Relationship Skills – Grade 6 – Lesson 1
Objectives:
- Students will observe and identify expressions of emotions in various situations and people.
- Students will express their own emotional responses while listening to the song “Don’t Laugh at Me.”
- Students will demonstrate empathy towards others and apply this understanding to enhance classroom and school relationships.
Introduction:
In this lesson, we explore the powerful song “Don’t Laugh at Me” by Peter, Paul, and Mary. We’ll focus on recognizing emotions in different situations and individuals while also expressing our own feelings while listening to the song. Additionally, we’ll discuss empathy and how it can positively impact our interactions with others.
Peter Yarrow discovered the song “Don’t Laugh at Me” when his daughter, Bethany, introduced it to him at a folk music festival in Kerrville, Texas. The emotional impact of the song moved him to tears. Having sung together for 37 years, Peter decided to share the song with his group members, Paul & Mary, who were renowned for singing songs that deeply touched people’s hearts. Notably, they performed “Blowing in the Wind” and “If I Had a Hammer” at the historic 1963 Civil Rights March in Washington D.C., where Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech.
Enthralled by the song’s message, they decided to include “Don’t Laugh at Me” in their repertoire. During one of their early stage performances, they sang it for an audience of 6,000 school principals at an educational conference. The heartfelt performance received a long-standing ovation. After the concert, numerous principals approached Peter, expressing their desire to have the song in their schools, recognizing its significance in promoting empathy and understanding among students.
What the song says is what we want to teach our children.
Getting Started: Word Whip
Begin by asking each student to share a word that comes to mind when they hear the word “school.” Chart the words around the room and discuss how these words make them feel and what they say about our feelings towards school.
- How do these words make you feel? (Are they negative? Positive? Happy? Sad?)
- What do these words say, if anything, about our feelings about school?”
Activity 1: “Don’t Laugh At Me”
Play the song “Don’t Laugh at Me” by Peter, Paul, and Mary and instruct the students to let their mind be open to the music and the words of the song. Don’t try to understand or analyze it. Just let yourself listen.
Give each student five index cards and ask them to be aware of their thoughts and feelings and to record one feeling per card that they believe the people featured in the song might be experiencing as they listen to the song for a second time. Collect all the cards to use in the closing activity.
After the song, initiate a group discussion:
- Raise hands to indicate whether they thought the song was sad, happy, or both.
- Explore the lyrics that evoked feelings of happiness or sadness.
- Encourage students to share other emotions they experienced while listening to the song, charting the feelings on the board.
Discuss a couple of feelings charted:
- Ask students how many of them felt a specific feeling during the video and inquire about the timing in the song when they felt that emotion.
Bringing greater context to the lyrics:
Show the video below:
- Discuss the difference between watching the video and just listening to the song, and whether that influenced their emotions.
- Ask how they think the people in the song and video would like to feel and what actions by others could help them achieve those emotions.
- Explore the lessons we can learn from this song about treating each other with kindness and understanding our feelings.
Examining how we interact with one another and the resulting emotions is crucial for fostering healthy relationships. By becoming adept at identifying our feelings, we gain the ability to effectively manage them, leading to more positive and fulfilling connections with others.
Closing:
Randomly distribute the index cards collected earlier (5 per student). If the card contains a difficult feeling, have students write something kind on the back that they could say to someone experiencing that emotion to offer support. If it’s a positive feeling, prompt them to think about what they could say to that person to encourage them to continue feeling good.
If time allows, invite students to share a few feelings and actions they can take to show empathy and support towards others.
Lesson adapted from: Rutgers SECD Lab Resources