Introducing the Empathy Goal Poster and Lesson Plan
As educators, one of our key goals is to help our middle school students develop not just intellectually, but emotionally and socially as well. An essential skill in this area is empathy – the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. Teaching empathy in middle school is a vital part of this holistic education approach. This blog post focuses on our Middle School Empathy Goal Poster and Lesson Plan, which aims to effectively impart this invaluable life skill.
The Two-Step Goal for Teaching Empathy
Empathy is not a complex, unreachable notion for our students. It’s as simple as two steps visualized in our Empathy Essentials Goal Poster.
- Put yourself in someone’s shoes to figure out how they feel.
- Take action to show you understand their feelings.
This approach encapsulates the core of an empathetic approach and makes it digestible and relatable for middle school students.
Lesson Plan: Cultivating Empathy
Objective:
By the end of the lesson, students should be able to demonstrate an understanding of empathy and apply it in their day-to-day interactions.
Materials Needed:
Middle School Empathy Goal Poster, chart paper, markers, notecards
Part 1: Story Sharing
Begin the lesson with a brief story-sharing session. Ask for volunteers to share a story about a time when they felt a strong emotion. Encourage the use of vivid descriptions to help others understand their feelings. This not only promotes empathy but also works on their narrative skills.
Part 2: Role-Play
For the second activity, pair students together. Each pair will pick a story shared during the first activity. Students will then take turns role-playing both the person who experienced the story and an empathetic friend. This role-play activity gives students a chance to ‘put themselves in someone else’s shoes.’
Part 3: Empathy Action Cards
The last part of the activity focuses on taking action to show understanding. Hand out notecards to the students. On these cards, they will write down one thing they can do to show empathy in response to the stories shared. These ‘Empathy Action Cards’ can serve as daily reminders of how they can practice empathy.
At the end of the lesson, gather all students and discuss their experiences. It’s essential to reinforce the two steps from our Middle School Empathy Goal Poster and how they apply in real-life scenarios.
Final Thoughts on Teaching Empathy
Teaching empathy in middle school doesn’t have to be complex or time-consuming. Our Empathy Essentials Goal Poster and Lesson Plan offer a practical and fun way to introduce this important life skill. Keep it visible and refer to it frequently to remind your students of the power of understanding and caring for others.
Remember, building an empathetic classroom environment goes beyond just teaching about empathy. It’s about modeling it in our interactions with students, encouraging empathetic behavior, and providing opportunities for students to practice empathy in real, meaningful ways.
Include the Empathy Essentials Goal Poster in your lesson plans to effectively cultivate a culture of empathy. Empathy – it’s not just an educational goal but a life skill that paves the way for better understanding, communication, and relationships.
Sample Video
Students learn best from watching real students their own age model skills. Try out this sample video-modeling lesson below. We offer our entire Social-Emotional Learning platform free for 30 days here!
Related Blog Posts:
Empathy: Building Understanding and Sharing Feelings with Others
Teaching Perspective-Taking: A Guide for Educators
Teaching Empathy: Understanding Different Thoughts and Feelings
