Division 3: Grade 7+
Below are discussion questions and activities to foster empathy for animals, people, and the environment. Both the discussion questions and activities are part of the ‘Empathy’ character education theme for the 2022-2023 school year! To see other character building themes, click here!
Discussion Questions:
- What does the phrase ‘through their eyes’ mean to you? Explain.
- Why might it be important to ‘see’ from someone else’s perspective
- What is empathy? Understanding, sharing and caring about the feelings of others.
- The poster also says ‘practise empathy,’ Do you think that empathy can be practised? Is it something we can get better at?
- What are some examples of when you show empathy to others? Animals?
- Can you show empathy to the environment? Explain.
- What are some examples of when taking the perspective of others is difficult to do? Strangers, people who we disagree with or that we might not like, people who are different from us, animals that we aren’t familiar with, etc.
- How does empathy help us to be better friends and community members?
- How does empathy help us to solve conflicts?
- How does empathy help us to be better stewards of the environment?
Activities:
1. Animal Bias
Open the Animal Association Slides, and work through the activity as a class.
Instruct students to take out a piece of scrap paper and, silently, write down the first words (or phrase) that come to mind when they see each of the following photos. Remind them that they are no right or wrong answers! Don’t think about it, just write the first things that come to mind.
Show each animal slide (seven in total) for around thirty seconds each. Note: Students should have enough time to write down their initial reactions (but not too much time that they are overthinking the task).
After going through the seven animal slides, discuss the following questions as a class:
- How would you describe the types of words you wrote for each animal?
- What do the animals you described using ‘positive’ words have in common?
- What do the animals you described using ‘negative’ words have in common?
- What do you think made you chose the words that you did? Past experience, knowledge, bias, etc.
As a class, define the words ‘bias’ and ‘unconscious bias.’ Explain to students that biases are completely normal. Biases and assumptions help our brain to make shortcuts so it doesn’t have to do as much work. The problem is, is that biases can lead to people or animal being treated unfairly. Ask students:
- Can you think of any examples when biases have led to people or animals being treated unfairly? Black cats taking longer to adopt in animal shelters, glue traps for mice and insects, etc.
Through small group discussion or individually, have student reflect on the following:
- Has there been a time where someone’s bias has negatively impacted you?
- How can you prevent your biases form negatively affecting others?
2. Analyzing Animal Articles
There are many news articles that feature animals! As animals, people and the environment are interconnected, this is a good opportunity to focus whose perspectives are being represented in media. Choose an animal article(s) for students to analyze. For a short list of articles organized by topic, click here.
Have students consider the following questions to assist them in analyzing the article (display the questions on the board or download and print the Analyzing Animal Articles Activity Sheet for students to record their answers on):
- What is the source of this information? (What organization or author wrote the article?)
- Whose perspective is represented in the article?
- Whose perspective is missing? (make sure to remember the perspective of animals and the environment!).
- What techniques are used to make the message credible? Quoting experts, using statistics, etc.
- What facts are included in the article? What information are we missing?
- What opinions are expressed in the article, and who expressed them? Do you agree or disagree and why?
- Do you think this article is credible (Do you believe the information in the article)? Why or why not?
- How did the article make you feel? Do you think everyone would feel this way?
Once students have finished analyzing the article, have a class discussion encouraging students to share their analysis.
Extension: Have students find additional articles on one of the animal topics previously explored that offer new information or a different perspective. Have students compare the two articles by considering some of the questions above in addition to:
- What new information or perspectives were expressed?
- Is there anything that made you change your opinion?
3. Through Their Eyes Animal Art
As a class, go through the Through Their Eyes Animal Art Slides. Have students write down a one or two words, that describe what they think the animal is seeing and how they think the animal is feeling in the photo. Remind students to try and take the perspective of the animal. Once you are finished going through the slides, have students form partners or small groups, and discuss what they wrote for each slide. Ask students to explain why they chose the words or phrase that they did.
Then, individually, have students draw or paint a picture through the eyes of one of the animals in the pictures. Remind students to focus on elements such as lines, colours, lighting, and exaggeration which can all help communicate different moods and feelings effectively.
Modification: Students can use a photo of their own, or a memory they have with an animal to create their piece of art.
Curriculum Connections
Grade 7
DRAWINGS
- Investigate: Students will select and identify lines, value and texture in the natural and manmade environment for image making.
- Concepts
- A. Lines can vary in direction, location, quality, emphasis, movement and mood.
- Concepts
- Communicate: Students will use expressiveness in their use of elements in the making of images.
- Concepts
- A. Mood or emotion in an image can be affected by the balance of values and the quality of lines.
- Characteristic qualities of a person or object can be emphasized by the quality of line use in an image.
- Concepts
COMPOSITIONS
- Components 1: Students will experiment with colour effects on compositions.
- Concepts
- A. Colour schemes create certain moods in images.
- Concepts
Grade 8
DRAWINGS
- Communicate: Students will use expressiveness in their use of elements in the making of images.
- Concepts
- A. Line can be used freely and rhythmically to add mood or movement to a two-dimensional image.
- B. Points of view can be developed to express certain ideas such a mood or proximity in two-dimensional works.
- Concepts
- Organizations: Students will experiment with value, light, atmosphere and colour selections to reflect mood in composition.
- Concepts
- A. Mood in composition can be affected by proximity or similarity of selected figures or units.
- Mood in composition can be affected by the selection of various colour schemes such as intense, aggressive schemes or harmonious, pastel schemes.
- Mood in composition can be enhanced by the intensity of the light source and value of the rendered shading.
- Concepts
Grade 9
DRAWINGS
- Communicate: Students will use expressiveness in their use of elements in the making of images.
- Concepts
- B. Mood and feeling as perceived by the individual student can be expressed in colour drawings.
- C. Exaggeration of mood characteristics in drawings of nature and people can help to emphasize a personal point of view.
- Concepts
COMPOSITIONS
- Components 1: Students will create compositions in both two and three dimensions.
- Concepts
- A. Manipulation of colour emphasis can help express mood in two-dimensional compositions.
- Concepts
Grade 7
SKILLS AND PROCESSES
- DIMENSIONS OF THINKING: Students will:
- 7.S.1 develop skills of critical thinking and creative thinking:
- determine the validity of information based on context, bias, source, objectivity, evidence and/or reliability to broaden understanding of a topic or an issue
- evaluate, critically, ideas, information and positions from multiple perspectives
- demonstrate the ability to analyze local and current affairs
- re-evaluate personal opinions to broaden understanding of a topic or an issue
- access diverse viewpoints on particular topics, using appropriate technologies (ICT)
- 7.S.1 develop skills of critical thinking and creative thinking:
- SOCIAL PARTICIPATION AS A DEMOCRATIC PRACTICE: Students will:
- 7.S.5 demonstrate skills of cooperation, conflict resolution and consensus building:
- consider the needs and perspectives of others
- 7.S.5 demonstrate skills of cooperation, conflict resolution and consensus building:
- COMMUNICATION: Students will:
- 7.S.8 demonstrate skills of oral, written and visual literacy:
- elicit, clarify and respond appropriately to questions, ideas and multiple points of view in discussions
- listen to others in order to understand their perspectives
- offer reasoned comments related to a topic of discussion
- 7.S.9 develop skills of media literacy
- examine techniques used to enhance the authority and authenticity of media message
- 7.S.8 demonstrate skills of oral, written and visual literacy:
Grade 8
SKILLS AND PROCESSES
- DIMENSIONS OF THINKING: Students will:
- 8.S.1 develop skills of critical thinking and creative thinking:
- analyze the validity of information based on context, bias, course, objectivity, evidence and reliability to broaden understanding of a topic or an issue
- evaluate ideas, information and positions from multiple perspectives
- demonstrate the ability to analyze local and current affairs
- re-evaluate personal opinions to broaden understanding of a topic or an issue
- 8.S.1 develop skills of critical thinking and creative thinking:
- SOCIAL PARTICIPATION AS A DEMOCRATIC PRACTICE: Students will:
- 8.S.5 demonstrate skills of cooperation, conflict resolution and consensus building:
- consider the needs and perspectives of others
- 8.S.5 demonstrate skills of cooperation, conflict resolution and consensus building:
- COMMUNICATION: Students will:
- 8.S.8 demonstrate skills of oral, written and visual literacy:
- elicit, clarify and respond appropriately to questions, ideas and multiple points of view in discussions
- listen to others in order to understand their points of view
- offer reasoned comments related to a topic of discussion
- 8.S.9 develop skills of media literacy
- examine techniques used to enhance the authority and authenticity of media messages
- 8.S.8 demonstrate skills of oral, written and visual literacy:
Grade 9
SKILLS AND PROCESSES
- DIMENSIONS OF THINKING: Students will:
- 9.S.1 develop skills of critical thinking and creative thinking:
- analyze the validity of information based on context, bias, course, objectivity, evidence and reliability to broaden understanding of a topic or an issue
- evaluate, critically, ideas, information and positions from multiple perspectives
- demonstrate the ability to analyze current affairs from multiple perspectives
- re-evaluate personal opinions to broaden understanding of a topic or an issue
- access diverse viewpoints on particular topics by using appropriate technologies (ICT)
- 9.S.1 develop skills of critical thinking and creative thinking:
- SOCIAL PARTICIPATION AS A DEMOCRATIC PRACTICE: Students will:
- 9.S.5 demonstrate skills of cooperation, conflict resolution and consensus building:
- demonstrate a positive attitude regarding the needs and perspectives of others
- 9.S.5 demonstrate skills of cooperation, conflict resolution and consensus building:
- COMMUNICATION: Students will:
- 9.S.9 develop skills of media literacy
- examine techniques used to enhance the authority and authenticity of media messages
- examine the values, lifestyles and points of view represented in a media message
- 9.S.9 develop skills of media literacy
Grade 7
2.1 Strategies and Cues
- Use comprehension strategies
- identify, connect, and summarize in own words, the main ideas from two or more sources on the same topic
3.2 Select and Process
- Access information
- distinguish between fact and opinion, and follow the development of argument and opinion
3.3 Organize, Record and Evaluate
- Evaluate information
- assess if the amount and quality of gathered information is appropriate to purpose and audience; address information gaps
Grade 8
1.1 Explore and Discover
- Express ideas and develop understanding
- seek out and consider diverse ideas, opinions and experiences to develop and extend own ideas, opinions and experiences
3.3 Organize, Record and Evaluate
- Evaluate information
- evaluate the relevance and importance of gathered information; address information gaps
Grade 9
1.1 Explore and Discover
- Express ideas and develop understanding
- extend understanding by taking different points of view when rereading and reflecting on oral, print and other media texts
1.2 Clarify and Extend
- Combine ides
- examine and re-examine ideas, information and experiences from different points of view to find patterns and see relationships
3.2 Select and Process
- Evaluate sources
- evaluate sources for currency, reliability and possible bias of information for a particular research project
3.3 Organize, Record and Evaluate
- Evaluate information
- evaluate usefulness, relevance and completeness of gathered information; address information gaps
