Learning Compassion from a Nonfiction Text
Grade
Grade 1
UNIT
6
•
Compassion
Unit 6, Lesson 2, “Learning Compassion from a Nonfiction Text,” reinforces the vocabulary word compassion. Students will learn examples of compassion from a nonfiction text that shows how a real person demonstrated compassion. Additionally, students will practice their reading comprehension skills by reading independently and hearing a reading from the teacher. Finally, students will create their own sentences that demonstrate their reading comprehension.
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SUGGESTED TIME:
20 minutes
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
- Practice reading independently to develop reading comprehension skills
- Spell, define, and give an example of compassion
- Compose 3 sentences that demonstrate comprehension of the word compassion
- Demonstrate understanding of standard English sentence structure and grammar
- Practice reading and conversation skills by sharing sentences with classmates
REQUIRED MATERIALS:
- Video: Active Community Leader: Jakhil Jackson by the Obama Foundation (~1 min)
- Prohuman Grade 1 Unit 6 Worksheet 2: Learning Compassion from a Nonfiction Text
VOCABULARY:
- Compassion: I see when others are hurt or need help, and I try to help them.
ELA COMMON CORE STANDARDS MET
CHARACTER AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL (CSED) NATIONAL STANDARDS MET
LESSON PROCEDURE
- Write compassion on the board.
- Ask students to spell compassion on their worksheets.
- Ask students what they learned about compassion from the last lesson.
- Play the video Active Community Leader: Jakhil Jackson by the Obama Foundation (~1 min)
- Have students read the nonfiction text on their worksheets independently, quietly to themselves. Circle the room to support the students.
- After giving the students 10 minutes to practice reading, then read the worksheet text aloud to the whole class.
- Ask students how Jakhil showed compassion, and how they can show compassion to help people, either their family, friends, or people in their community. Have them write their sentences on their worksheets.
- Have students take turns sharing their sentences with a partner.
- Tell students that we will come up with a list of nice things we can do for others to show compassion and write the list on the board.
- Have students choose the four activities they want to do and write them on the compassion coupons activity page. Then have students cut out the coupons and take them home to give to their family, friends, or community members.
- Extension activity: Contact a local homeless shelter for their needs list and collect class donations to make blessing bags.
GRADE 1 UNIT 6 WORKSHEET 2: LEARNING COMPASSION FROM A NONFICTION TEXT
Compassion: I see when others are hurt or need help, and I try to help them.
Write the word compassion:
_________________________________________________________________________
NONFICTION TEXT: JAKHIL’S COMPASSION
Jakhil Jackson is from the city of Chicago. When he was five years old, Jakil went to feed homeless people with his aunt and his cousin. When he saw how homeless people lived, with rats and with sleeping bags on the ground, it made him sad. He wanted to help.
To help homeless people, Jakhil made blessing bags. These bags have soap, tissues, socks, wipes, hand sanitizer, and towels. In 2016, he gave out 1,627 bags. In 2017, he gave away 5,140 bags.
When he was 8 years old, Jakhil created Project I Am, a group that helps the homeless. Project I Am helps other kids to become change agents.
One kid who helps with Project I Am said, “Homeless people don’t have very many resources, so it’s important to give them stuff to help them.”
Another kid who helps said, “It’s important to make these bags because it’s going to make people happy.”
In just a few years, Project I Am raised $550,000 for the unhoused, has helped over 135,000 people around the world, and has brought together over 2,000 youth to help those in need.
Jakil’s advice to other kids who want to start helping their community is that they don’t have to wait until they’re adults. They can do it right now.
Sources: Active Community Leader: Jakhil Jackson and https://jahkil.com/
ACTIVITY:
Write 1 sentence that explains how Jakhil showed compassion.
Write 1 sentence that explains how Jakhil’s compassion helped other people.
Prohuman K-12 Curriculum © 2025 by Prohuman Foundation is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.
To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/