1st Grade Empathy Lesson Plan Example

Topic: Empathy

Objectives & Outcomes

• Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the concept of empathy and how it can be used to help others.

Materials

• Play-dough
• Markers
• Small objects such as buttons, coins, or small figurines (optional)

Warm-up

• Ask students if they have ever felt sad or upset about something that happened to someone else.
• Ask students what they did to make themselves feel better.
• Discuss how showing empathy can help others feel better when they are sad or upset.

Direct Instruction

• Introduce the concept of empathy by explaining that it means understanding and feeling what someone else is feeling.
• Show students the pictures or videos of different people experiencing different emotions. Ask them to guess what each person is feeling based on their facial expressions and body language.
• Discuss the different emotions that the students identified and how each emotion can make us feel different things.
• Ask students to think of a time when they felt empathy for someone else. Have them share their story with the class.

Guided Practice

• Divide the class into small groups.
• Give each group a set of emotions cards and have them sort the cards into different categories.
• Have each group choose one person to be the "emotions expert" and answer questions about the different emotions.
• Have the groups share their knowledge with the class and discuss any differences in their understanding.

Independent Practice

• Give each student a piece of paper and a pen.
• Ask students to think of someone they know well (could be a family member, friend, or teacher) and draw a picture of that person showing one of the emotions they learned about in class.
• Have students write a sentence beside their drawing explaining why the person in their picture is showing that emotion.

Closure

• Ask students to share their drawings and sentences with the class.
• Have a few students volunteer to explain their drawings and sentences to the rest of the class.
• Review the five emotions and the definitions again as a class.

Assessment

• Observe students during the independent practice activity and provide feedback on their understanding of the five emotions and their ability to empathize with others.
• Have students turn in their drawings and sentences as a form of assessment.