Sympathy vs. Empathy – Let’s Make It Easy to Understand!

Are these two words ones that your students have a hard time distinguishing? While these words are related, they have a few differences. Let’s take a quick look at how we can explain these two terms to your students.

Sympathy involves feeling sorry for someone’s situation, whereas empathy goes beyond that by allowing us to understand and share their emotions. Both are valuable and can help us connect with others in meaningful ways, but empathy is what helps us form real bonds with others and build solid relationships.

Sympathy vs. Empathy Worksheet

Our team of educators has developed a reading passage that is ideal for 5th-grade students. The passage explores the distinctions between sympathy and empathy. After reading it, your students will be able to respond to comprehension questions and identify whether a series of statements describes sympathy or empathy. This particular social emotional learning worksheet is highly versatile and can be implemented in various settings, such as a small group or a whole class activity. Additionally, it can even be assigned as homework to reinforce the concepts covered.

How to Get Your SEL Worksheets

Are you ready to grab these worksheets for your students? Simply click on the green download button and choose between the quick-print PDF document or the editable Google Slides file. If you select the Google Slides option, you will be prompted to make a copy of the resource to your personal drive.

Looking For More Empathy Activities?

Don’t stop there! We’ve got more activities and resources to help with your empathy-related lesson plans!

teaching resource

A Walk in My Shoes – Empathy Task Cards

Use these empathy scenario cards with your students when teaching them about social awareness.

teaching resource

Empathy, Sympathy and Compassion Poster for the Classroom

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