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.
Framework
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
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 [3] (K-2)
ELEMENTARY GRADES [4] (3-5)
MIDDLE GRADES [5] (6-8)
HIGH SCHOOL [6] (9-12)
Standards [7]
Activities and embedded assessments address the following standards (McREL 4th [7] [7] edition [7])
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
Links:
[1] http://www.tolerance.org/activity/disability-awareness-were-it-together
[2] http://www.tolerance.org/activity/kindness-foundation-service-learning
[3] http://www.tolerance.org/supplement/treating-people-dignity-early-grades
[4] http://www.tolerance.org/supplement/treating-people-dignity-elementary-grades-3-5
[5] http://www.tolerance.org/supplement/treating-people-dignity-middle-grades-6-8
[6] http://www.tolerance.org/supplement/treating-people-dignity-high-school-9-12
[7] http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/browse.asp