Grade 6 · SEL · Lesson 17

Empathy in conversations

Empathy is the social skill of stepping into another person\u2019s perspective long enough to notice, name and validate what they are feeling. It is not about agreeing with everything they say, and it is not about fixing the problem the moment they finish their sentence. Empathy first builds a small bridge — "I see you, I get it" — and only then asks if the person wants help thinking it through.

What this lesson teaches

1Define empathy, sympathy, validate, perspective and active listening
2Distinguish empathy from sympathy and from giving advice in real conversations
3Use the Notice-Name-Validate-Reflect ladder to respond to a friend in distress
4Write empathic responses using the sentence frames "It sounds like you..." and "I understand that..."

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