students into groups of 4–5.
  2. Give each group one scenario card from the list below.
  3. Groups decide who will play each character and spend 1 minute planning their short skit.
  4. Students take turns acting out their scenario for the class (about 1 minute each).
  5. After each performance, the group’s classmates identify at least one example of each empathy step (Notice, Understand, Care) they saw in the skit.
  6. Rotate the scenario cards so each group experiences a new situation.

Scenario Cards:

  1. New Student Alone
    A classmate stands alone on the playground looking sad while others play.
  2. Friend Drops Books
    A friend’s stack of books falls in the hallway and they look embarrassed and upset.
  3. Sharing Supplies
    Two students both need the same marker during art time and start to argue.
  4. Lost Favorite Item
    A student can’t find their favorite pencil case at their desk and looks worried.
  5. Upset at Lunch Table
    A student at the lunch table is quietly crying because they miss home.



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Worksheet

Empathy Journal Starter

Name: ________________________ Date: ________________




  1. Think about a time when you noticed someone was feeling sad, worried, or left out. Describe what you saw or heard that gave you a clue about their feelings.











  1. How did you try to understand how they felt? Try to use the sentence starter “I imagine you feel…” in your answer.






  1. What did you do to show you cared? Describe the words you said or the action you took.






  1. If you could go back and do something else to help them, what would you say or do?



  1. Today, I will show empathy by _______________________________________________________



Great work! Keep this journal handy and add to it whenever you notice someone’s feelings and practice caring for others.

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Cool Down

Kindness Pledge

Today, I promise to practice empathy every day by:

  • Noticing when someone needs a friend.

  • Imagining how they feel and listening with an open heart.

  • Showing I care with kind words, a smile, or a helpful action.


I understand that even small acts of kindness can make a big difference in someone’s day.

Name: ________________________ Date: ________________

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