Unit 7
"Have Compassion"
This song includes fifth grade vocabulary words that students are likely to encounter on state tests. It teaches the following words: abuse, compassion, course, dictate, duplicate, feeble, moral, nonchalant, senseless and taunt. In this song, you’ll see how hard it can be to stand up for what is right, especially when everyone else is doing something that you know is wrong.
Intro
Another morning, getting ready for school,
I had a bowl of cereal, some juice, and everything’s cool.
So I put on my shoes and get ready to walk,
And make my daily trip to the bus stop.
It was cold—hey, at least it didn’t snow,
But when the bus came, we were all ready to go.
So as usual, I sit in the back,
Next to this kid from another neighborhood, Zach.
Now Zach‘s cool, but you could say he was feeble,
A little quieter and weaker than other people.
For this reason the other kids would taunt him,
Call him bad names and throw insults upon him.
Now Zach didn’t deserve this abuse,
For the mean words they used, there was no excuse.
But I pretended to be nonchalant,
Calm and unconcerned with what was going on.
But that’s when I heard a voice in my head,
It sounded like my conscience, and this is what she said:
Man, you ought to be ashamed; this bullying is senseless,
There is no reason that you’re leaving him defenseless.
I’ll tell you what to do; it is my job to dictate,
You’ve got to change your course,
Or plan of action, for the kid’s sake.
So here’s your chance to wheel it back and do it over,
The moral of the story is the lesson that I’ll show you.
Compassion—you’ve got to have compassion,
You see somebody suffering, you’ve got to take action.
Well, what kind of action?
Take away the pain,
If you help people then they will do the same.
Compassion? Yeah, you’ve got to have compassion.
You see somebody suffering, you’ve got to take action.
Um, what kind of action?
Take away the pain,
Let’s try this again and you can make the change.
Another morning, getting ready for school,
I had a bowl of cereal, some juice, and everything’s cool.
So I put on my shoes and get ready to walk,
And make my daily trip to the bus stop.
It was cold—hey, at least it didn’t snow,
But when the bus came, we were all ready to go.
So as usual, I sit in the back,
Next to this kid from another neighborhood, Zach.
Now Zach‘s cool, but you could say he was feeble,
A little quieter and weaker than other people.
For this reason the other kids would taunt him,
Call him bad names and throw insults upon him.
But Zach didn’t deserve this abuse,
For the mean words they used, there was no excuse.
This time I couldn’t be nonchalant,
I was way too concerned with what was going on.
I told the other kids Zach was my friend,
And asked them to not be mean to him again.
Then they kind of laughed ’cause they thought I was faking,
They didn’t realize the new path I had taken.
I said, “The reason ya’ll attack and harass is
You’re embarrassed about your pimples and your glasses.”
Together all of us could be cool if we all lived by the golden rule of…
Compassion—you’ve got to have compassion,
You see somebody suffering, you’ve got to take action.
Well, what kind of action?
Take away the pain,
If you help people then they will do the same.
Compassion? Yeah, you’ve got to have compassion.
You see somebody suffering, you’ve got to take action.
Um, what kind of action?
Take away the pain,
Let’s try this again and you can make the change.
Nice! You did the right thing and I’m proud of you,
The other kids will duplicate, that’s do the same and follow you.
You showed strength today in doing what you got to do,
It’s hard to know what’s right, and even harder still to follow through.
You saw somebody’s pain and then you took action,
To help him out and that’s the meaning of compassion.
You’re more than just a kid; you acted like a man today,
The moral of the story is the lesson that you take away.
Compassion—you’ve got to have compassion,
You see somebody suffering, you’ve got to take action.
Well, what kind of action?
Take away the pain,
If you help people then they will do the same.
Compassion? Yeah, you’ve got to have compassion.
You see somebody suffering, you’ve got to take action.
Um, what kind of action?
Take away the pain,
Let’s try this again and you can make the change.
It takes a lot of courage to stand up to a bully. But it takes even more courage to stand up to a whole group of people when they are doing something that is wrong. It's easy to go along with a crowd, but that doesn't mean it's right.
You'll learn these words: abuse, compassion, course, dictate, duplicate, feeble, moral, nonchalant, senseless, taunt.
You'll learn these words: abuse, compassion, course, dictate, duplicate, feeble, moral, nonchalant, senseless, taunt.
feeble (adj)
Having little strength, weak. The old man was very sad that he had become so feeble and helpless.
Having little strength, weak. The old man was very sad that he had become so feeble and helpless.
taunt (verb)
To make fun of in an insulting way; to jeer. The ringmaster taunted the leopard to entertain the crowd.
To make fun of in an insulting way; to jeer. The ringmaster taunted the leopard to entertain the crowd.
abuse (noun)
Wrong or cruel treatment; insulting language. Our principal said she had every right to make us eat lunch in silence, but I thought it was a form of abuse.
(verb) To use wrongly or treat poorly. Thankfully, Spider-Man never really abused his powers for personal gain.
Wrong or cruel treatment; insulting language. Our principal said she had every right to make us eat lunch in silence, but I thought it was a form of abuse.
(verb) To use wrongly or treat poorly. Thankfully, Spider-Man never really abused his powers for personal gain.
nonchalant (adj)
Having the appearance of not caring; seeming to show a lack of concern. Vana tried to act all nonchalant, but she was actually very anxious that her friend was running late.
Having the appearance of not caring; seeming to show a lack of concern. Vana tried to act all nonchalant, but she was actually very anxious that her friend was running late.
senseless (adj)
Lacking meaning; stupid or foolish. I don't mind seeing a fight scene in a movie; I just hate senseless violence.
Lacking meaning; stupid or foolish. I don't mind seeing a fight scene in a movie; I just hate senseless violence.
dictate (verb)
1. To give orders; to make something happen a certain way. Who should dictate what books we read in school-the teachers or the students?
2. To read or say out loud for someone to write down. The CEO would dictate his letters to his secretary.
1. To give orders; to make something happen a certain way. Who should dictate what books we read in school-the teachers or the students?
2. To read or say out loud for someone to write down. The CEO would dictate his letters to his secretary.
course (noun)
1. A direction, path, or route to be taken. Crowds gathered along the course to cheer the bikers on.
2. A class that teaches something. My older sister is taking a writing course at the local college.
(verb) To move quickly through or over. The little girl, with tears coursing down her cheeks, jumped into her mother's arms.
1. A direction, path, or route to be taken. Crowds gathered along the course to cheer the bikers on.
2. A class that teaches something. My older sister is taking a writing course at the local college.
(verb) To move quickly through or over. The little girl, with tears coursing down her cheeks, jumped into her mother's arms.
moral (noun)
1. A useful lesson about life. The moral of the story was to always give people a second chance.
2. morals: Ideas about what is wrong or right in life. Some people get their morals from the Bible.
(adj) Related to what is right and wrong. Why do people like being nice? Why do people have a moral instinct?
1. A useful lesson about life. The moral of the story was to always give people a second chance.
2. morals: Ideas about what is wrong or right in life. Some people get their morals from the Bible.
(adj) Related to what is right and wrong. Why do people like being nice? Why do people have a moral instinct?
compassion (noun)
A feeling of sharing the suffering of others and of wanting to help; sympathy; pity. The nurses cared for the new babies with compassion.
Other forms: Tim doesn't get the best grades, but he is compassionate (adj) and caring.
A feeling of sharing the suffering of others and of wanting to help; sympathy; pity. The nurses cared for the new babies with compassion.
Other forms: Tim doesn't get the best grades, but he is compassionate (adj) and caring.
duplicate (verb)
To copy exactly; to do again exactly as before. The magician performed the kind of trick that no other magician could duplicate.
(noun) An exact copy. No snowflake is a duplicate of another.
(adj) Identically copied from the original. They built one school near the park and then a duplicate school two miles down the road.
To copy exactly; to do again exactly as before. The magician performed the kind of trick that no other magician could duplicate.
(noun) An exact copy. No snowflake is a duplicate of another.
(adj) Identically copied from the original. They built one school near the park and then a duplicate school two miles down the road.
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