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Unit  Empathy
Lesson Name  Understanding Empathy
Grade Band  Early Childhood (K-2)
Required Materials

  • Picture scenario depicting various emotions and situations

  • Large chart paper and markers

  • Picture books emphasizing empathy
Standards / Competencies 

SEL Core Competencies: 

  • Self-Awareness: identifying emotions, experiencing self-efficacy, linking feelings, values and thoughts, demonstrating honesty and integrity 

  • Self-Management: managing one’s emotions, exhibiting self-discipline 

  • Social Awareness: taking others’ perspectives, recognizing strengths in others, demonstrating empathy and compassion, identifying diverse social norms, showing concern for the feelings of others 

  • Relationship Skills: communicating effectively, developing positive relationships, showing leadership in groups, resolving conflicts constructively, seeking or offering support when needed 

ELA Standards: Listening and Speaking 

Social Studies Theme: Individual Development and Identity 
Recommended Time  35 mins 
Essential Question  What is empathy?
Learning Objectives  Students will be able to define empathy. Students will develop an
understanding of empathy by recognizing and understanding the feelings
of others through picture scenarios.
Activating Prior Knowledge 

All About Empathy (for kids!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Itp21tly8nM

Have students watch the video “All About Empathy (for kids!). Pause the video after each question is presented and allow students the chance to share their thoughts or answers. After viewing the video, ask students about a time that they noticed a friend or family member was feeling happy/sad/angry. How did they look? How would you feel if that had happened to you?
Core Instruction 

Whole Group:

Display several scenario cards for the students and pick a card to look at with the class as a whole. Narrate what you see in the card by answering the following questions, you can jot down quick responses or words on a piece of chart paper:

  • What are the people doing? Describe the scene (I see children playing on the playground. There is one group of children and another child by himself)

  • What do their faces or bodies look like? (The children in the group are smiling, I think they’re laughing. The child by himself has a frown and is looking down and holding his leg)

  • How do you think they feel? (I think the group of kids are happy and the boy is sad)

  • What do you think happened in the picture? (I think these kids are all playing together and having fun. It looks like this boy is by himself, maybe he feels lonely? He’s holding his leg, maybe he fell down and is hurt? Maybe the other kids are laughing at him or maybe they don’t see that he’s hurt?)

Ask students what they would do if that was them on the playground, if they were a part of the group of kids or if they were the little boy all by himself. Record their responses. 

Connection to schoolwide curriculum:

Using a picture book from a previous lesson or from your school’s
curriculum, ask students to analyze the illustration and ask similar
questions from the above activity.

Small group:

Have students work in small groups on a scenario card. Depending on the level or age of the students, they can write their responses on chart paper. If they are unable to write they can dictate their responses. This activity can be broken up into different periods to allow the teacher to sit with one group at a time.
Wrap-up  Gather students together to review the emotions discussed during the
small group activity. Ask students one thing that they learned about
empathy or what empathy means to them. Create a class empathy chart on
chart paper, noting different ways they can show empathy.
Learning Beyond Classroom Walls  Create a class empathy chart on chart paper, noting different ways
they can show empathy.
Supplementary Resources 

Empathy situation cards (may need to create an account in order to access)
Instructional Content Adaptations 

  • ​​Students with special needs or ELL learners provide additional visual aids, use simplified language, or work 1:1 with students and modify the activity to address individual abilities.  

  • Students can draw or write in a journal about times they’ve experienced or demonstrated empathy.

  • Students can turns acting out different scenarios to practice empathy in a hands-on way

  • Students with difficulty identifying their own emotions or students with ASD can be provided  with thinking bubbles or speech bubbles to use to support them on their perspective of the picture