Decision-Making Together

Year Level

Year 2–3

Duration

45 minutes

Class Size

19 students

---

Unit Context

This lesson is Lesson 4 of 6 in the unit "Positive Interactions and Safety". It focuses on developing students' decision-making skills within groups, helping them to navigate emotional responses and safety considerations as part of collaborative learning.

---

Queensland Curriculum References

Content Descriptions (Health and Physical Education - Years 1 and 2)

• AC9HP2P05: Identify and demonstrate protective behaviours and help-seeking strategies they can use to help themselves and others stay safe.
• AC9HP2P03: Identify how different situations influence emotional responses.

Elaborations to guide teaching:

• Identifying the body's reaction to safe and unsafe situations and the emotional responses that accompany these situations.
• Rehearsing strategies they can use when requiring assistance, such as asking a trusted adult or solving a problem with friends through negotiation.
• Recognising and managing emotional responses in differing situations.
• Role-playing emergency or challenging scenarios to anticipate feelings and reactions【11:AC9HP2P05.md】【19:AC9HP2P03.md】.

---

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

1. Understand basic decision-making strategies within a group context, considering safety and emotional wellbeing.
2. Practise making choices in hypothetical scenarios that involve safety and emotional responses.
3. Demonstrate respectful listening and collaboration skills during group decision-making.
4. Recognise that emotions can influence decisions and that safety is a priority.

---

Resources Needed

• Scenario cards (pre-prepared) with simple, relatable situations requiring group decisions, including safety and emotional aspects.
• Emotion faces or cards depicting different emotional states.
• Whiteboard and markers.
• Large paper and coloured markers for group recordings.
• "Decision Tree" visual template for modelling choices.

---

Lesson Structure

1. Introduction and Connect (7 minutes)

• Begin with a circle time discussion: "What is a decision? Can decisions be made alone or in groups?"
• Ask students to share a time they had to decide something with friends or family.
• Introduce the term decision-making and explain that today they will focus on making decisions together in groups, thinking about how to be safe and care for each other’s feelings.

---

2. Teaching Input: Decision-Making Strategies (8 minutes)

• Introduce a simple Decision Tree visual on the board with steps:
  • What is the problem or choice?
  • What are the options?
  • What might happen for each choice? (focus on safety and feelings)
  • What decision should be made?
• Model this with a familiar example, e.g., "You are playing at recess, and someone wants to climb a tall tree. What should we think about?" Guide students through the decision tree considering safety and feelings.
• Show and briefly discuss emotion cards – how feelings like worry or happiness can come into decisions.

---

3. Group Activity: Scenario Decision-Making (20 minutes)

• Divide the class into 4 groups of about 4-5 students each.
• Give each group a different scenario card depicting a situation requiring a group decision. Example scenarios:
  • Choosing a safe game to play outside.
  • Deciding what to do if a friend feels sad at recess.
  • Planning a group activity where some students want to try something new but it might be risky.
  • What to do if there is an emergency like a small fire drill.
• Each group uses the Decision Tree worksheet/template to work through the scenario together.
• Encourage roles such as:
  • Speaker (shares group’s choice)
  • Recorder (writes or draws the decision and reasons)
  • Listener (ensures everyone’s opinion is heard)
• Teacher circulates, prompting reflection on safety and emotions, and fostering respectful listening.

---

4. Group Sharing & Reflection (8 minutes)

• Groups present their scenario and decision to the class, explaining:
  • What the problem was
  • What options they considered
  • How safety and feelings influenced their decision
• Teacher highlights positive examples of collaborative decision-making and managing emotions.
• Encourage peers to ask questions or give positive feedback.

---

5. Conclusion and Individual Reflection (2 minutes)

• Recap the importance of thinking about safety and emotions when making decisions in groups.
• Ask students to think quietly about one thing they learned about making decisions with others.
• Optionally, students can draw a quick picture or write a word representing what they learned about decision-making today.

---

Assessment

• Formative assessment through observation of group participation, listening skills, and contribution to decision-making in scenarios.
• Teacher notes on how well students considered safety and emotions in choices.
• Check for use of respectful communication and collaborative skills.

---

Differentiation and Inclusion

• Provide sentence starters or emotion words for students who need extra language support.
• Allow some groups to have adult support if needed for scaffolding decision steps.
• Use visuals extensively, including pictures on scenario cards and emotion face cards.
• Encourage all students to contribute, valuing diverse ideas and emotional responses.

---

Extension Ideas

• Create a class Decision-Making Charter based on negotiated safe and caring behaviours drawn from this lesson.
• Role-play more complex scenarios over multiple lessons including real-life safety drills or bullying situations.
• Incorporate digital tools for students to record their group decisions as short video reflections or digital posters.

---

This lesson plan provides an age-appropriate, hands-on approach to teaching decision-making in small groups consistent with the Queensland curriculum's Health and Physical Education learning objectives for Years 1 and 2. It emphasises safety, emotional awareness, and collaborative skills in a positive, supportive learning environment【11:AC9HP2P05.md】【19:AC9HP2P03.md】.