Build Empathy12 min Low Light
A Day in Their Shoes
Students narrate a day in the life of someone completely unlike themselves.
Forces students out of their own perspective and into the texture of another life.
Instructions
Give each student a character card — a historical figure, a person from another culture, or someone in a very different life situation. They have 3 minutes to narrate one ordinary day in that person's life, in first person, present tense. Share with a partner. Debrief: what was hardest to imagine?
Classroom timer
12:00
Best used when
Before studying a historical period, social issue, or any text with characters from different backgrounds.
Variation
Students write the day as a diary entry instead of narrating it aloud.
Time
12 min
Noise
Low
Prep
Light
How did it go?
Quick evaluation — helps you find what works again.