Empathy Stories
Discussion
We are going to practice being an empathetic listener. First, we are going to imagine what another person may feel like in a situation. Then, we will practice being an empathetic listener.
One way you can try to imagine what it feels like being in someone else’s shoes is to ask yourself, “How would I feel in this situation?” How else can you try to understand how others feel?
When you listen to others, making eye contact, not interrupting the speaker, and asking follow-up questions can show that you’re making a genuine effort to understand what they’re going through. What other behaviors might show someone that you are being an empathetic listener?
What can you do to be more understanding of other people’s feelings? For instance, when you talk to your friends, how many “you” questions do you ask compared to the number of “I” statements you make?
Activity
Now you are going to practice what you’ve learned about being empathetic. You will each receive one character card from Empathy Story Cards (at bottom). You are going to complete the rest of the activity as this character, so take some time to think about how he or she feels in the given situation.
Pair up with a classmate (be sure your partner’s character card is different from yours; if you have the same character, you need to pair up with someone else). As your character, tell your partner about your situation. Your partner should practice being empathetic as he is listening to your story. Then, switch roles: practice being empathetic as your partner, as his character, tells you what he is experiencing.
With your partner, discuss how she showed empathy toward you, how it made you feel and what you wish she had done differently. Use statements like, “I could tell you were really listening to me because you maintained eye contact with me during the entire conversation, and that made me feel like you care.”
Everyone in the class should now stand. Go around the room, sharing something you learned about practicing empathy, sitting after you share. If someone else shares your thought, sit down. Continue around the room until everyone is sitting.
Extension Activity
Create a way to teach others how to be more empathetic (e.g., perform a skit, create a comic strip, write a short story, sing or rap original lyrics).
Accommodations
Students who cannot read the cards may need to have their card read to them individually. If most of the class cannot read, the teacher can read several of the stories to the class and ask students the students how they think the person felt and what they would feel in those situations.
Empathy Story Cards.pdf