It is thought that young people today are forty percent less empathetic than they were thirty years ago. It is also believed that, once children grow up, a lack of empathy hampers their ability to collaborate, innovate and problem-solve - all must-have skills for the global economy.

This unit is designed to cultivate compassion, kindness and care - all of which are essential for the future of our world. Research shows that what we read affects how we feel and act towards others, and with this in mind, we will read the novel Wonder as a class and collaborate to think about how fiction can increase empathy and open-mindedness. We investigate the concept of characterisation and point of view to examine how sympathetic and well-written fictional characters can help us care more about people in real life.

In this unit, we will think about:

• what empathy is
• what is means to be ordinary/extraordinary
• topics such as inclusion and exclusion, difference, and multiple points of view
• what rights and responsibilities we have as humans

The unit directly addresses the Learner Profile attributes of being a student who is:

• principled
• open-minded
• balanced
• a thinker

To learn more about the conceptual understandings underpinning this unit, please see the unit outline on the HOME page.

Please check out these books, which your child is encouraged to read while they think more about empathy, kindness and understanding differences - you should read them too! Any of these books are available to borrow from my personal classroom library or the MHS learning hub. I also recommend the articles below to help you understand the concepts behind this unit.