Lesson Plan
Panning for Empathy
Students will explore and identify emotions as ‘emotional nuggets,’ practice perspective-taking through role-play, and reflect to build empathy and resilience.
This lesson builds emotional literacy and empathy by engaging students in a hands-on metaphor, fostering better peer understanding, social skills, and emotional resilience.
Audience
Time
Approach
Materials
Prep
Prepare Materials
10 minutes
Step 1
Introduction
5 minutes
Step 2
Panning for Nuggets
10 minutes
Step 3
Perspective-Taking Role-Play
8 minutes
Step 4
Group Discussion
5 minutes
Step 5
Individual Reflection
2 minutes
Slide Deck
Panning for Empathy
Learning Objectives
Materials & Setup
Gold Rush Metaphor
What Are Emotional Nuggets?
Activity 1 – Panning for Nuggets
Activity 2 – Role-Play & Perspective-Taking
Group Reflection
Individual Reflection
Wrap-Up & Next Steps
Worksheet
Activity
Worksheet
Game
Lesson Plan
Mining Your Mindset
Students will distinguish between fixed and growth mindsets, identify examples in themselves and others, and practice reframing challenges to foster resilience.
Understanding and applying a growth mindset helps students persevere through setbacks, build confidence, and see effort as the path to mastery—key skills for academic and personal success.
Audience
Time
Approach
Materials
Prep
Prepare Materials
10 minutes
Step 1
Introduction & Hook
5 minutes
Step 2
Group Brainstorm
5 minutes
Step 3
Sorting Activity
10 minutes
Step 4
Reframing Challenge
7 minutes
Step 5
Individual Reflection
3 minutes
Game
