Caring for Others

Year Level

Year 5 (Ages 10-11)

Duration

50 minutes

Class Size

11 students

Unit Context

This is Lesson 7 of 8 from the unit "Building Respectful Relationships." This lesson focuses on understanding empathy and its importance within relationships. It aligns closely with the Australian Curriculum (v9) for Health and Physical Education, specifically addressing how respect and empathy influence relationships positively.

WALT (We Are Learning To)

Understand empathy and its important role in building and maintaining respectful relationships.

WALT: Use resilience strategies, self-management skills and respectful interpersonal skills (NSW PD3-2, PD3-9, PD3-10).

Success Criteria

Demonstrate empathy through role-play scenarios.
Express understanding of empathy via a creative art activity.
Extend learning by creating a short story featuring an empathetic character.
I can investigate helpful information and community strategies to show resilience and seek help when I need it (PD3-2).
I can apply and adapt self-management skills in personal and group situations (PD3-9).
I can use interpersonal skills to interact respectfully, promote inclusion and build connections (PD3-10).

Australian Curriculum Links

This lesson aligns with the NSW PDHPE curriculum outcomes PD3-2, PD3-9, and PD3-10.

Evidence of learning will include student responses demonstrating PD3-2, PD3-9, and PD3-10 in role-play, discussion, and reflection.

Content Description

Describe and demonstrate how respect and empathy can be expressed to positively influence relationships.

Elaborations used

Examining behaviours that demonstrate respect and empathy (AC9HP6P04_E5).
Exploring strategies for managing relationships and showing empathy when relationships change (AC9HP6P04_E1, AC9HP6P04_E2).

Resources Needed

Smartboard with internet access and display capability.
Laminated empathy scenario cards featuring culturally diverse contexts including Muslim characters.
Art supplies: coloured paper, markers, crayons, scissors, glue.
Story planning templates (simple graphic organisers).
Role-play props (optional but can include scarves, hats, etc).

Lesson Plan Outline

1. Introduction and Warm-up (10 minutes)

Begin with a class circle discussion prompted via the smartboard: Ask "What is empathy?" and "Why do you think it is important in friendships and families?"
Show images of diverse people, including Muslim characters, demonstrating caring actions.
Briefly define empathy as "understanding and sharing the feelings of others."

2. Empathy Role-Play (15 minutes)

Divide the class into small groups of 3-4 students.
Each group receives a laminated scenario card depicting a situation requiring empathy (examples might include a new student feeling lonely, someone upset due to a misunderstanding, or helping a classmate who is sad).
Groups rehearse and perform their role-plays for the class, demonstrating empathy skills such as active listening, kind words, and supportive actions.
After each role-play, facilitate a quick reflection: What did you notice about empathy in this scenario? How did it help the person?

3. Expressing Empathy Through Art (15 minutes)

Invite all students to express empathy creatively by drawing or crafting a picture that shows an empathetic act.
For example, a scene where someone is helping or understanding another person.
Emphasise individual expression and allow for various artistic styles (drawing, collage).
This activity supports differentiation by giving students who may find verbal expression challenging a way to demonstrate empathy.

4. Extension: Empathetic Story Creation (5 minutes introduction + take-home)

Explain the extension task: students will create a short story at home about a character who shows empathy.
Provide a simple graphic organiser for story planning (setting, character, problem, empathetic action, resolution).
Encourage inclusion of characters reflecting their own cultural background or the Muslim community.
Stories can be shared in the following lesson as part of the final unit wrap-up.

5. Conclusion and Reflection (5 minutes)

Regroup and have students briefly share one thing they learned about empathy today.
Emphasise the role of empathy in strengthening respectful relationships at school, home, and in their wider communities.
Reinforce that empathy helps us understand each other and build kindness.

Differentiation Strategies

Role-play allows verbal and kinaesthetic learners to express understanding.
Artistic expression supports visual learners and students who may struggle with language.
Scenario cards are culturally relevant, including Muslim characters, to ensure inclusivity and meaningful connection.
Small group work to provide peer support and encourage participation from all students.

Extension Activity

Story creation assignment where students draft a narrative highlighting an empathetic character.
Offers opportunity for advanced learners to expand creative writing skills and deepen understanding of empathy.
Can be extended into multimodal presentations such as digital storytelling for technology integration.

Teacher Reflection Prompts

Were students able to identify and demonstrate empathy in various contexts?
Did the role-play and art activities engage all learners effectively?
How did culturally relevant scenarios influence students’ connection to the lesson?
What modifications may be needed for students who found empathy concepts challenging?

This lesson plan harnesses active learning with role-plays and creative arts, uses culturally responsive materials appropriate to a Muslim primary school environment, and aligns fully with the Australian Curriculum Health and Physical Education requirements for Year 5 students. It develops students' respectful relationship skills by embedding empathy as a core value. This approach will engage a small class with varied activities and encourage social-emotional competency in a hands-on, student-centred way.

Teaching Instructions