Each year, I begin 6th grade health with a lesson about empathy. I put students in pairs and they squeeze out tooth paste onto a paper plate. Each pair is told to think of a way to get the tooth paste back into the tube. I let the students share some ideas. The pair with the best idea is allowed to try to get the tooth paste back into the tube.

After they inevitably fail at getting the tooth paste back into the tube, I tell them that this is a metaphor for unkind words. When you say unkind words, it is very hard to put them back into your mouth; the damage is already done. I love using projects to engage my students in learning!