3rd–5th Grade Curriculum

#1

What is Empathy and Why Does It Matter?

Objective: By the end of the lesson, students will know the definition of empathy and be able to give examples from books and real-life experiences about understanding others’ emotions from situational cues.

Key Concepts: Empathy, feelings of others, perspectives

SEL Competencies: Social awareness

Standards:

1B.2a. Describe aspects of their identity, such as strengths, skills, beliefs, qualities, opinions, and interests, including those reflective of membership in multiple identity groups.

2B.2b. Demonstrate ability to communicate across a variety of groups.

#2

How do I recognize complex emotions in myself?

Objective: By the end of the lesson, students will be able to identify complex emotions (e.g., upset, nervous, excited, jealous, disappointed, worried, belonging, guilt) and describe scenarios that bring about those

complex emotions.

Key Concepts: Self-awareness, emotional awareness, accurate self-perception, recognizing strengths and

challenges

SEL Competencies: Social-awareness

Standards:

1A.2a. Identify a range of increasingly complex emotions and possible causes

#3

Now what do I do? Emotion Regulation

Objective: By the end of the lesson, students will know several self-regulations skills to help express their emotions and commit to a coping strategy that they will use when feeling a) nervous, b) angry, and c)

disappointed, d) embarrassed, e) empathetic.

Key Concepts: Self-awareness and self-regulation, impulse control

SEL Competencies: Self-awareness, self-regulation

Standards:

1A.2b. Identify and practice self-regulation skills and coping strategies that help them to express their emotions.

1C.3a. Develop a plan and prioritize steps in working toward a goal.

#4

Perspective Taking and Empathic Listening

Objective: By the end of the lesson, students will be able to practice taking the perspective of others in order to identify their feelings based on verbal and context clues and practice communicating about others’ feelings to clarify understanding

Key Concepts: Empathy, relationship-building, perspective taking, social awareness

SEL Competencies: Self-awareness

Standards:

1B.2a. Describe aspects of their identity, such as strengths, skills, beliefs, qualities, opinions, and interests, including those reflective of membership in multiple identity groups.

1B.2b. Explain how family members, peers, school personnel, and community members can support their identity development.

#5

What is Non-Verbal Communication?

Objective: By the end of the lesson, students will be able to give at least two examples of non-verbal communication cues and their perceptions of others’ feelings aligned with those cues.

Key Concepts: non-verbal communication; body language; posture; facial expression; eye contact; gestures; tone of voice

SEL Competencies: Social awareness

Standards:

2A.2a. Identify verbal, physical, and situational cues that indicate how others may feel.

2A.2b. Communicate perceived understanding of the expressed feelings and perspectives of others.

2C.2b. Engage in strategies to work effectively and cooperatively across lines of difference.

#6

What is reflective listening?

Objective: By the end of the lesson, students will be able to describe the difference between listening and hearing and articulate what practices/strategies promote active listening (listening with intention and body language, open-mindedness) and empathic listening (perspective taking above and beyond listening).

Key Concepts: Reflective listening, active listening, empathic listening; paraphrasing, summarizing, asking clarifying questions, recognizing perceptions and understanding without judgement

SEL Competencies: Social awareness

Standards:

2A.2a. Identify verbal, physical, and situational cues that indicate how others may feel.

2A.2b. Communicate perceived understanding of the expressed feelings and perspectives of others.

2C.2b. Engage in strategies to work effectively and cooperatively across lines of difference.

#7

What is The Communication Cycle and Why is it Important?

Objective: By the end of the lesson, students will be able to describe the purpose and utility of the communication cycle (e.g., there are multiple steps that explain how communication works in both directions for people to send and receive messages effectively; it is helpful to understand the communication cycle because if one step is missing then the message can break down or be misunderstood).

Key Concepts: The Communication Cycle; sending and receiving messages

SEL Competencies: Relationship building skills

Standards:

2C.2a. Describe and practice approaches for developing and maintaining supportive relationships, including ways to respond to peer pressure.

2C.2b. Engage in strategies to work effectively and cooperatively across lines of difference.

#8

It’s Not Always That Easy: Conflict Resolution

Objective: By the end of the lesson, students will be able to recognize common sources of conflict with their peers, family, and other adults and be able to apply strategies for responding in those situations.

Key Concepts: conflict, confrontation, communication cycle, solutions, compromise, emotional awareness, emotional regulation

SEL Competencies: Social awareness, relationship building skills

Standards:

2B.2c. Identify ways to respond when they experience or witness bullying and/or relational aggression, such as

seeking support of a trusted adult, or demonstrating courage in speaking up for themself or a peer.

2D.2a. Identify strategies for preventing, managing, or navigating interpersonal conflicts.

2D.2b. Apply simple approaches to navigating conflicts.

#9

Pulling it all together: What is Empathic Listening and How do I do it?

Objective: By the end of the lesson, students will be able to describe empathic listening (e.g., reflective listening that includes nonverbal cues like eye contact and thinking about how the other person might be feeling) and practice empathic listening with classmates; students will be able to describe impacts of empathic listening for self and others

Key Concepts: Empathy; hearing versus listening; listening versus empathic listening

SEL Competencies: Responsible decision making

Standards:

3A.2a. Demonstrate consideration for the safety and well-being of self and others.

3B.2a. Identify and apply decision- making steps that consider impact on self and others.

#10

Empathic Leadership

Objective: By the end of the lesson, students will collectively brainstorm issues in their school community and ways they can take action to make their school community better for everyone; students will discuss ways they can be empathic leaders in their families and local communities.

Key Concepts: empathic listening to school and community, teamwork, leadership, confrontation

SEL Competencies: Social awareness

Standards:

3B.2b. As part of a decision-making approach, generate multiple solutions and evaluate the impact on self and

others for a range of academic and social situations.

3C.2a. Identify ways they can take action to support their school community.

3C.2b. Identify ways they can take action to support their local community.