Lesson Plan

Community Health Advocate Intro

Students will understand the concept of empathy in health, identify community health needs, and begin brainstorming solutions for a community health initiative.

Understanding community health issues and developing empathy are crucial life skills. This project provides a practical way for students to apply health knowledge, develop problem-solving skills, and contribute positively to their community.

Audience

9th Grade

Time

180 minutes

Approach

Interactive discussion, collaborative brainstorming, and project introduction.

Materials

Whiteboard or projector, Markers or pens, Launching Your Health Initiative Slide Deck, Brainstorming Community Needs Activity, Empathy in Action Community Project Guide, and Project Impact Assessment Rubric

Prep

Review Materials and Set Up

30 minutes

Review the Community Health Advocate Intro Lesson Plan and all linked materials: Launching Your Health Initiative Slide Deck, Brainstorming Community Needs Activity, Empathy in Action Community Project Guide, and Project Impact Assessment Rubric.
Prepare the classroom for group work and discussion.
Ensure projector/whiteboard is ready for use.

Step 1

Introduction: What is Empathy?

20 minutes

Begin by asking students: "What does 'empathy' mean to you? How is it different from sympathy?" (5 minutes)
Facilitate a brief class discussion, guiding them towards understanding empathy as truly understanding and sharing the feelings of another. (5 minutes)
Introduce the idea of empathy in health – understanding the health challenges and experiences of others in the community. (10 minutes)
Use Launching Your Health Initiative Slide Deck - Slides 1-2.

Step 2

Understanding Community Health Needs

40 minutes

Present various examples of community health issues (e.g., access to healthy food, mental health awareness, physical activity, substance abuse prevention, environmental health). (10 minutes)
Divide students into small groups (3-4 students). (5 minutes)
Distribute the Brainstorming Community Needs Activity. Instruct groups to discuss and brainstorm health needs they observe in their own community or school. (20 minutes)
Circulate among groups to provide guidance and facilitate discussion. (5 minutes)

Step 3

Introducing The Empathy Project

40 minutes

Bring the class back together. Have each group share 1-2 key community health needs they identified. (10 minutes)
Introduce "The Empathy Project" as a challenge to design and implement a small-scale community health initiative. Explain that this project will allow them to apply their empathy and problem-solving skills to address a real-world issue. (10 minutes)
Distribute and review the Empathy in Action Community Project Guide with the class, highlighting key sections such as objectives, phases, and deliverables. (15 minutes)
Discuss the timeline and expectations for the project. (5 minutes)
Use Launching Your Health Initiative Slide Deck - Slides 3-5.

Step 4

Project Planning: Initial Brainstorm

60 minutes

Students return to their small groups from the previous activity. (5 minutes)
Instruct them to begin brainstorming initial ideas for their community health initiative, using the Empathy in Action Community Project Guide as a reference. They should consider the needs identified earlier and how they might address one. (40 minutes)
Introduce the Project Impact Assessment Rubric and discuss how their projects will be evaluated. Emphasize the importance of planning for impact and feasibility. (10 minutes)
Circulate to offer support and answer questions. (5 minutes)
Use Launching Your Health Initiative Slide Deck - Slides 6-7.

Step 5

Wrap-up and Next Steps

20 minutes

Each group briefly shares one initial idea for their project and the community need it addresses. (15 minutes)
Assign homework: Students should refine their initial project idea and come prepared to discuss it further in the next session. (5 minutes)
Conclude by reiterating the importance of their work and the potential positive impact they can have on their community.

Slide Deck

Welcome: The Empathy Project

What does 'empathy' mean to you?
How is it different from sympathy?

Welcome students and set an engaging tone. Ask them to think about what empathy truly means. This slide introduces the core concept.

Empathy in Health

Understanding and sharing the feelings of others, especially when it comes to health challenges and needs in our community.

Guide the discussion towards empathy in a health context. Explain that understanding others' health experiences is vital.

Community Health Needs

What health challenges do you see in our school or local community?

Access to healthy food?
Mental health support?
Opportunities for physical activity?
Environmental concerns?

Transition to discussing real-world health issues. Encourage students to think about their local community.

The Empathy Project: Your Turn!

Design and implement a community health initiative.

Apply empathy to real-world problems.
Make a tangible difference.
Develop practical problem-solving skills.

Introduce the project formally. Emphasize the 'action' and 'impact' aspects.

Your Project Guide

The Empathy in Action Community Project Guide outlines:

Objectives
Project Phases
Deliverables
Timeline

Provide an overview of the project guide. Explain that it's their roadmap.

Brainstorming Your Initiative

In your groups, start thinking:

What specific community need will you address?
What's your initial idea for an initiative?
How will your initiative show empathy?

Initiate the brainstorming phase. Remind students to connect their ideas to identified community needs.

Assessing Your Impact

The Project Impact Assessment Rubric will help us evaluate:

Your project's plan
Your initiative's potential impact
How well you address a community need

Introduce the rubric and explain its purpose in evaluating their projects.

Project Guide

Empathy in Action: Community Project Guide

Project Overview

This project challenges you to become a Community Health Advocate. Working in small groups, you will design and propose a small-scale initiative to address a specific health need within your school or local community. The goal is to apply empathy by understanding the experiences of others and to develop practical solutions that can make a positive difference.

Learning Objectives

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

Identify pressing health needs within your community.
Demonstrate empathy by considering the perspectives and experiences of those affected by health issues.
Design a feasible community health initiative.
Plan for the implementation and potential impact of your initiative.
Present your project idea clearly and persuasively.

Project Phases

Phase 1: Understanding Your Community (Week 1)

Activity: Participate in the Brainstorming Community Needs Activity to identify local health challenges.
Discussion: Engage in class discussions about empathy and its role in addressing health disparities.
Research (Optional): Conduct preliminary research to understand the scope and impact of the identified health needs.

Phase 2: Ideation & Planning (Weeks 2-3)

Group Brainstorm: Based on identified needs, brainstorm multiple ideas for a community health initiative. Think creatively and consider what resources might be available.
Refine Idea: Select one initiative idea to develop further. This should be a small, manageable project that can realistically be planned (and potentially implemented).
Project Proposal Outline: Begin outlining your project using the sections below.

Phase 3: Developing Your Proposal (Weeks 4-5)

Detailed Plan: Flesh out all sections of your project proposal.
Resource Identification: List necessary resources (people, materials, partnerships).
Timeline Development: Create a realistic timeline for your initiative's implementation.
Impact Prediction: Think about how you will measure the success and impact of your project.

Phase 4: Presentation & Reflection (Week 6)

Prepare Presentation: Create a brief presentation (e.g., using slides or a poster) to share your project idea with the class.
Class Presentation: Present your project to your classmates, highlighting the community need, your proposed solution, and expected impact.
Reflection: Reflect individually on your learning journey, challenges, and successes throughout the project.

Project Proposal Sections

Your final project proposal should include the following sections. Use these as headings in your submission.

1. Project Title

Give your initiative an engaging and descriptive title.

2. Community Need Identified

Clearly describe the specific health need your project addresses. (1-2 paragraphs)
Explain why this is a significant need in your community, showing empathy for those affected.

3. Project Goal & Objectives

Goal: A broad statement of what your project aims to achieve.
Objectives: 2-3 specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) objectives for your initiative.

4. Proposed Initiative & Activities

Describe your initiative in detail. What exactly will you do? (2-3 paragraphs)
Outline the main activities involved.
Explain how your initiative demonstrates empathy and directly addresses the identified community need.

5. Target Audience

Who will your initiative serve or impact? Be specific (e.g., "elementary school students," "elderly residents," "all school faculty").

6. Required Resources

List the human resources (e.g., volunteers, community partners, experts) and material resources (e.g., supplies, technology, space) you would need.

7. Timeline

Create a simple timeline (e.g., a bulleted list of phases with estimated durations) for planning and implementing your initiative.

8. Expected Impact & Evaluation

What positive changes do you expect to see as a result of your initiative? (1-2 paragraphs)
How will you measure if your project was successful? (e.g., surveys, participation numbers, feedback)

Submission Requirements

Typed Project Proposal (3-5 pages, double-spaced)
Presentation (5-7 minutes per group)
Individual Reflection (1-2 pages, double-spaced)

Good luck, future Community Health Advocates! Your empathy can make a real difference.

Rubric

Project Impact Assessment Rubric

Project Name: ____________________________________

Group Members: ____________________________________

This rubric will be used to assess your Empathy in Action Community Project Proposal and Presentation. Each criterion is designed to evaluate your understanding of community health needs, your application of empathy, and the feasibility and potential impact of your proposed initiative.

Criteria	4 - Exceeds Expectations	3 - Meets Expectations	2 - Partially Meets Expectations	1 - Needs Improvement
1. Community Need Identified	Clearly and comprehensively identifies a significant community health need, providing insightful evidence and strong empathetic understanding.	Clearly identifies a relevant community health need with supporting details and demonstrates empathetic understanding.	Identifies a community need, but it may be vague or lack sufficient supporting detail or empathetic connection.	Fails to clearly identify a community health need or shows minimal empathetic understanding.
2. Project Goal & Objectives	Presents a clear, inspiring goal and 3+ exceptionally well-defined, SMART objectives that are highly relevant and measurable.	Presents a clear goal and 2-3 well-defined, SMART objectives that are relevant and measurable.	Presents a goal and 1-2 objectives that may lack clarity, be only partially SMART, or have limited relevance/measurability.	Goal and objectives are unclear, missing, or not aligned with the project.
3. Proposed Initiative & Activities	The initiative is highly innovative, detailed, and directly addresses the identified need with clear, empathetic actions. Activities are logical and thoroughly explained.	The initiative is well-described and addresses the identified need with clear actions. Activities are logical and explained.	The initiative description is somewhat vague or only partially addresses the identified need. Activities may be unclear.	The initiative is poorly described, does not address the identified need, or lacks a clear plan of action.
4. Demonstration of Empathy	Project explicitly demonstrates deep empathetic understanding through its design, target audience consideration, and proposed interactions.	Project demonstrates clear empathetic understanding through its design and consideration of the target audience.	Project shows some awareness of empathy, but it is not consistently integrated or clearly articulated in the design.	Project lacks evidence of empathetic understanding or overlooks the perspectives of those affected.
5. Feasibility & Resources	Plan includes highly realistic resources and a timeline, demonstrating a thorough understanding of implementation challenges and solutions.	Plan includes realistic resources and a timeline, demonstrating a good understanding of implementation.	Resources and timeline are somewhat unrealistic or incomplete, showing limited understanding of implementation.	Resources and timeline are unrealistic, missing, or show no understanding of how to implement the project.
6. Expected Impact & Evaluation	Provides a compelling vision of expected impact with detailed, creative, and measurable evaluation methods.	Provides clear expected impact with measurable evaluation methods.	Expected impact or evaluation methods are vague, not entirely measurable, or lack sufficient detail.	Fails to articulate expected impact or provide any methods for evaluation.
7. Presentation Quality	Presentation is highly engaging, well-organized, articulate, and clearly conveys all key aspects of the project.	Presentation is clear, organized, and conveys the main points of the project effectively.	Presentation is somewhat disorganized, hard to follow, or misses key elements of the project.	Presentation is unclear, unprepared, or does not effectively communicate the project idea.

Total Score: ________ / 28

Teacher Comments:

Activity

Brainstorming Community Needs: Empathy in Action

Group Members: ____________________________________

Introduction

As future Community Health Advocates, our first step is to truly understand the needs of our community. This activity asks you to put on your "empathy glasses" and observe the health challenges and issues that exist around you, either in your school or local community.

Part 1: Observing Our Community

Think about your school, neighborhood, or local community. What health-related challenges or concerns have you noticed or heard about? Consider various aspects of health:

Physical Health: Access to healthy food, opportunities for exercise, safety, clean environment, common illnesses.
Mental/Emotional Health: Stress, anxiety, bullying, loneliness, access to support, awareness of mental health issues.
Social Health: Community connections, support networks, substance abuse, social justice issues impacting health.

Instructions: In your groups, brainstorm as many community health needs as you can. Write them down in the space below. Be specific!

Part 2: Prioritizing with Empathy

From the list you generated, choose the top 3-5 most pressing community health needs that you feel are most impactful and where your group could potentially make a difference. For each chosen need, briefly explain why it is important and who it affects.