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Say the word disease
and a lot of people cringe. Sometimes people are so afraid of disease that it
causes them to shun others who have a critical illness or treat them like they
are less than human. This can lead to feelings of isolation during a time when
the person who is ill might already feel fairly alone. How can we support our
friends who have a critical health condition, such as diabetes, asthma,
HIV/AIDS or cancer? What can we do to encourage others to act with more
compassion toward peers with illnesses?
In this lesson, students will explore the ways people with a critical health condition or disease might feel, as well as various ways they can support and show compassion toward those who are living with an illness.
Additional Resources
- Disability Awareness: We’re In It Together illustrates the importance of teaching compassion.
- Kindness: The Foundation of Service-Learning helps students recognize the effects of kind acts, such as donating hair through Locks of Love.
Glossary
compassion
[kuhm-pash-uhn]
(noun) a feeling of wanting to help someone who
is experiencing misfortune, such as illness
dignity
[dig-ni-tee]
(noun) worthiness; the quality of being worthy
of respect
disease
[dih-zeez]
a sickness,
such as asthma, cancer or diabetes, that causes the body not to work normally
empathy
[em-puh-thee]
(noun) the understanding of or the ability to
identify with another person’s feelings or experiences
stigma
[stig-muh]
(noun) a negative and often unfair belief
commonly associated with something, such as disease
sympathy
[sim-puh-thee]
(noun) the feeling of being
sorry for someone else’s misfortune
EARLY GRADES (K-2)
ELEMENTARY GRADES (3-5)
MIDDLE GRADES (6-8)
HIGH SCHOOL (9-12)
Activities and embedded assessments address the following standards (McREL 4th edition)
Language Arts
Standard 1: Uses the general skills and strategies of the writing process
Standard 4: Gathers and uses information for research purposes
Standard 5: Uses the general skills and strategies of the reading process
Standard 7: Uses skills and strategies to read a variety of informational texts
Standard 8: Uses listening and speaking strategies for different purposes
Health
Standard 8: Knows essential concepts about the prevention and control of disease
Civics
Standard 25: Understands issues regarding personal, political, and economic rights
