Empathic Listening Curriculum
The Empathic Listening Curriculum is designed to help elementary students (grades Kindergarten-2nd) develop essential communication skills, with a focus on empathic listening, social awareness, and relationship-building. The curriculum includes ten core lessons that build upon each other, integrating social-emotional learning (SEL) competencies and aligning with the Chapman Foundation for Caring Communities’ mission.
Curriculum Structure
Grade Level: K-2
Total Lessons: 10
Duration: Each lesson is designed to be delivered in a 30-40 minute session.
Instructional Strategies: Interactive activities, each lesson starts with a read aloud, text-based discussion, role-playing, group discussions, self-reflection, and real-world application exercises.
Lesson Plan
#1
What Kind of Friend Do I Want to Be?
Objective: By the end of the lesson, students will describe themselves as an individual member of the school/classroom community using several personal identities, likes, dislikes, and strengths. Students will set (verbalize) at least one short term personal prosocial goal.
Key Concepts: self-awareness, identity, social awareness, community
SEL Competencies: Self-awareness
Standards:
1B.1a. Identify likes, dislikes, and personal strengths.
1B.1b. Identify family, peer, school, and community assets that contribute to their identity in multiple groups and communities.
#2
What Are My Emotions?
Objective: By the end of the lesson, students will be able to name at least six emotions (e.g., confused, angry, sad, tired, happy, frustrated, curious, compassion); students will be able to describe how they experience those emotions and when/why certain emotions may occur
Key Concepts: self-awareness, accurate self-assessment, emotions (energy and pleasantness), emotional triggers
SEL Competencies: Self-awareness
Standards:
1A.1a. Recognize and name their basic emotions, where they feel them in their bodies, and describe situations that may evoke these emotions.
#3
How Do I Handle My Emotions?
Objective: By the end of the lesson, students will be able to identify emotions and describe at least 3 ways to manage their emotions (e.g., belly breathing, mindfulness) and support wellbeing
Key Concepts: mindfulness, self-regulation, self-control
SEL Competencies: Self-awareness and self-management
Standards:
1A.1b. Identify their emotions and make choices to support their well-being, including simple self- regulation techniques such as belly breathing
#4
Nonverbal Listening
Objective: By the end of the lesson, students will be able to identify emotions in others based on non-verbal cues such as facial expressions, body language, posture, gestures, and tone.
Key Concepts: emotional awareness, non-verbal cues, facial expressions, body language, posture, gestures, tone
SEL Competencies: Social awareness
Standards:
2A.1b. Use listening skills to identify the feelings and perspectives of others.
#5
What is Empathy?
Objective: By the end of the lesson, students will know the term empathy (i.e., understanding and sharing the feelings of others) is and describe ways that people are similar and different and how that contributes to how we experience and present emotions differently.
Key Concepts: similarities and differences, self-awareness (identity), social awareness (belonging), empathy, experiencing emotions, perspectives
SEL Competencies: Self-awareness and social awareness
Standards:
2A.1a. Recognize that others may experience situations differently from them.
2B.1a. Recognize their similarities to and differences from others.
#6
How Can Empathy Make Me a Better Listener?
Objective: By the end of the lesson, students will be able to identify feelings or perspectives of others using reflective listening skills and respectful curiosity.
Key Concepts: responsible decision making (curiosity), active listening (eye contact, body language), reflective listening (asking questions, open mindedness)
SEL Competencies: Social awareness
Standards:
2A.1b. Use listening skills to identify the feelings and perspectives of others.
2B.1b. Express respectful curiosity about the history and lived experiences of others.
#7
How Can Empathy Make Me a Better Communicator?
Objective: By the end of the lesson, students will recognize that communication can be different in different situations, and be able to create and maintain boundaries for personal and collective well-being.
Key Concepts: Communication, communication can be different in different contexts/situations, boundaries
SEL Competencies: Social awareness
Standards:
2C.1a. Identify ways to interact with others that protect personal and collective safety and well-being, including establishing, maintaining, and respecting boundaries.
2C.1b. Demonstrate adaptability in social contexts that consider community and personal well-being
#8
What About When It Is Hard? Conflict Resolution (part 1)
Objective: By the end of the lesson, students will understand interpersonal conflict and be able to describe conflicts that commonly happen to themselves and their friends.
Key Concepts: Conflict, “I” statements
SEL Competencies: Self-awareness and self-regulation
Standards:
2D.1a. Identify opportunities, challenges, and conflicts commonly experienced by themselves and their peers.
2D.1b. Communicate needs and wants clearly with peers and trusted adults, and practice approaches to navigating conflicts with adult support.
#9
What About When It Is Hard? Conflict Resolution (part 2)
Objective: By the end of the lesson, students will practice communicating with peers and adults to navigate (prevent or resolve) interpersonal conflicts; students will recognize conflict that can be resolved among peers versus conflict that needs adult support.
Key Concepts: problem solving, conflict resolution
SEL Competencies: Self-regulation and responsible decision-making
Standards:
2D.1a. Identify opportunities, challenges, and conflicts commonly experienced by themselves and their peers.
2D.1b. Communicate needs and wants clearly with peers and trusted adults, and practice approaches to navigating conflicts with adult support.
#10
Empathic Listening in Our Classroom Community
Objective: By the end of the lesson, students will brainstorm a list of classroom expectations and goals that will make the classroom a better place for everyone to thrive; students will identify how their actions impact our classroom community and commit to a shared list of classroom goals
Key Concepts: collective well-being, shared classroom expectations, empathic listening
SEL Competencies: Self-awareness and social awareness
Standards:
3A.1a. Explain how their actions impact self and others. 3A.1b. Create, understand, and practice shared classroom expectations that support the well-being of self and others.
1C.1a. Identify and set short-term personal or academic goals.