Thematic Unit Grouping:

Lesson 1 Grouping of Students for Instruction:

In the beginning of the lesson, the students will participate in a whole group discussion. They
will first listen to a read aloud done by the teacher and then discuss the content found within the
text. This discussion will take place on the carpet at the front of the room as the class will
collaborate on comprehending the main aspects of the book. The students will then return to their
table groups to examine the cause and effects of the behaviors depicted in the book. By having
the students together, they will benefit from hearing different perspectives their peers might
have. Once the class is finished, we will return to whole group instruction to ensure every student
understand the perspectives displayed. Following the group discussion, the students will break
into groups of 3 to complete the role-playing activity. This will allow each student an
opportunity to participate in the role play while learning how to collaborate in a small group
setting.

Lesson 2 Grouping of Students for Instruction:

Students initially will begin the lesson as a whole group at the carpet (in front of the classroom).
We will open with a discussion about what we have learned about empathy so far. In previous
lessons, students have learned that empathy includes understanding and caring about how
someone else is feeling. We will discuss some of the previous empathy ideas from our last few
lessons, and then share that we will be doing a moving empathy activity today about who we are
as students. I would also want to include a short discussion of honesty in this activity, to remind
students that it is important to be honest about our feelings, but also to respect other opinions and
keep them secure if it is something personal or important. In our activity today, students will
need to be respectful of their peer’s opinions and feelings, and keep our discussion within our
classroom to protect student privacy and establishing open communication through empathy. I
feel that this is important to do in a group and social setting (like at the carpet at the front of the
room) to ensure that we are all on the same page before we do the activity, and that we are
respecting other student opinions. After this short opening discussion, students will line up in
two lines facing each other. The teacher will read the situation prompts and students will
individually step forward if they relate with the said sentence. After this activity students will
return to their desks to write their individual reflections. At their desks, we will have a short
student discussion about the activity to get ideas for their reflection, and then students will write
their personal reflections about how they felt about the activity.

Lesson 3 Grouping of Students for Instruction:

Students will initially be sitting at their desks during the explanation of the activity. This is to
ensure that they’re listening to the teacher and not distracted by other objects in the classroom.
Once the discussion and questions about the activity are over, the students will have the option to
move around the room and get comfortable while they write because they could be sitting for a
long time depending on how long they’re taking to write sentences to their peers. Once they have
finished writing to their classmates, students will return to their desks for the classroom
discussion so they’re once again focused on the conversation and not with other objects around
the room that could potentially distract them from the important conversation.