Welcome to Two Sides, a game designed to help educators teach middle school students about empathy and understanding the feelings of others. In this blog post, we’ll introduce a no-prep activity, discussion questions, and related skills to enhance your students’ abilities to think about other people’s feelings. We’ll also provide next steps for accessing free sample materials.

Introduction

Two Sides is a game that encourages students to think about the impact of their actions on others. By analyzing different scenarios, students can learn to put themselves in others’ shoes and understand how their actions might make others feel. This skill is essential for building healthy relationships and fostering a positive environment in the classroom and beyond.

No-Prep Activity

To play Two Sides, you’ll need a set of video clips or written scenarios that depict various interactions between characters. The scenarios should focus on situations where one character’s actions have an impact on another’s feelings. As the educator, your job is to guide students in deciding if the main character was thinking about other people’s feelings or not.

Here’s how to conduct the activity:

1. Present a video clip or read a scenario to your students.
2. Pause the clip or take a moment after the scenario to ask students if they think the main character was considering other people’s feelings.
3. Encourage students to discuss why they believe the character was or wasn’t thinking about the feelings of others.
4. Repeat the process with additional scenarios, allowing students to practice identifying empathy and understanding in various situations.

Discussion Questions

Use these discussion questions to stimulate further conversation about empathy and understanding others’ feelings:

1. Why is it important to think about how our actions might affect other people’s feelings?
2. Can you think of a time when you changed your behavior because you considered how it might make someone else feel? What was the outcome?
3. How can we become better at understanding the feelings of others and adjusting our actions accordingly?
4. What are some strategies for showing empathy and support when someone around us is upset or frustrated?
5. How can understanding others’ feelings contribute to a positive classroom environment?

Related Skills

Beyond empathy and understanding others’ feelings, there are many other related skills that can help students build strong relationships and promote a positive environment. Some of these skills include:

• Active listening: Paying close attention to what others are saying and responding thoughtfully.
• Conflict resolution: Identifying and addressing disagreements or misunderstandings between individuals.
• Collaboration: Working together with others to achieve a common goal or complete a task.
• Communication: Expressing thoughts and feelings clearly and respectfully.
• Self-awareness: Recognizing one’s own emotions, strengths, and weaknesses.

Next Steps

Ready to incorporate Two Sides and other social-emotional learning activities into your classroom? Sign up for free sample materials at Everyday Speech to access a variety of resources designed to help students develop essential life skills. Don’t miss this opportunity to support your students’ growth and foster a positive learning environment for all.