Compassion
May's Character Trait of the Month
Learning and Life Competency Skill Sets
Self Awareness:
- I know myself.
- I am aware of skills, behaviors, and attitudes that help me.
Self Management:
- I identify, express, and manage emotions.
- I exhibit self-regulation.
- I demonstrate perseverance and resilience.
Social Efficacy:
- I communicate and problem solve effectively.
- I demonstrate empathy and respect.
- I foster healthy relationships.
- I am assertive and I self-advocate.
- I cooperate and participate.
- I demonstrate civic responsibility.
Academic Efficacy:
- I invest in quality work.
- I organize to learn and study.
- I set goals and self-assess.
Conversation Starters About Compassion:
- What is compassion?
- How do you show compassion?
- How do you feel when someone shows compassion or empathy towards you? Why?
- How does it make others feel to receive compassion?
- Why is showing compassion for others important?
- What does a classroom that shows compassion look like and sound like?
Considerations for Read Alouds:
- Character Trait read alouds are a great way to connect students with other staff members in the school and can be incorporated into specials.
- If you would prefer to use a video version of the story through the links below, all YouTube videos can have the closed captions turned on and put into English, Portuguese, or Spanish.
Compassion Themed Book Possibilities:
- The Buddy Bench: Patty Brozo
- A Dog Wearing Shoes: Sangmi Ko
- Moody Cow Learns Compassion: Kerry MacLean
- Hey, Little Ant: Phillip Hoose and Hannah Hoose (Spanish)
- Have You Filled A Bucket Today?: Carol McCloud (Spanish)
In this guide book the reader explores how when we choose to be kind, we not only fill the buckets of those around us, but also fill our OWN bucket! Conversely, when we choose to say or do mean things, we are dipping into buckets. All day long, we are either filling up or dipping into each other’s buckets by what we say and what we do.
- The Rabbit Listened: Cori Doerrfield (Spanish)
- Wings: Christopher Myers
- Listening With My Heart: Gabu Garcia
In this story Esperanza finds a heart-shaped rock and sees it as a reminder to spread kindness and love in the world. But when the school play doesn’t go the way she’d imagined she has to explore if her worth is attached to her accomplishments. The book teaches to treat ourselves like we should treat a friend: with compassion.
- Joy: Corrinne Averiss
Questions for Picture Books About Compassion:
- How did [character] show more compassion as the story went on?
- Describe how [character] showed compassion?
- Why did [character] need to show compassion towards [character]?
- Why did [character] and [character] have different perspectives on being compassionate?
- How did [character’s] compassion impact those around them?
- How did [character’s] compassion impact their community?
- Why do you think [character] and [character] showed compassion in different ways?
- Why do you think [character] was more compassionate than [character]?
Compassion / Empathy Videos and Songs:
Compassion in Action- Written and Voiced By Stephanie Bierman, Program Director
Sesame Street: Mark Ruffalo: Empathy
Building Empathy for Kids
Learn About Compassion | Guided Meditation For Kids | Breathing Exercises | GoNoodle
Compassion Themed Additional Activity Options:
What does it mean to walk in someone else's shoes?
This slide deck, in English, Portuguese, and Spanish, guides students through a writing and listening experience to think about what it means to have compassion for someone else by "walking in someone else's shoes".
Compassion in Action
This slide deck, in English, Portuguese, and Spanish, explores compassion in action from real life example stories and ask students to think about what acts of compassion they have seen happen around them.
The Invisible Boy Creates a Compassionate Classroom
This slide deck, in English, Portuguese, and Spanish, uses the book The Invisible Boy to examine how to create a compassionate and empathetic classroom. *Book linked in the Kindness Smore.
Human: The Circle of Compassion
Watch this video (The video can be slowed to .75 in the playback speed option in the settings.) and then have students create a visual of all the people they can effect in their own circle and ideas of compassionate actions.
Compassion vs. empathy: Understanding the difference
This article is best suited for 4th and 5th graders. Read the article and discuss how having compassion makes a stronger leader. How could having compassion be more beneficial than showing empathy?