Making Choices

Year Level

Year 6

Duration

45 minutes

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Unit Overview

Unit: Decisions and Economics

This unit aims to develop students' understanding of everyday decision making and economic choices by exploring the processes and consequences of making decisions. Students will engage with concepts such as evaluating options, understanding consequences, and making informed choices in various personal and community contexts.

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Lesson 1: Introduction to Decision Making

Lesson Description

Students will explore the concept of decision making by discussing the steps involved in making choices and the importance of evaluating options. Through a collaborative group activity, students will identify everyday decisions they face and predict potential outcomes from these decisions.

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Australian Curriculum Links

Content Descriptions (Learning Objectives)

• Economics and Business

  • Explore the ways consumers make choices to meet their needs and wants, considering constraints and alternatives (ACHASSK139 - Year 6 History and Social Sciences related to Economics and Business).
  • Identify choices that involve making decisions about spending, saving and earning (ACHASSI119).

• General Capabilities

  • Critical and Creative Thinking: Reflect on thinking processes and choices. Evaluate consequences and alternatives in decision-making contexts.
  • Personal and Social Capability: Develop skills of collaboration, communication, and perspective-taking when making group decisions.

• English (Literacy focus integrated)

  • Participate in discussions, clarifying and interrogating ideas, developing and supporting arguments (ACELY1709).
  • Plan and deliver presentations incorporating sequence and clear key details, suitable for defined audiences (ACELY1689, ACELY1700).

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Lesson Objectives

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

1. Define decision making and explain why it is important.
2. Outline the steps involved in making a decision.
3. Identify everyday decisions they make.
4. Understand that decisions have consequences or outcomes.
5. Collaboratively discuss and share examples of decisions and their potential impacts.

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Resources Needed

• Whiteboard or flip chart and markers
• Decision-making worksheet (simple graphic organizer)
• Scenario cards with everyday decision-making situations (e.g., choosing a healthy snack, saving money for a toy, deciding how to spend free time)
• Pens/pencils for students

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Lesson Structure and Timing

1. Warm-up Discussion — What is a Decision? (10 minutes)

• Begin with a whole-class discussion: Ask students what a decision is and why people need to make decisions every day.
• Write student ideas on the board.
• Introduce a formal definition: "Decision making is the process of choosing between different options or actions."
• Discuss why making good decisions is important (consider consequences, meet needs, solve problems).

2. Introducing the Decision-Making Steps (10 minutes)

• Present a simple decision-making process framework on the board or chart:
  1. Identify the decision to be made.
  2. List possible options.
  3. Consider the consequences of each option.
  4. Choose the best option.
  5. Reflect on the decision.
• Use a relatable example (e.g., choosing what to eat for lunch) to model these steps aloud.
• Engage students by asking them for ideas about options and consequences related to the example.

3. Group Activity — Everyday Decisions (15 minutes)

• Divide the class into small groups (4-5 students).
• Distribute scenario cards with different everyday decisions.
• Each group works through the decision-making steps on their card using a worksheet:
  • Identify the decision
  • List options
  • Discuss possible outcomes
  • Decide what might be the best choice
• Encourage groups to think about both positive and negative outcomes.

4. Groups Share Their Decisions (5 minutes)

• Groups present their scenarios to the class explaining:
  • The decision they analysed
  • The options they considered
  • The outcomes they identified
  • The choice they would make and why

5. Wrap-up and Reflection (5 minutes)

• Recap the importance of evaluating options before making decisions.
• Ask students to think about a decision they made recently and reflect on the steps they used.
• Set a simple informal "homework": Observe and note one decision they make at home tomorrow and the outcome of that choice.

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Assessment and Feedback

• Informal formative assessment through observation during group discussions and presentations.
• Check students’ participation in identifying options and outcomes.
• Review completed worksheets to ensure understanding of the decision-making process.
• Provide verbal feedback highlighting good reasoning, consideration of consequences, and collaborative skills.

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Differentiation and Support

• Provide additional support with vocabulary by pre-teaching key terms (decision, consequence, options).
• Use visual aids and graphic organisers to assist understanding.
• Allow roles within groups such as recorder, presenter, or timekeeper to support participation.
• For students needing extension, challenge them to consider how decisions affect others or the community.

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Teacher Reflection Prompts for Next Lesson

• Did students understand the concept and see decision making as a process?
• How effectively did students identify and evaluate consequences?
• Were all students engaged in collaborative activities?
• What examples generated the most thoughtful discussion?
• Adjust support or complexity of future scenarios accordingly.

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This lesson plan will serve as a foundation for further exploration of economic and business decisions in subsequent lessons of the "Decisions and Economics" unit, closely aligned to the Australian Curriculum v9 Foundation–Year 6 achievement standards and content descriptions in Economics and Business, English, and General Capabilities .