Name of Group: Students will choose

Focus of Group: To help students to develop an understanding of their feelings

and the feelings of others, and to help them to develop an understanding of
empathy, as well as how to practice empathy.
Research has shown that students engaging in social-emotional learning, and the
development of social-emotional skills can reduce the incidence and effect of
bullying in schools. Developing the ability to empathize with classmates, and the
skills necessary to more effectively communicate and understand emotions, can
dramatically reduce incidence of bullying and conflict between students.
Development of empathetic understanding has also been linked to increased
academic performance, with students seeing a significant increase in grade-point
average. (Bonner and Aspy, 1984) Teaching students to empathize helps them to
work cooperatively and cohesively in group settings, and helps students to develop
connections which drive them to help one another succeed.
Number of students: 8-10 per group
Grade Level: 5-8
Adult Leader: School Counselor, Teacher, or other Faculty Facilitator.
Number of Sessions: One session per week for three weeks.
ASCA Domain: Social & Emotional Learning
ASCA Mindsets and Behaviors:
B-SS 1. Use effective oral and written communication skills and listening skills
B-SS 2. Create positive and supportive relationships with other students
B-SS 4. Demonstrate empathy

Session One: This will be the opening session, consisting of:

1. Individual introductions
2. Discuss the purpose of the group.
3. Hand out pre-assessment, collect them when completed. Let the students
know these will be handed back and utilized in the next session.
4. Establishing group norms (Establish Confidentiality, other norms developed
by the students)
5. Establish goals for the group. What do we hope to gain?
6. Create a name for the group.
7. Close by encouraging students to consider the norms and goals developed.
What do they mean to each of them?
Session Two: Understanding feelings. What is Empathy?
 1. Hand back the pre-assessment, give the students a few minutes to look over
and think about what they wrote, then choose one of the feelings they
indicated to discuss with the group.
2. How do we express feelings? How do we recognize them? Have students
discuss each feeling. What does it look like when someone is feeling angry or
sad? What does it feel like for them?
3. Define empathy. What does this sound like? Stepping into someone elses
shoes. The facilitator will talk about how everyone is different and has
different perspectives. People can respond to the same thing in different
ways.
4. Hand out and discuss Steps Toward Empathy sheet.
5. Have students write down an argument or opinion they disagree with. Ask
Can you understand why someone would feel or think that way? Have
them go through how they could use the steps for empathy in this situation.
6. Closing. Encourage the students to think for next session about what they
wrote on their pre-assessment about how they respond to people disagreeing
with them. Do they think those responses reflect empathy?
Session Three: Communicating feelings and responding to conflict.
1. Ask the students to consider the closing from last lesson. Did they experience
a conflict or disagreement over the past week? Did they practice putting
themselves into the other persons shoes?
2. Lead a discussion with the students, giving various scenarios which could
happen in school, and ask them to consider how they would respond. What
would be an example of an empathic response?
3. Closing. Encourage students to utilize skills learned here when they come into
conflict with their peers or find themselves struggling to understand others.
4. Students will also be instructed to submit the post-assessment to the
counselors office by the end of the week.

Plan for Evaluation

Process Data: Groups of 8-10 students will participate in the group.
Perception Data: 100% of participating students are able to define empathy,
and understand how to use it when confronted with conflict and the need to
communicate feelings.
Outcome Data: At least a 5% decrease in incidence of bullying, and at least
80% of teachers will indicate in their students an ability to adequately express
and communicate their feelings.
Follow-up: Counselor or other facilitator will meet with students individually or
as a group after a semester to check whether skills are being utilized.