Curated OER
Empathy and Art
Students watch an episode of the PBS show "Maya and Miguel" and examine how to express empathy with someone who has a disability. They discuss the episode, and create an art project using one hand only, or paint an object blindfolded...
Curated OER
Lesson: Skin Fruit: Ideas of Empathy in Janine Antoni's Work
Kids get artistic as they explore the impact of art materials, sculpture, and performance. They discuss the work of Janine Antoni and then create a performance piece that reflects social or global issues they feel strongly about. The end...
Skills USA
Personal Growth and the Personal Leadership Inventory
What are employers looking for in prospective employees? Career-minded high schoolers examine their strongest technical skills as well as important 21st century skills, including leadership, empathy, clear communication, working well...
TESOL
Are You a Good Listener?
Your learners talk to each other every day, but are they really listening? Use a lesson based on listening skills to ensure that class members feel heard and respected. It includes games, discussion topics, and self-assessment tools...
Folger Shakespeare Library
Essential Everyday Bravery
Shakespeare's plays may be old, but they still have relevant lessons for today's world! A collection of lesson plans uses examples from The Merchant of Venice and District Merchants to teach about bravery. In addition to learning...
Curated OER
Rostislav & Julianna: A Modern-Day Interpretation of Romeo and Juliet
Students author and film their own adaptations of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. In this multimedia skills lesson, students script a play that pits an Orthodox Christian family against a Muslim family. Students use GarageBand...
Do2Learn
Social Play Action Figures
Three activities stem from one hands-on project designed to explore character traits. Scholars create an action figure that reflects their personality to teach others about themselves and role play conversational skills.
Curated OER
100 Questions
Students practice problem solving skills by asking questions and participating in a design challenge. In this asking questions lesson, students work in pairs to ask questions to design a solution for a difficult personal problem....
Curated OER
Candles in the Dark
Middle schoolers read about and research the Holocaust using the Internet. They write poetry about an image of their choice and create a digital movie of their poetry readings.
Curated OER
Treasure Tales
Create an artifact kit to engage your young learners. Then, assign small groups a section of chapter three. They will identify the main idea and three supporting details for their section. Then, they select one artifact from the kit that...
Curated OER
Heritage: 'And Should We Die...' Attributes of the Pio
Eighth graders use comprehension strategies after reading to reflect on, consolidate, and extend meaning. They show various attributes of the pioneers through character sketches.
Advocates for Human Rights
Voices of Iraqi Refugees
The stated goal of this resource is to provide learners with basic facts about and build empathy for Iraqi refugees. To do so elementary classes develop a plan for how to welcome refugees to their classroom. Middle schoolers read...
Bully Free Systems
Bully Free Lesson Plans—Eighth Grade
Middle schoolers are likely very familiar with the concept of bullying and cliques. Discuss their experiences and brainstorm ways to handle peer conflict and feelings of exclusion with a poem that focuses on bullying, and a second lesson...
Curated OER
Candles in the Dark
Middle schoolers analyze and apply their personal responses through poetry and film to a challenging and disturbing event-the Holocaust. They use a digital video camera to film each student reading their poem.
Curated OER
Hold That Pose
Students discuss the painting The Radcliffe Family and discuss what it was like for them to hold poses for portraits. In this portrait lesson plan, students then pose stuffed animals and make their own portraits.
American Immigration Law Foundation
An Immigrant’s Experience
After interviewing an immigrant about their voyage to the United States and first impressions of the country, young learners create a fictional series of journal entries and design an iMovie depicting their interviewee's story.
Curated OER
How Should You Treat Younger Children
Young scholars recognize how younger children should be treated. In this empathy lesson plan, students listen to the story Julius, Baby of the World and then young scholars will work on art projects with students from a younger grade...
Curated OER
What is effective communication?
Students practice a series of communicaton activities. In this communication skills lesson, students role play listening and active listening strategies to improve communication. Students write a set of guidelines for improving...
Curated OER
Smiley Face Circle Stories
Young scholars examine different artifacts from the 1970's. In this history lesson plan, students discover what each artifact is by seeing the artifact and reading a card defining what the artifact represents. On the second day, young...
Curated OER
What is reconciliation?
Tenth graders practice using empathy with an enemy. In this Current Events lesson, 10th graders prepare possible peace plans for Bosnia after the war. Students write a report on Nelson Mandela's use of reconciliation in South...
Curated OER
Using Words to Work Things Out
Students explore appropriate ways to communicate feelings. In this character development instructional activity, students listen to Hands are not for Hitting and several other books about expressing emotions appropriately. ...
Curated OER
Words Hurt
Students identify the various forms of bullying in a class discussion and to sort out the situations that can hurt outside and inside. They count the number of bullying incidents posted on the bulletin board to find which occur most...
Curated OER
The Fog of War
Students view the film Fog of War and discuss the most striking elements of the film. They focus on chosen lessons from robert McNamara's life such as: empathy, rationality and proportionality.
Curated OER
National Volunteer Week Celebrations
Encourage and recognize volunteering's power for positive change!