Lesson 4: Empathy, Perspective-Taking, and Disagreement
Duration of Days: 3
Lesson Objective
Students will be able to practice perspective-taking and explain how empathy supports civil disagreement.
What does it mean to understand a perspective without agreeing?
Why is empathy difficult during disagreement?
How can disagreement be productive?
Empathy
Perspective-taking
Civil discourse
Disagreement
D2.CIV.9.9–12 – Use deliberative processes to address public issues
D1.INQ.7.9–12 – Analyze how communication tools shape discussion
D2.CIV.10.9–12 – Analyze the impact of civic engagement on democratic processes
Argument analysis
Listening and responding
Clarifying claims
Students engage in structured discussions requiring them to articulate perspectives not their own.
DOK Level: 3
Connections to social media conflict
Discussion of online vs face-to-face disagreement
“Empathy equals agreement”
“Disagreement is disrespectful”
Role-based discussion formats
Sentence stems
Reflection before speaking
Discussion self-assessment
Reflective writing
Discussion protocols
Scenario prompts
Student-generated examples