Understanding the perspectives of others is at the heart of effective communication, positive social interactions, and emotional growth. Middle school students are at a stage in development where expanding their ability to see situations from someone else’s viewpoint becomes increasingly important.

Download Poster and Lesson Plan

The Empathy Essentials poster resource from Everyday Speech offers a direct and accessible method for fostering perspective taking by outlining clear steps students can practice and internalize. This article explores the concept of perspective taking, offers a rationale for teaching it, and presents a detailed lesson plan for using the Empathy Essentials poster with middle school learners.

What Is Perspective Taking?

Perspective taking refers to the ability to recognize and understand another person’s thoughts, feelings, motivations, or experiences. This skill goes beyond mere awareness of others; it requires students to imagine how someone else interprets a shared situation, what emotions they might be experiencing, and why they are reacting in particular ways.

Perspective taking is a foundational component of situational awareness, allowing students to respond thoughtfully rather than react impulsively in social interactions. In practical terms, perspective taking helps students move past a self-centered view.

They begin to realize that others’ minds are not identical to their own, and that people’s thoughts and feelings are shaped by unique life experiences, personal preferences, and current emotional states. For middle schoolers, this can be a challenging but transformative realization—especially as peer relationships, group work, and social dynamics grow more complex.

Why Teach Perspective Taking?

Helping middle school students strengthen perspective taking yields broad benefits across academic, behavioral, and interpersonal domains. Teaching this skill is especially relevant for those who may struggle with situational awareness, social cognition, or flexible thinking. Consider the specific advantages:

• Improves the quality of peer relationships and friendships
• Reduces conflicts and misunderstandings in group settings
• Supports pro-social behaviors such as kindness, apology, and compromise
• Increases classroom participation by encouraging students to consider diverse ideas
• Helps students identify and respond to subtle social cues
• Prepares students for constructive feedback, negotiation, and advocacy
• Contributes to a more inclusive and empathetic school climate
• Reinforces skills required for problem solving and decision making
• Supports mental health by reducing feelings of isolation and improving self-esteem

Teaching perspective taking is a proactive approach that strengthens students’ social and communication skills, giving them the tools they need to navigate middle school and beyond.

Lesson Plan: Using Empathy Essentials

The Empathy Essentials poster is designed as a no-prep visual tool, making it ideal for clinicians, counselors, special educators, or other staff working with small groups or individual students. The poster visually breaks down the key aspects of empathy and perspective taking into actionable steps, using language and examples tailored for middle school students. It is available for download here: Empathy Essentials Poster PDF

The following lesson plan anticipates a 30-40 minute session but can be adapted for shorter or longer timeframes based on group size and students’ needs.

Step 1: Introduce the Poster and Context

Begin by displaying the Empathy Essentials poster—either printed or digitally. Briefly connect the content to recent experiences students might have had where perspective taking would have been useful (peer disagreements, group projects, or misunderstandings).

Explain that empathy is not simply feeling sorry for someone. Instead, it is about recognizing how others might feel or what they might be thinking in various situations. Perspective taking is the key skill that allows people to practice empathy in action. Highlight to the group that these skills help navigate both positive and challenging social situations.

Step 2: Review and Discuss Each Essential

The Empathy Essentials poster offers students four clear steps:

1. Notice others around you and their reactions.
2. Imagine what they might be feeling or thinking.
3. Ask yourself what could help or hurt in this moment.
4. Take action or decide what to say based on your understanding.

Review each step aloud. As you progress, pause to discuss each one:

• What does it look like to notice others’ reactions? Could this include body language, facial expressions, or tone of voice?
• Brainstorm examples of how someone’s body language might show they are frustrated, left out, excited, or nervous.
• What questions could help uncover what someone is feeling or thinking? For example, “How might I feel if I were in this situation?”
• When considering what could help or hurt, explore how saying something kind or checking in can be supportive.
• Emphasize that the action taken should be guided by their understanding of what the other person needs, rather than just assuming or ignoring signs.

Step 3: Guided Practice with Scenarios

Provide sample scenarios to practice applying the Empathy Essentials steps. Choose examples relevant to middle school life. Here are a few possible scenarios:

• A classmate is sitting alone at lunch, looking at their phone without talking to anyone.
• During a group project, one student becomes very quiet and stops participating.
• Someone receives a lower grade on a test and seems upset.
• A friend does not respond to texts for a few days, and then seems irritated in person.

Work through these as a group, prompting discussion for each step. For instance, “What did you notice? What clues tell us how this person might be feeling? What questions could you ask yourself? What would be helpful or unhelpful in this moment?” Guide students to use the poster as a reference.

If students are working in pairs or small groups, encourage them to create their own scenarios based on real experiences and discuss how perspective taking could improve the outcome.

Step 4: Personal Reflection and Connection

Encourage students to recall a recent situation where they experienced a misunderstanding or felt upset because someone did not understand their perspective. Invite them, if comfortable, to share (either verbally or in writing) how applying the Empathy Essentials steps might have changed the outcome.

Promote discussion around the idea that everyone benefits when perspective taking happens in daily interactions. Point out that using the steps is a skill that can be strengthened over time.

Step 5: Commit to a Perspective Taking Goal

Conclude the activity by having each student set a brief, achievable goal for applying perspective taking in the coming week. This could look like “I will check in with a classmate who seems to be having a hard day,” or “I will ask myself how someone else might feel during a disagreement.”

Invite students to write their goal on a sticky note or in a journal to serve as a reminder. Optionally, create a group challenge to see how many students can share examples of perspective taking in action during the next group session.

Supporting Perspective Taking After the Activity

Reinforcing perspective taking requires ongoing effort and reinforcement across contexts. Clinicians, educators, and other staff can use a variety of strategies to maintain momentum and support generalization of the skill:

• Reference the Empathy Essentials poster during other group lessons or individual check-ins
• Praise students when perspective taking is observed in real situations, detailing what behavior was effective
• Encourage reflective journaling or social stories that highlight how people navigate different points of view
• Use video clips, books, or current events to spark group conversations about multiple perspectives
• Involve families by sharing the poster and suggestions for at-home discussions about seeing situations through another person’s eyes
• Collaborate with classroom teachers to include perspective taking prompts in academic content (such as literature discussions, history debates, or science group work)
• Teach students to ask clarifying questions and verify understanding during conflicts or when hearing others’ ideas
• Foster a classroom or group culture where curiosity about feelings and thoughts is normalized and celebrated

Providing continued opportunities to revisit and practice these steps helps students internalize the habit of considering others before acting.

Wrapping Up: Building a Culture of Empathy and Awareness

Supporting middle schoolers in mastering perspective taking is an investment in their long-term social and academic success. The Empathy Essentials poster can serve as an anchor for discussions, lessons, and real-world problem solving.

By consistently referencing and modeling the outlined steps, school-based clinicians can help students develop the situational awareness needed to thrive in both peer and adult interactions. Over time, practicing perspective taking fosters not only stronger relationships but also a more understanding and respectful school community.

For easy access, download and print the Empathy Essentials poster here: Empathy Essentials Poster PDF. Incorporate it into regular practice to build confident, empathetic young people who are better equipped to understand and support those around them.