Decision Making Guidance Lesson
4th - 5th Grade
Question Before We Begin
- Who makes the decisions for you?
- Are the decisions you make now going to affect your future?
Building Background
Today we are going to be learning about Decision Making. What is a decision?
A decision is another word for a choice. We all know the difference between a healthy versus an unhealthy choice. What happens when you make an unhealthy choice?
You may get what’s called a consequence. Consequences are not normally something we like. Some examples of consequences include upsetting someone we care about, being punished by having our phone or tech time taken away, or maybe we have to do extra work. We all have had consequences. What do we get if we make a healthy choice?
We get a good response, like a reward. Some rewards we may get are high fives or positive comments from someone we care about. Maybe we get an incentive, something we really like or want. Rewards are pretty good. Do you think the choices we make can affect what happens to us in the future?
Mindful Moment
Balloon Arms
1. Discuss before you begin: When you fill a balloon with air (inflate it) it gets bigger, and when you let the air out of the balloon (deflate it), it gets smaller.
2. Rest your hands on top of your head. with your fingertip touching. Now, move your hands like a balloon filling with air and getting bigger, then down like a balloon deflating and getting smaller, keeping your fingertips together.
3. Now, sync your breathing with the movement of your arms. Slowly breath in as your balloon fills with air, then out as airs leaves your balloon.
4. Repeat ten times. How are you feeling?
4th Grade
Watch "Do the Right Thing"
Watch "Making Tough Choices with Kid President"
Answer the following Questions after Watching
- A good decision I will make today is.......
- A good decision I will make this week is .....
- A good decision I will make this school year is......
- A good decision I will make for my future is ......
"Antwon J. Calhoun: Making Life Changing Decisions"
- What decisions did Antwon make that affected his future?
- What were the positive consequances for some of his choices?
- What do you think would have happened if he made a different choice?
Activity
In a Pickle
5th Grade
Multiple Intelligence Survey
Today we are going to talk about decisions you will make for your upcoming 6th grade year. There are so many decisions you will have to make and I want to make sure that you make the best decisions for YOU. So today we are going to take a multiple intelligence quiz. This quiz is going to help us see a few things about you. First, it is going to help us see in what ways you learn best. It will also show us what things you like. Together these things will help us pick the classes that are best for you for middle school. I need everyone to take one paper copy of our quiz and grab your chromebook.
Check for Understanding
- Who makes the decisions for you?
- Are the decisions you make now going to affect your future?