Lesson Plan
What's It Like in Their Shoes?
Students will be able to explain what perspective-taking means and describe a situation from a classmate's point of view.
Understanding perspective-taking helps students develop empathy, resolve conflicts, and build stronger relationships by seeing situations from different viewpoints.
Audience
5th Grade
Time
20 minutes
Approach
Through scenarios, partner sharing, and reflection.
Materials
- Slide Deck, - Scenario Cards, and - Discussion Guide
Prep
Prepare Materials
10 minutes
- Review the What's It Like in Their Shoes? Lesson Plan and all linked materials.
- Print and cut out the Scenario Cards.
- Ensure the Slide Deck is ready for display.
Step 1
Warm-Up: Recap of Empathy
3 minutes
- Display Slide 2. Begin by briefly recapping what empathy means, building on prior knowledge.
* Ask students: "Who can remind us what empathy means? Why is it important?"
* Facilitate a quick whole-class share.
Step 2
Introduction to Perspective-Taking: "A Mile in Their Shoes" Scenario
5 minutes
- Display Slide 3 and introduce the concept of perspective-taking.
* Distribute the Scenario Cards to each pair of students.
* Explain that each card describes a situation. Students will read their scenario and think about how different people involved might feel or think.
* Direct students to discuss with their partner what
Step 3
Partner Sharing and Discussion
7 minutes
- Display Slide 4.
* Ask partners to share their chosen scenario and the different perspectives they identified.
* Circulate and listen to discussions, prompting with questions like: "Why do you think that person feels that way?" or "How might the situation change if they understood each other's perspective better?"
* After a few minutes, bring the class back together for a brief whole-group share using the Discussion Guide prompts.
Step 4
Reflection on Perspective
5 minutes
- Display Slide 5.
* Facilitate a closing discussion using questions from the Discussion Guide to solidify understanding.
* Ask students to consider how they can apply perspective-taking in their daily lives. For example: "When might it be helpful to try and see things from someone else's point of view?"
* Conclude by emphasizing that practicing perspective-taking helps create a more understanding and kind community.
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Slide Deck
What's It Like in Their Shoes?
Understanding Different Perspectives!
Welcome students and introduce the lesson title. Briefly explain that today we're going to explore understanding others.
Recap: What is Empathy?
- Putting yourself in someone else's feelings.
- Understanding how others feel.
- Why is empathy important?
Ask students to recall previous lessons on empathy. Encourage a few students to share their definitions and why it's important to be empathetic.
A Mile in Their Shoes: Perspective-Taking
When we try to understand a situation from someone else's point of view.
- How would you feel?
- How would someone else feel?
- Let's explore some scenarios!
Introduce the idea of perspective-taking as a step beyond empathy. Explain that students will work with a partner to consider a situation from different viewpoints using the Scenario Cards.
Share Your Stories
With your partner, discuss:
- What was your scenario?
- What different perspectives did you identify?
- How did understanding different perspectives change your view of the situation?
Explain that students will now share their discussions. Emphasize active listening and respectful sharing. Prompt them to think about how different perspectives can change how we understand a situation.
Reflect and Connect
Why is it important to understand different perspectives?
How can you practice perspective-taking at school or at home?
How does this help our community?
Lead a final reflection. Ask students to think about how they can use perspective-taking in their daily lives to improve interactions with friends, family, and classmates. Connect it to building a more positive community.
Activity
Scenario Cards
Cut out these cards and discuss them with your partner. Think about the different people involved and how they might feel or think.
Scenario 1: The Broken Toy
Situation: You are playing with your favorite toy car during recess. Another student accidentally trips and steps on your car, breaking it.
Perspectives to discuss:
- How do you feel?
- How might the student who broke it feel?
- What might both of you be thinking?
Scenario 2: The Group Project
Situation: Your teacher assigns a group project. You're excited to start, but one of your group members seems quiet and doesn't offer many ideas.
Perspectives to discuss:
- How do you feel about the quiet group member?
- Why might the quiet group member be acting that way? What could they be feeling?
- What could you do to understand their perspective better?
Scenario 3: Lunchroom Mix-Up
Situation: You sit down at your usual lunch table, but another student is sitting in your favorite spot and seems annoyed when you approach.
Perspectives to discuss:
- How do you feel in this situation?
- Why might the other student be annoyed? What could be their perspective?
- What assumptions might you be making, and how could you check them?
Scenario 4: The Soccer Game
Situation: During a soccer game, your teammate misses an easy shot, and your team loses.
Perspectives to discuss:
- How do you feel about your teammate's miss and the loss?
- How do you think your teammate feels after missing the shot?
- What could you say or do to show you understand their feelings?
Discussion
Perspective-Taking Discussion Guide
Use these questions to guide your discussions with your partner and during our whole-class reflection.
Partner Discussion Prompts (After Scenario Cards)
- What was the scenario you and your partner discussed?
- Who were the different people involved in the scenario?
- How might each person be feeling or thinking in that situation?
- What assumptions did you initially make about the situation, and how did considering other perspectives challenge those assumptions?
- How might the situation change or be resolved if everyone involved understood each other's perspective?
Whole-Class Reflection Prompts
- What does "perspective-taking" mean in your own words?
- Can someone share an example from their scenario where understanding another person's perspective was really important?
- Why is it important to try and see things from someone else's point of view in our daily lives?
- When might it be difficult to take someone else's perspective? What can you do in those situations?
- How can practicing perspective-taking make our classroom, school, and community better?