It’s important to help students understand the importance of empathy–especially with the recent natural disasters, the shootings, and the political climate. Teaching empathy to your students helps them to build a sense of security and stronger relationships with other children, and staff members. In addition, teaching empathy:
- Positions children well for learning
- Encourages acceptance
- Promotes good mental health
- Reduces the likelihood of bullying
One song I love that reminds me of this premise is Michael Jackson’s “Man In The Mirror”. If you want to make changes, you have to look at yourself first.
I decided to use this song to create a lesson designed to help my kids look at empathy. I started with a few discussion questions about what they thought needed changes in today’s world, and it started a great discussion.
“The world is just getting out of hand”
“People are just doing what they want”
“We need to work together more”
I then had them listen to the song and we talked about what it meant. Once they were done, I asked them to color a pennant to show their commitment to helping to make the world a better place. Once they are finished, we hung them around the school. Seeing the pennants around the classroom is a great reminder for my students. Be the Change – Make the Change!
What’s Included:
✔ Lesson Plan–aligned to ASCA Standards
✔ 4 Warm-Up Discussion Questions
✔ 2 Activity Discussion Posters
✔ 20 Double-sided Pennants ( 4 designs with 5 different zen color backgrounds each)
This lesson is a great addition to any character education curriculum, as well as a project starter for a kindness project. It can be tied into Science, Civics, Social Studies, Health, Home and Careers, and English classes.
