Lesson
2
:

Learning Compassion from a Nonfiction Text

Grade

Grade 5

UNIT

6

Compassion

Last Updated:

June 10, 2025

In Unit 6, Lesson 2, “Learning Compassion from a Nonfiction Text,” students will learn examples of compassion from the life of John Ross, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. By independently reading a nonfiction text, students will develop their reading comprehension skills. Finally, students will create their own sentences that demonstrate their reading comprehension and share their sentences with a partner.

SUGGESTED TIME:

  • 15 minutes to play the videos and introduce the book, Timeline History of the Trail of Tears by Alison Behnke 
  • 30 minutes of class time to read Chapter 1 or assign for homework
  • 30 minutes of class time to read Chapter 2 or assign for homework
  • 30 minutes of class time to read Chapter 3 or assign for homework
  • 30 minutes of class time to read Chapter 4 or assign for homework

RELATED SUBJECT:

English Language Arts

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

  • Read a nonfiction text independently to develop reading comprehension skills
  • Demonstrate understanding of the main ideas of a nonfiction text
  • Compose sentences that demonstrate comprehension of the text 
  • Demonstrate understanding of compassion 
  • Demonstrate understanding of standard English sentence structure and grammar  
  • Practice reading and conversation skills by sharing sentences with classmates

REQUIRED MATERIALS:

VOCABULARY:.

  • Trail of Tears: In the 1830s the U.S. government took away the homelands of many Native American groups in the Southeast. It then forced them to move to lands west of the Mississippi River. Most of them had to walk all the way. This event is known as the Trail of Tears. The term is used in particular to describe the journey of the Cherokee people. (Source: Britannica Kids)
  • Compassion: I see when others are hurt or need help, and I try to help them. 

ELA COMMON CORE STANDARDS MET

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.1

Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.2

Determine two or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by key details; summarize the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.3

Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific information in the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.4

Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 5 topic or subject area.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.8

Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text, identifying which reasons and evidence support which point(s).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.10

By the end of the year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of the grades 4-5 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.5.3

Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.5.3.A

Use combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology (e.g., roots and affixes) to read accurately unfamiliar multisyllabic words in context and out of context.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.5.4

Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.5.4.A

Read grade-level text with purpose and understanding.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.5.4.C

Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.9

Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.1

Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.1.B

Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.1.C

Pose and respond to specific questions by making comments that contribute to the discussion and elaborate on the remarks of others.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.5.3

Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

CHARACTER AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL (CSED) NATIONAL STANDARDS MET

Moral Character A3

Understand and explain the expression “I have the courage to stand up for what is wrong or unfair”

Moral Character A4

Offer examples of caring and compassionate behaviors (at home, in school, in the community)

Moral Character B3

Provide an example of a friend or role model who “stood up” for what he or she thought was wrong or unfair

Moral Character B3

Provide an example of a friend or role model who “stood up” for what he or she thought was wrong or unfair

Performance Character B2

Provide an example of a friend or role model who is dependable, reliable, and conscientious (responsible)

Intellectual Character B4

Demonstrate the ability to analyze data, facts, and information

Civic Character A1

Understand the idea of fairness and the consequences of not being fair, as it relates to breaking rules, playing favorites, or taking advantage of others

Civic Character A4

Explain why it is important for everyone to serve and contribute to their family, school, community, nation, globally

Civic Character B1

Describe how a role model exemplifies fairness

Civic Character B6

Describe how a role model volunteers and contributes to the common good

Self-Awareness A1

Understand and explain why different situations may set in motion or give rise to different emotions (e.g., learning something new or difficult, meeting someone new)

Social-Awareness A1

Use “I-statements” to let others know that you have heard them

Social-Awareness A2

Describe how a person will likely feel when being bullied or left out of an activity or group

Social-Awareness A3

Recognize examples of stereotyping, discrimination and prejudice

Social-Awareness A4

Explain a time when you put yourself in “someone else’s shoes” in order to understand their perspective and point of view

Social-Awareness A5

Explain what empathy means (e.g., the ability to sympathetically understand and personally identify with the emotional states, needs and feelings of others)

Interpersonal/ Relationship Skills A3

Understand and recognize the characteristics of healthy relationships (e.g., honesty, compromising, sharing, encouragement)

Interpersonal/ Relationship Skills A4

Understand and recognize the characteristics of unhealthy relationships (e.g., hostility, intimidation, hitting)

LESSON PROCEDURE

  1. Without providing any information, show students this image from the Trail of Tears Association.
  2. Ask the students what they see.
  3. Ask the students what they wonder about the image.
  4. Explain that this artwork, called “The Trail of Tears,” was painted by Robert Lindneux in 1942. It commemorates the suffering of the Cherokee people under forced removal in the winter of 1838-39. The painting depicts the Cherokee’s arrival in their new country, which is now northeastern Oklahoma.
  5. Let’s learn more about the Trail of Tears by viewing a couple of short videos. Play the video: Trail of Tears: One Minute History by One Minute History (~1 min) 
  6. Play the video: John Ross, Father of the Cherokee Nation | Georgia Stories by GPB Education (~3 min)
  7. Have students read the book Timeline History of the Trail of Tears by Alison Behnke, either in class over 5 class periods or as homework (the book has an introduction and four chapters total)
  8. Have students write the answers to the worksheet questions.
  9. Have students share their answers with a partner.

GRADE 5 UNIT 6 WORKSHEET 2: LEARNING COMPASSION FROM A NONFICTION TEXT

  • Vocabulary
  • Trail of Tears: In the 1830s the U.S. government took away the homelands of many Native American groups in the Southeast. It then forced them to move to lands west of the Mississippi River. Most of them had to walk all the way. This event is known as the Trail of Tears. The term is used in particular to describe the journey of the Cherokee people. (Source: Britannica Kids)
  • Compassion: I see when others are hurt or need help, and I try to help them.

QUESTIONS TO ANSWER WHILE READING THE BOOK Timeline History of the Trail of Tears by Alison Behnke:

ACTIVITY:

  1. Where was the original homeland of the Cherokee people?

  1. How did the first explorer reach the Cherokee homeland, and what year did this happen?

  1.  What was one disease that Europeans brought that Native Americans had never been exposed to, that killed many Native Americans?

  1. What year was the Cherokee Nation formed? What type of government did it have?

  1. What was the Indian Removal Act of 1830?

  1. What was the Treaty of New Echota and how did it lead to the Trail of Tears?

  1. Who was John Ross and how did he show compassion for his people, the Cherokee?

  1. What injustices did the Cherokee people suffer on the Trail of Tears?

  1. Where is the Cherokee Nation located today?

  1. Complete the writing activity on page 44 of the book Timeline History of the Trail of Tears by Alison Behnke.

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/

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