Unit Plan 15 (Grade 2 Counselor): Listening with Empathy

Focus: Help students listen not only for words, but also for feelings. The counselor models how to hear a classmate’s problem and respond with care instead of interrupting, laughing, or changing the subject. Students practice partner sharing and responding with phrases such as “That sounds hard,” “I hear you,” or “I felt that way before too.”

Grade Level: 2

Subject Area: School Counseling (Empathy • Listening • Respectful Communication)

Total Unit Duration: 1–2 weeks, 30 minutes per session

I. Introduction

This Grade 2 counseling lesson helps students understand that listening is more than hearing words. Students learn that strong listeners pay attention to what someone says and also notice how the person may feel. The counselor emphasizes that listening with empathy helps classmates feel heard, cared for, and respected.

Students practice listening behaviors such as facing the speaker, waiting for a turn, not interrupting, noticing feeling words, and giving a connected response. They compare helpful responses with unhelpful responses such as laughing, changing the subject, interrupting, or saying “That’s not a big deal.” The goal is for students to practice respectful listening and caring responses during partner sharing, classroom conversations, and peer problems.

Essential Questions

• What does it mean to listen with empathy?
• How can students listen for both words and feelings?
• What responses help classmates feel heard and cared for?
• How do taking turns, waiting, and sharing help conversations work better?
• How does respectful listening help students learn and cooperate?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Explain that listening with empathy means hearing words and noticing feelings.
2. Identify respectful and disrespectful listening behaviors.
3. Practice connected responses such as “That sounds hard,” “I hear you,” and “I felt that way before too.”
4. Take turns as speaker and listener during a short partner-sharing activity.
5. Connect listening with empathy to cooperation, turn-taking, attention, participation, and responsibility.
6. (Optional Session) Apply empathetic listening through partner practice, role-play, scenario sorting, or respectful response cards.

Standards Alignment — Grade 2 (ASCA-based Custom)

• C:S3.2c — Listen and Respond Respectfully
  • Listen to others’ ideas and feelings and respond in a respectful, connected way.
  • Example: A student says, “I heard you say you felt left out. That would feel hard.”
• C:S3.2b — Cooperate, Share, and Take Turns
  • Work and play cooperatively by sharing materials, waiting, taking turns, and helping the group succeed.
  • Example: A student says, “Let’s both have a turn,” during a partner activity.
• C:S5.2a — Practice Attention, Participation, and Responsibility
  • Use school-success behaviors such as listening, following directions, participating, completing routines, and managing materials.
  • Example: A student listens to directions, gathers the needed materials, and begins the task without extra reminders.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can listen to someone’s words and feelings.
• I can wait for my turn to talk.
• I can respond in a kind and connected way.
• I can use phrases like “I hear you” or “That sounds hard.”
• I can show attention and responsibility during partner sharing.