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Perspective Paths: Stepping Into Others' Shoes

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Lesson Plan

Perspective Paths: Stepping Into Others' Shoes

Students will be able to define perspective-taking and identify different perspectives in various scenarios. Students will practice empathy by considering how others might feel or think in different situations.

Understanding perspective-taking is crucial for developing empathy and fostering compassionate interactions. This lesson helps students build essential social-emotional skills, leading to a more inclusive and understanding classroom and community.

Audience

3rd Grade

Time

45 minutes

Approach

Through storytelling, role-playing, and discussion, students will actively engage with the concept.

Materials

Whiteboard or Projector, Markers or Pens, Perspective Paths Slide Deck, Scenario Cards Activity, My Perspective Worksheet, and Discussion Questions

Prep

Preparation Steps

15 minutes

Step 1

Introduction: What is Perspective?

5 minutes

  • Begin by asking students what they think "perspective" means.
    - Use the Perspective Paths Slide Deck (Slide 1) to introduce the concept of perspective as "how someone sees or thinks about something."

Step 2

Story Time: A Different View

10 minutes

  • Present a short, engaging story or a common classroom scenario (e.g., two friends wanting to play different games at recess).
    - Use the Perspective Paths Slide Deck (Slide 2-3) to guide the story.
    - After the story, ask questions: "How did Character A feel? Why?" and "How did Character B feel? Why?"

Step 3

Scenario Cards Activity

15 minutes

  • Divide students into small groups.
    - Distribute the Scenario Cards Activity to each group.
    - Instruct students to read each scenario and discuss how different characters might feel or think.
    - Encourage them to "step into the shoes" of each character.

Step 4

My Perspective Worksheet

10 minutes

  • Hand out the My Perspective Worksheet to each student.
    - Have students choose one scenario from the activity or a new scenario you provide and write down the different perspectives they identified.

Step 5

Class Discussion and Wrap-up

5 minutes

  • Bring the class back together.
    - Use the Discussion Questions to facilitate a brief class discussion about what they learned.
    - Emphasize the importance of considering others' feelings and thoughts.
    - Conclude with Perspective Paths Slide Deck (Slide 4) which reinforces the main idea.
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Slide Deck

What's Your View?

Have you ever wondered why two people can see the exact same thing but have different ideas about it? 🤔

That's what we call perspective!

Perspective is how someone sees or thinks about something. It's their unique point of view, influenced by what they know and how they feel. Just like looking at the same object from different angles, people's minds can also see situations from different angles!

Welcome students and get them ready to learn about how people see things differently. Ask open-ended questions to gauge their initial understanding of 'perspective.'

The Playground Problem

Imagine two friends, Leo and Mia, are at the playground.

Leo wants to play on the swings, going as high as possible!

Mia wants to build a giant sandcastle, spending lots of time on the details.

They both want to play together, but they want to play different things!

Introduce the scenario clearly. Encourage students to listen carefully and imagine the situation. This slide sets up the story for the activity.

How Do They Feel?

What do you think Leo is feeling?

Why might Leo feel that way?


What do you think Mia is feeling?

Why might Mia feel that way?

After presenting the scenario, ask students to consider how Leo and Mia might be feeling. Prompt them to think about 'why' they might feel that way, connecting it to their desires in the story. This leads into the activity where they'll explore this further.

Stepping Into Their Shoes

When we try to understand someone else's perspective, we are 'stepping into their shoes.' 👟👟

It helps us to:

  • Be more understanding
  • Solve problems fairly
  • Be a good friend

Remember: Everyone has a unique perspective, and that's what makes us special!

Summarize the key takeaway from the lesson. Emphasize that understanding different perspectives helps us be kinder and solve problems better. Encourage students to practice this skill in their daily lives.

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Activity

Scenario Cards: What's Their View?

Instructions: In your groups, read each scenario. Discuss how each person in the scenario might be feeling and why. Try to "step into their shoes" and explain their perspective.

Scenario 1: The Broken Toy

Lily accidentally broke Tom's favorite toy car during playtime. Tom is very upset and starts to cry.

Lily's Perspective:






Tom's Perspective:






Scenario 2: Lunchtime Mix-Up

Sarah brought her favorite sandwich to school, but when she opened her lunchbox, she found that her mom had packed her brother's lunch by mistake. Her brother's lunch has foods she doesn't like.

Sarah's Perspective:






Sarah's Mom's Perspective (Why might this have happened?):






Scenario 3: The New Game

The teacher introduced a new game during indoor recess. Some students are excited and quickly understand the rules, while others are confused and feel frustrated.

Student who understands the game's Perspective:






Student who is confused by the game's Perspective:






Scenario 4: A Different Story

During story time, the teacher read a book that made some students laugh a lot, but made one student feel a little sad because it reminded them of something difficult.

Student who found the book funny's Perspective:






Student who felt sad's Perspective:






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Worksheet

My Perspective Worksheet

Instructions: Choose one of the scenarios we discussed, or think of a new one. Describe the situation and then write down the different perspectives involved. How might each person feel or think, and why?

Scenario:












Person 1's Perspective:

How do they feel? Why?












Person 2's Perspective:

How do they feel? Why?












What did you learn by thinking about different perspectives?












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Discussion

Class Discussion: Understanding Perspectives

Instructions: Let's come together as a class and share what we learned about stepping into others' shoes.

  1. What does "perspective" mean in your own words?


  2. Why is it important to think about how other people might feel or think?


  3. Can you share an example from one of the scenarios where understanding someone's perspective helped you see things differently?


  4. How can we use what we learned today to be better friends or classmates?


  5. Is it always easy to understand someone else's perspective? Why or why not?


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Perspective Paths: Stepping Into Others' Shoes • Lenny Learning