Lesson Plan
Try On a New Pair of Glasses
Students will be able to explain a situation from another person's perspective in a simple scenario.
Understanding different perspectives helps students develop empathy, resolve conflicts, and build stronger relationships with their peers.
Audience
3rd Grade Students
Time
20 minutes
Approach
Through interactive slides, scenario cards, and a reading, students will practice perspective-taking.
Materials
Walking in Their Shoes Slides, Perspective-Taking Scenario Cards, Pens/Pencils, and Whiteboard or Chart Paper
Prep
Teacher Preparation
10 minutes
- Review the Try On a New Pair of Glasses Lesson Plan and all linked materials.
- Print and cut out the Perspective-Taking Scenario Cards.
- Prepare whiteboard or chart paper for discussion notes.
Step 1
Warm-Up: What Do You See?
3 minutes
- Display the first slide of Walking in Their Shoes Slides with an optical illusion or ambiguous image.
- Ask students: "What do you see?" Allow several students to share their observations.
- Facilitate a brief discussion about how different people can see the same thing in different ways, leading into the concept of perspective.
Step 2
Introduce "Perspective Taking"
5 minutes
- Use slides 2-4 of Walking in Their Shoes Slides to introduce the concepts of empathy and perspective-taking.
- Explain that perspective is how someone sees and understands the world, like looking through their own pair of glasses.
- Discuss how everyone has a unique perspective based on their experiences and feelings.
- Read aloud the story from "Two Sides to Every Story" Reading and pause to ask questions about how different characters might be feeling or what they might be thinking.
- After the reading, ask students:
- "How did Lily and Tom feel at the beginning of the story? Why?"
- "What did Mrs. Davis mean by 'looking at the project through each other's eyes?'"
- "What did Lily and Tom do to solve their problem?" - - "How did their feelings change when they tried to understand each other's ideas?"
- "Can you think of a time when understanding someone else's feelings helped you?"
Step 3
Role-Play Different Viewpoints
8 minutes
- Divide students into small groups (2-3 students per group).
- Distribute one Perspective-Taking Scenario Card to each group.
- Instruct each group to read their scenario and discuss how each person in the scenario might be feeling and why.
- Have groups choose one character from their scenario and brainstorm what that character might say or do from their perspective.
- Invite a few groups to briefly role-play their scenario, sharing the different perspectives they discussed.
Step 4
Group Reflection
4 minutes
- Bring the class back together.
- Use slide 5 of Walking in Their Shoes Slides to guide a brief reflection.
- Ask students: "Why is it important to try and understand someone else's perspective?"
- Encourage students to share examples of when they might use perspective-taking in their own lives.
- Emphasize that understanding others helps us be better friends and classmates.
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Slide Deck
What Do You See?
Look closely at this image.
What do you see?
Is there only one right answer?
Start with an engaging optical illusion or ambiguous image to get students thinking about different interpretations. Encourage various answers without judgment.
Trying On New Glasses
Just like we all have different eyes, we also have different 'glasses' for seeing the world!
This is called perspective.
Your perspective is how you see and understand things.
Introduce the idea of 'perspective' using the metaphor of different glasses. Emphasize that everyone wears their own unique 'glasses.'
Why is Perspective Important?
Empathy means understanding and sharing the feelings of another.
When we try to see things from someone else's perspective, it helps us:
- Understand their feelings
- Know why they act a certain way
- Be a better friend!
Connect perspective to empathy. Explain that understanding someone's perspective helps us understand their feelings.
Your Unique View
Everyone has their own unique experiences, thoughts, and feelings.
These things shape their perspective.
Let's read a story to see how different people can have different perspectives about the same event!
Reinforce the idea that everyone's experiences shape their perspective. Briefly mention the upcoming reading and how it will demonstrate different perspectives.
Why Try On New Glasses?
Why is it important to try and understand someone else's perspective?
How can understanding others help you in school or with your friends?
Conclude with a reflection question to solidify learning. Encourage students to share how they can use this skill.
Activity
Perspective-Taking Scenario Cards
Instructions for Students:
- Read the scenario carefully.
- Discuss with your group: How might each person in the scenario be feeling? Why might they be feeling that way?
- Choose one person from the scenario. What might they say or do from their perspective?
Scenario 1: The Missing Toy
Characters: Leo and Maya
Leo is playing with his favorite dinosaur toy. He puts it down for a minute to get a drink of water. When he comes back, Maya is holding his dinosaur toy and playing with it. Leo feels angry and grabs the toy back.
- Leo's Perspective:
- Maya's Perspective:
Scenario 2: The Loud Laughter
Characters: Sam and Emily
Sam is trying to concentrate on his drawing, but a group of students nearby, including Emily, are laughing very loudly. Sam feels frustrated because he can't focus. Emily and her friends are just really excited about a funny joke someone told.
- Sam's Perspective:
- Emily's Perspective:
Scenario 3: The Broken Crayon
Characters: Chloe and David
Chloe is coloring a picture. David asks if he can borrow her blue crayon. Chloe says yes. A few minutes later, David accidentally breaks the crayon in half while he's coloring. Chloe feels sad because her crayon is broken.
- Chloe's Perspective:
- David's Perspective:
Scenario 4: The New Game
Characters: Noah and Mia
Noah brought a new board game to school for indoor recess. He really wants to play it with his best friend. Mia sees the new game and asks if she can play too, but Noah says, "No, only me and my friend are playing."
- Noah's Perspective:
- Mia's Perspective:
Reading
Two Sides to Every Story: The Art Project
It was art class, and the room buzzed with excitement. Mrs. Davis had announced a special project: each student would create a mural about their favorite season. The catch? They had to work in pairs.
Lily loved spring. She envisioned bright green leaves, colorful flowers, and playful butterflies. She quickly sketched a field of tulips and a buzzing bee. Her partner, Tom, however, was a big fan of winter. He dreamed of snowy mountains, warm hot cocoa, and sledding down hills. He started drawing a snowman with a carrot nose.
Lily looked at Tom's drawing and frowned. "Tom, we're supposed to do our favorite season, not just yours! Spring is so much prettier than winter." She felt frustrated because she thought Tom wasn't listening to her.
Tom heard Lily's words and felt a little hurt. "But winter is the best!" he said, his voice a bit quiet. He thought Lily was being bossy and didn't care about his ideas.
Mrs. Davis walked by and saw the two looking glum. "What's happening here, artists?" she asked gently.
Lily explained, "I want to draw spring, but Tom only wants winter!"
Tom added, "And she thinks spring is the only good season!"
Mrs. Davis smiled. "It sounds like you both have very strong ideas about your favorite seasons. Have you tried looking at the project through each other's eyes?"
Lily thought about it. "Through Tom's eyes?" she wondered. She imagined how much fun Tom must have sledding and building snowmen.
Tom imagined what Lily loved about spring. He pictured new flowers blooming after a long winter and colorful birds singing.
"Maybe," Lily suggested, "we could show both seasons? Like, one side of the mural is winter, and the other side is spring, and they connect in the middle?"
Tom's eyes lit up. "Or maybe a tree that's half snowy and half blooming!" he exclaimed.
They both started sketching again, this time with big smiles. They realized that by understanding each other's perspectives, they could create something even more amazing than they had first imagined.