Lesson 04 — Caring When Someone Hurts

Learners learn four ways to care when a classmate is sad, left out, or hurt — notice, ask, stay, include — and practice them in gentle role-plays.

D02 P1: Emotional & Social Awareness D02.S2 45 minutes Draft

Objectives

D02.S2.02.02 Show caring when a classmate is sad, left out, or hurt.

Essential question

What can I do when a classmate is sad, left out, or hurt?

carenoticeaskstayincludecomfort

Materials

Standard materials

Caring-steps chart · 1 A four-step chart — notice, ask, stay, include
Scene cards · 1 set A classmate is sad, a classmate is left out of a game, a classmate is hurt

Low-tech / no-cost

Voices and bodies Act out the three scenes and the four caring steps with words and gestures
A soft cloth or found object Stand in for a comfort object or bandage in the role-play

Enriched / lab & device

A picture book about comforting a friend · 1 A story of a child caring for someone who is sad, left out, or hurt, to read and discuss
Puppets or small figures · 1 set To act out caring scenes for the whole group

Works in different contexts

large-group Act out each scene with volunteers up front while the whole group says the four steps together
self-directed A learner matches each scene card to a caring action, then draws themselves caring for a friend
outdoor-only Role-play caring outside — helping someone who falls on the grass, inviting someone into a game
multi-age Older learners model the four steps; younger learners practice the "ask" question
level-grouped Pair learners so one models the caring sentence and the other repeats it back

Three panels show caring in three moments. First, a child crying while a friend sits close and asks "Are you okay?" Second, two children playing while a third stands alone, and one player turns and says "Come join us." Third, a child with a scraped knee while a friend offers a bandage and a hand. A strip below reads "notice, ask, stay, include." The written words carry the meaning, not color, so the picture prints clearly in grayscale.

Lesson 4 — Caring When Someone Hurts

Summary

Learners learn four caring steps — notice, ask, stay, include — and practice them in three scenes: when a classmate is sad, left out, or hurt. Caring is taught as something everyone can offer, not as a special talent for a few.

Objectives

Show caring when a classmate is sad, left out, or hurt. (D02.S2.02.02)

Connection

Think of a time you felt sad, or a time you were left out of a game, or a time you fell and hurt yourself. What made it better? Usually it was someone noticing, asking if you were okay, staying with you, or pulling you into the circle. Caring is not magic — it is a set of small things anyone can do. In every part of the world, when someone is hurting, people come close, ask, and help. Today you will learn the steps and practice them.

Materials

A caring-steps chart (notice, ask, stay, include)
Scene cards (a classmate is sad; a classmate is left out of a game; a classmate is hurt)

Preparation

Arrange a circle for gathering.
Post the four caring steps where all can see them.

Facilitator note

Empathy becomes care through action — and action is a skill to teach, model, and practice (CASEL’s relationship-skills competency). Teach the four steps as explicit instruction with a worked example first, then guided practice (Kirschner, Sweller & Clark, 2006). Keep scenes fictional and gentle; do not ask a learner to act out a real hurt they are living. Protect two commitments: care is for everyone (no “most caring” prize — care is not a competition), and caring does not mean fixing (a child does not need to solve a big problem; sitting nearby and asking is already caring). A non-speaking learner shows care by staying close, holding out a hand, or signing “are you okay?”; a learner with a motor difference cares in their own way — by speaking, by staying, or by directing a partner — and their care counts fully. Read the procedure aloud and model each step.

Procedure

Gather (5 min). Sit in a circle. Think: when you were sad, left out, or hurt, what did someone do that helped?
Meet the four steps (10 min). Learn the caring steps and act each one out: notice (look around — who needs a friend?); ask (“Are you okay?” in a soft voice); stay (sit or stand close, wait); include (invite them in). Say them together until you know them.
Watch a worked example (10 min). Two volunteers show the scene “a classmate is sad.” Watch them use all four steps: notice, ask, stay, and then — when the friend is ready — include.
Practice in threes (15 min). In a group of three, act out each scene — sad, left out, hurt. One person feels, one person cares, one person watches and names the steps they saw. Swap so everyone tries each part.
Close (5 min). Remember: caring is small and doable. Notice. Ask. Stay. Include. You can do all four.

Differentiation

Support: Model one step at a time; offer the exact question “Are you okay?” to copy. A non-speaking learner signs or holds out a hand for “stay.”
Extension: Invite learners to add a fifth step of their own (offer a comfort object, get help from an adult) and explain when they would use it.

Assessment

Formative (observation): Does the learner use at least two caring steps in a role-play scene?
Performance: The learner shows care — by word, sign, or action — for a classmate in the scene.

Home connection

At home, notice someone who is sad, left out, or hurt, and try the four steps — notice, ask, stay, include — then tell a grown-up what you did.