Focus on Empathy

Who: This activity is appropriate for elementary students, particularly at the intermediate level (2-4). I will be doing this lesson with my 2nd graders in particular.

The Need: Social emotional learning is the number one need for all people at my school right now. Our school counselor described a student's social emotional wellbeing as a platter: without students' emotional needs being met and maintained, they cannot carry the extra weight of school, homework, academics, etc.  One area I would like to focus on is this specific 2nd grade group, and their ability to care about others. This lesson seeks to help students identify what empathy is, what it looks like in action and to them, and to help create something musical and memorable for them to have in place when they need the reminder to practice empathy for others.

What: My activity is a lesson to explore empathy. Students will first be exposed to a children's book where empathy is demonstrated (music will be playing while we watch this book- it has no words), and then put words to what they saw. They will then "act out" or move to the book to practice empathy. After a discussion and defining the word, we will, in groups, come up with a phrase, word, or our own definition of empathy and put it to music (rhythmic, melodic, with sound effects, movements, etc.). 

UDL and SEL: 

• UDL- Multiple Means of Representation: Options for Comprehension- Guide information processing and visualization

  • Students will understand empathy through seeing it, acting it out/moving through it, describing and creating.

• SEL- Social Awareness

  • This entire lesson is SEL based, but there will be a particular focus on the social awareness piece of demonstrating empathy and compassion

How:  This is my lesson plan:

• Objective: Students will create something musical to help remember the definition of "empathy."

• Start Waltz of the Flowers in the background and show the book Flora and the Flamingo.

  • First time show the book (it has no words), without much talking, if any.

  • Once finished, go back and discuss what happened in the book. (Flora is copying the flamingo, then falls down and is mocked, but then the flamingo helps her get up and they finish the dance).

• Give quick info about the piece of music

  • From the Nutcracker, composed by Tchaikovsky, Russian, kind of created his own style when there was heavy push to only compose in a Nationalistic style

• Read through Flora again, but this time act out/move through.

  • Students can choose to be Flora or the flamingo.

  • Pay attention to facial expressions (especially important to the story, since there are no words!)

  • Put on Waltz of the Flowers again.

• Discuss empathy

  • From the Character Strong curriculum

  • Conversation Starters

    • How do you know what you are feeling? How can you tell how someone else is feeling?

    • When do you feel most excited? Most upset? Most happy? Most sad?

    • How do you show Empathy towards your friends when they are sad?

    • What are things others might do when they’re sad, worried or frustrated? What might they say?

  • Questions You Could Ask

    • How do you know what you are feeling? How can you tell how someone else is feeling?

    • When do you feel most excited? Most upset? Most happy? Most sad?

    • How do you show Empathy towards your friends when they are sad?

    • What are things others might do when they’re sad, worried or frustrated? What might they say?

  • Definition: Empathy: the ability to understand and connect to the feelings of another.

• Small group discussions about how they define empathy. 

  • Can be a word, sentence, phrase

• As a class, put rhythm, melody, timbre or movement to each small group's contribution and weave them together for one class-wide empathy statement.

Materials:

• Character Strong curriculum, K-5 Purposefull Pathways

• Waltz of the Flowers or other music

  • This was selevted from the "Kind" page in Scott and Stephanie Edgar's The ABCs of My Feelings and Music

• Flora the Flamingo book

• Writing utensils and something to write on

• Access to instruments if you want to put each group's phrase on instruments in some way