From Empathy to Action: Empowering K–6 Students to Create Change Through Reading, Writing, and Research

Chris Hass, Katie Kelly, Lester Laminack

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2025
• eBook ISBN: 9781040406298
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education Theory & Practice

How can we move children from simply talking about things to learning to take action – and feeling empowered to enact change? This book shows you exactly what this can look like in an elementary class setting. It details the structures and instructional strategies classroom teachers can adopt to help their children create positive outcomes for their communities while also building identities for themselves as real agents of change.

Topics include building empathy and compassion, helping students become aware of issues within their communities, creating brave environments so students can engage in productive discussions around sensitive topics, engaging students in research that answers their needs and those of their community, and supporting students into action. Classroom examples, practical tools, and student voices are featured throughout.

With this book by your side, you can debunk the false deficit-based assumptions that young people aren't ready for activism, and you'll see what is possible when we commit ourselves to integrating civic learning into our classroom literacy instruction.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Half-Title Page
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Meet the Authors
• Introduction
• Chapter 1 Helping Students Better Understand and Empathize with Others
• Chapter 2 Helping Students Become More Aware of Issues Within the Community
• Chapter 3 Helping Students Engage in Critical Discussion
• Chapter 4 Helping Students Conduct Research
• Chapter 5 Helping Students Take Action
• Conclusion
• References