For our first unit in fifth grade, we talk about empathy, or feeling or understanding how other people are feeling. Our first lesson focused on the overview of what we will learn in fifth grade and talked a little bit about empathy and respect. Students listened to the song "Home" by Phillip Phillips, and we talked about why I play this song in our first lesson (it talks about making this place our home, including others, gives examples of empathy, etc.). Next, we watched a quick video that discusses the different topics we will explore in fifth grade. We talked about what empathy means, and who you can have empathy for (teachers, friends, parents, anyone!). We talked about how having empathy helps us to treat others with respect, and we also talked about what it means to be respectful. We concluded the lesson by writing rules for how we want to treat others during counselor lessons this year.
You can view the prezi for this lesson here.
