Making Decisions Together

Year Level

Years 3 and 4

Duration

45 minutes

Class Size

29 students

Unit Context

This lesson is Lesson 6 of 7 in the unit "Building Safety and Resilience." It focuses on developing students’ understanding of safe and respectful decision-making through collaborative group discussions, reinforcing skills in resilience and interpersonal respect.

NSW Curriculum Alignment

Strand: Personal, Social and Community Health

Substrand: Being healthy, safe and active

ACPPS033: Examine how emotional responses vary in depth and some ways to manage these.
ACPPS037: Identify and practise strategies to promote health, safety and wellbeing.
ACPPS039: Investigate how emotional responses vary in depth and some ways to manage these.
ACPPS034: Communicate strategies to manage changes and transitions associated with growing up.

Content Descriptions

Recognise situations of bullying and harassment and identify reasons why people act in these ways (links to respectful decision making in social situations).
Identify and practice strategies to include others to make them feel they belong — linking to collaborative decision-making.
Explore how respectful relationships promote safety and wellbeing.

Achievement Standard

By the end of Year 4, students apply skills and strategies to interact respectfully with others, propose responses to social situations and describe protective behaviours that help keep themselves and others safe, online and offline. They reflect on influences on decisions and learn strategies to manage emotions and relationships respectfully and safely.

Learning Objectives

Students will identify safe, respectful decision-making strategies when working in a group.
Students will collaboratively discuss and reflect on multiple scenarios requiring shared decisions.
Students will develop communication and problem solving skills related to making decisions together.
Students will demonstrate understanding of how shared decision-making contributes to safety, respect and inclusion.

Resources Required

Scenario cards with age-appropriate decision-making situations (5–6 different).
Whiteboard and markers or digital board.
"Decision-Making Steps" poster (simple steps such as Stop, Think, Discuss, Decide, Act, Reflect).
Group discussion checklist (listening, respect, turn-taking).
Sticky notes or small whiteboards for group input.

Lesson Procedure

1. Introduction (5 minutes)

Begin with a brief recap of the previous lesson's content on personal safety and resilience.
Introduce today's lesson goal: working together to make safe and respectful decisions.
Display the "Decision-Making Steps" poster and explain each step briefly in simple terms tailored for Years 3/4.
Set class norms for respectful discussion (using the checklist), emphasising listening and respect.

2. Warm-up Activity: Quick Scenario Discussion (5 minutes)

Present a simple, relatable scenario to the whole class (e.g., “Your friend forgot their lunch. What should the group do?”).
Ask for a few suggestions and point out respectful ways to make decisions as a group.
Highlight the value of hearing everyone’s ideas in shared decision-making.

3. Group Work: Scenario Discussions (25 minutes)

Divide the class into 5 groups of 5-6 students. Each group receives a different scenario card (examples: playground disagreement, choosing a game, resolving a problem with a classmate).
Provide the group discussion checklist to encourage respectful interaction.
Groups follow the "Decision-Making Steps" to talk about the scenario and agree on a shared decision or strategy.
Circulate and support groups, prompting them to consider safety, respect, and inclusion.
Have groups record their final decision on sticky notes or mini whiteboards.

4. Sharing and Reflecting (8 minutes)

Each group presents their scenario and shared decision to the class.
The teacher facilitates class feedback focusing on the decision-making process and respect shown.
Ask reflective questions:
“How did working together help you make a decision?”
“What strategies helped your group respect everyone’s ideas?”
“Why is it important to make safe decisions as a group?”

5. Conclusion and Wrap-up (2 minutes)

Summarise the lesson by reinforcing key points about collaboration, safe choices, and respect.
Encourage students to use these decision-making steps in daily life with friends and family.
Briefly preview the next lesson's focus on applying resilience strategies in real-world situations.

Assessment and Feedback

Formative assessment through observation during group discussions:
Are students following respectful communication norms?
Are they applying decision-making steps appropriately?
Student reflection during sharing: Ability to articulate the rationale for group decisions and how decisions were made respectfully.
Use anecdotal notes about individual student participation and understanding.

Differentiation and Inclusion

Provide visual supports (posters, checklist icons) for EAL/D and students with additional needs.
Group diverse learners together to balance social dynamics.
Offer sentence starters or decision prompts for students needing language support.
Allow alternative means of participation (drawing decisions, using symbols) for students with fine motor or expressive language difficulties.

Extension Ideas

Homework task: Ask students to identify a decision made at home or outside school where family worked together respectfully, and share this in the next class.
Plan a follow-up role-play session where students act out scenarios practising decision-making skills in context.

This lesson plan is designed to actively engage Year 3/4 students in applying multiple personal and social skills from the NSW Health curriculum while focusing on collaborative, respectful decision-making that builds safety and resilience in their everyday environments. It promotes skill development that is age-appropriate, interactive, and grounded in the mandated curriculum standards.

Teaching Instructions