Empathy vs. Sympathy – What’s the Difference?

Are your students struggling to understand the difference between these two social awareness terms? While they are closely related, let’s take a deep dive into each of these terms!

Empathy is when you understand and feel what someone else is going through as if you were in their shoes. It’s like you can connect with their feelings and emotions because you imagine how they must feel. For example, if your friend is sad because they lost their pet, empathy means you feel sad, too, because you can imagine how much they loved their pet and how much it hurts to lose it.

On the other hand, sympathy is when you care about someone and feel sorry for them when they’re going through a tough time, but you may not necessarily understand exactly how they feel. It’s like offering support and kindness because you want to help them feel better. So, if your friend is sad about losing their pet, sympathy means you might say something like, “I’m really sorry to hear about your pet. I’m here for you if you need anything or want to talk.” You’re being kind and showing that you care, even if you haven’t experienced the exact same thing.

Empathy Lessons for Elementary

If you are looking for a teaching slide deck to use with your students, you have come to the right place! Teach Starter has developed an engaging 28-slide teaching presentation and accompanying note guide to use with your 4th and 5th-grade students. This teacher-created slide deck includes:

• Empathy vs. sympathy
• How does empathy help
• 4 qualities of empathizing 
• Using the CAT strategy 
• Scenario examples
• Multiple check for understanding and partner opportunities 

How To Get Your Empathy Presentation

If you are ready to use this set of teaching slides in your classroom, head on over to the green download button! From here, you can download the editable Google Slides version of this resource. Please note that you will first be prompted to make a copy of the presentation to your personal drive before accessing it.

This resource was created by Liz Whitaker, a teacher in South Carolina and a Teach Starter Collaborator. 

Extra Empathy Resources For Your Classroom

Don’t stop there! We’ve got more activities and resources that cut down on lesson planning time:  

teaching resource

Empathy vs. Sympathy – 5th Grade Reading Comprehension Worksheet

Challenge your students to learn the differences between empathy and sympathy with this reading comprehension worksheet.

teaching resource

Empathy, Sympathy and Compassion Poster for the Classroom

Highlight the differences between empathy, sympathy and compassion with this printable poster.