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Empathy Unlocked: See Beyond Yourself

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Lesson Plan

Empathy Unlocked: See Beyond Yourself

Students will be able to identify and describe different emotions in others and practice perspective-taking.

Understanding others' feelings helps build stronger friendships, resolve conflicts, and create a more inclusive environment.

Audience

6th Grade

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Discussion, scenario analysis, and reflection.

Materials

Empathy Unlocked Slide Deck, Social Scenarios Worksheet, and Exit Ticket: Empathy Check-in

Prep

Review Materials

10 minutes

Step 1

Introduction: What is Empathy?

5 minutes

  • Begin with a warm-up question: "What does it mean to 'walk a mile in someone else's shoes'?" Allow a few student responses.
    * Introduce the concept of social awareness and empathy using the Empathy Unlocked Slide Deck (Slides 1-3).
    * Define empathy as understanding and sharing the feelings of another.

Step 2

Exploring Emotions & Perspectives

10 minutes

  • Display Slide 4 and discuss different emotions. Ask students to share examples of when they felt these emotions.
    * Distribute the Social Scenarios Worksheet.
    * Instruct students to work individually or in small groups to read the scenarios and answer the questions, focusing on identifying emotions and considering perspectives.
    * Circulate to provide support and facilitate discussion.

Step 3

Group Share & Discussion

10 minutes

  • Bring the class back together.
    * Have a few groups share their responses to one or two of the scenarios from the Social Scenarios Worksheet.
    * Guide a discussion using questions like: "How did considering the other person's feelings change your understanding of the situation?" or "What are some strategies we can use to better understand someone else's perspective?"

Step 4

Conclusion & Reflection

5 minutes

  • Summarize the key takeaways about social awareness and empathy (Slide 5).
    * Distribute the Exit Ticket: Empathy Check-in.
    * Instruct students to complete the exit ticket independently before leaving class.
    * Collect exit tickets to gauge student understanding and reflections.
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Slide Deck

Empathy Unlocked: See Beyond Yourself

Understanding Social Awareness


### Why does it matter?

Welcome students and introduce the topic of social awareness. Explain that today's lesson will help them understand others better.

What Does it Mean?

Imagine... you're literally stepping into someone else's life for a day. What would you see? What would you feel?

This is a lot like Empathy!

Ask students for their initial thoughts on what 'walking a mile in someone else's shoes' means. Guide them towards the idea of understanding feelings and perspectives.

Empathy: Understanding & Sharing Feelings

Empathy is:

  • Understanding how others are feeling.
  • Imagining what it's like to be in their situation.
  • Connecting with their experiences, even if you haven't been through the exact same thing.

It's NOT about agreeing with them, but about seeing things from their point of view.

Clearly define empathy for students. Emphasize that it's about understanding and sharing feelings, not necessarily solving problems immediately.

Reading Emotions

People express emotions in many ways: through words, facial expressions, and body language.

Common Emotions:

  • Happy 😊
  • Sad 😥
  • Angry 😠
  • Scared 😟
  • Surprised 😲
  • Frustrated 😤
  • Confused 😕
  • Excited 🥳

Present various emotions. Ask students to brainstorm situations where they might feel these emotions or see others feeling them. This leads into the worksheet activity.

Be an Empathy Superpower!

Quick Recap:

  • Social Awareness means understanding how others feel and think.
  • Empathy is a key part of social awareness – putting yourself in someone else's shoes.
  • You can practice empathy by observing, listening, and asking questions.


    ### Challenge yourself:
    How can you show more empathy today?

Summarize the lesson. Reiterate the importance of empathy and how practicing it can improve their relationships and school environment. Lead into the cool-down.

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Worksheet

Social Scenarios: Put Yourself in Their Shoes

Instructions: Read each scenario carefully. Imagine you are the person involved, or an observer. Answer the questions that follow, thinking about what the person might be feeling and why.

Scenario 1: The Frustrated Group Member

Your group is working on a science project, and one of your teammates, Alex, keeps sighing loudly and tapping their pencil on the desk. When you ask them if they're okay, they just shrug and say, "Fine." Later, you notice Alex is looking at their phone and not participating.

  1. What emotions might Alex be feeling? Why?


  2. If you were Alex, what might be causing those feelings?


  3. What could you do or say to show empathy towards Alex?


Scenario 2: The Missed Tryout

Your friend, Maya, has been practicing for weeks for the school play tryouts. The day of the tryouts, she wakes up with a terrible sore throat and can barely speak. Her parents say she has to stay home to rest.

  1. What emotions might Maya be feeling? Why?


  2. What might be Maya's biggest worry or disappointment?


  3. How could you show Maya that you understand and care about her situation?


Scenario 3: The Confused New Kid

A new student, Sam, joined your class last week. During a math activity, the teacher gives instructions, and you notice Sam looking around with a puzzled expression, not starting the work. When the teacher asks if everyone understands, Sam quickly nods, but still doesn't start.

  1. What emotions might Sam be feeling? Why?


  2. What challenges might Sam be facing as a new student?


  3. What is one way you could offer support to Sam?


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Cool Down

Exit Ticket: Empathy Check-in

Instructions: Reflect on today's lesson about social awareness and empathy. Answer the questions below thoughtfully.

  1. In your own words, what does empathy mean to you?



  2. Describe one thing you learned today about understanding other people's feelings or perspectives.



  3. Think about a time you tried to understand someone else's feelings. What happened? (It's okay if it was challenging!)






  4. What is one way you can practice showing more empathy in school or at home this week?



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