Creator: Tolerance.org | visit site
Grade Range: 4 - 8
Developing Empathy is a middle school lesson plan that teaches students how to build and put empathy into practice. The essential questions focus on students reflecting upon their ability to empathize with others and practice using this character trait with fellow students. This lesson includes printable worksheets for students, including a self-evaluation and practice activity cards.
In the Classroom
Include this lesson with others as you teach the character trait of empathy and incorporate these ideas into lessons about bullying and bias. As you begin your lesson with the essential questions, use a digital question response site such as Answer Garden, <a href="/single.cfm?id=10937">reviewed here</a>, to share student responses. This site offers the opportunity to look at the entire class’s responses while still allowing students to provide anonymous thoughts. Take advantage of the suggested extension activities to allow students to use their creativity to share their understanding of empathy in various ways. Some tool suggestions for the extension activities are to create comics using ToonyTool, <a href="/single.cfm?id=17781">reviewed here</a>, share videos created with Powtoon, <a href="/single.cfm?id=13954">reviewed here</a>, or publish podcasts using Buzzsprout, <a href="/single.cfm?id=17015">reviewed here</a>.
At Home
Use the questions and activities found in this lesson to discuss empathy with your student and generate ideas on becoming more empathetic towards others. Share your ideas and progress through ongoing conversations on how to build and develop positive character traits.
Tags
bullying, character education, empathy,