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Grades 1-5
A Sample Unit on The Decision-making Process
Unit Introduction
Each school year of health education begins with the Decision-making
Process unit which outlines the three sub-processes that teacher
and students will follow as they address any topic for the
remainder of the year:
- Level A sub-process: information processing
- Level B sub-process: decision making
- Level C sub-process: action planning
As students progress from one grade level to the next, increasingly
complex skills are incorporated into these sub-processes.
Teachers are advised to refer to the Instructional and
Administrative Guidelines section of this document
for details pertaining to the gradual introduction of the
Decision-making Process at the elementary level. The purpose
of this sample unit is to provide practical suggestions for
presenting the Decision-making Process to students in simple
terms and in a way that is appropriate to their developmental
level.
Each section of this sample unit includes the identification,
in simple terms, of the levels (and steps) of the Decision-making
Process that are introduced in the lessons.
This introductory unit is not meant to present the Decision-making
Process in great detail. Students will become more familiar
with the details of the Decision-making Process as they use
it throughout the year in the context of various topics.
Adapting This Unit
There are a number of ways of presenting the Decision-making
Process to the students. This sample unit provides suggestions
for several scenarios, based on the assumption that the Decision-making
Process is introduced in grade 1, and that starting in grade
2, teachers will build on their students' prior knowledge
and introduce the steps corresponding to the grade level perspective.
The following scenarios are offered:
- Grade 1. The three levels of the Decision-making
Process are introduced as the students respond to a story
in which a character has to make a difficult decision. The
character in this scenario has to decide what to do when
he finds something that does not belong to him.
- Grade 2. An introductory activity establishes the
students' prior knowledge of the Decision-making Process.
The steps within Level B of the process are introduced,
since the focus on consequences of our actions corresponds
to the grade 2 perspective. In this scenario, the students
help a character in a story decide what animal to choose
for a pet.
- Grades 3-5. An introductory activity establishes
the students' prior knowledge of the Decision-making Process.
Areas to be emphasized at each of grades 3 to 5 are highlighted
as the perspectives for those grade levels and the steps
within levels A and C of the Decision-making Process are
presented. The topic suggested is the same as in the grade
2 scenario, but with different resources and a different
focus.
The topics used for the various scenarios in this sample
unit have been chosen arbitrarily. A number of topics might
be used instead. The students might make decisions related
to topics such as:
- children's bedtime
- what to wear for school (dressing for the weather; wearing
the latest fashion clothes, etc.)
- Halloween safety
- classroom responsibilities and tasks
- ...
Various resources might provide different contexts within
which to introduce the Decision-making Process to the students.
Titles are suggested in Health Education: An Initial List
of Implementation Materials for the Elementary Level.
The Index of Suggested Uses at the end of that document groups
all those titles under the heading "Decision-making Process".
Teachers are encouraged to adapt the unit to their needs,
those of their students and of their community:
- The Decision-making Process may be introduced through
other topics.
- Teachers are advised to review the suggestions made for
other grade levels in order to facilitate the transition
from one grade level to the next.
- Teachers are reminded to keep in mind the objectives and
the Decision-making Process of this curriculum when making
adaptations to the unit.
The grades 2 to 5 scenarios deal with choosing an animal
for a pet. These scenarios may be adapted in various ways
to emphasize any of the four strands of the curriculum. Teachers
might want to explore possibilities such as:
- A Healthy Body: allergies to animals, proper hygiene
practices when caring for pets.
- Social Relationships: responsibilities within the
family, identifying and expressing feelings.
- Safety: avoiding dangerous situations with pets.
- Self-esteem: growth and development (taking more
responsibility), self-knowledge (favourite activities, personal
values), assertiveness (peer pressure).
Availability of resources, student needs, and local needs
are some of the factors which might influence adaptations
to this sample unit and determine areas of emphasis.
Decision-making Process Poster
A visual representation in poster form of the Decision-making
Process should be introduced to the students at the beginning
of the year, and should remain displayed in the classroom
throughout the year for easy reference. In this sample unit,
the teacher develops such a poster as the levels and steps
of the Decision-making Process are introduced. Teachers might
prefer to involve the students in designing a poster as a
culminating activity for this unit. Another option is to prepare
one ahead of time, cover it with paper and uncover the levels
and steps of the Decision-making Process as they are introduced
to the students.
In this document, the Decision-making Process is represented
as a traffic light. While this image provides an efficient
mnemonic device for many students at the elementary level,
other visual representations might work better for some students.
Teachers should feel free to use an alternate graphic representation,
keeping in mind that the image used should be simple, and
should convey the idea that the Decision-making Process is
cyclical in nature rather than linear.
Gathering Resources
Specific titles are suggested in the activities of this sample
unit only as examples. These and other appropriate titles
are listed in Health Education: An Initial List
of Implementation Materials for the Elementary Level,
1998. Additional instructional materials to support this curriculum
will be listed in Health Education: A Bibliography
for the Elementary Level, scheduled to be published in
the spring of 1999.
Teachers are encouraged to investigate possibilities for
using resources suggested in other lists of materials, such
as the bibliographies accompanying the curriculum guides for
all other areas of study.
Decision-making Process Worksheet
A Decision-making
Process worksheet is provided at the end of this unit.
Teachers might use sections of this worksheet as needed within
all units of the program.
Student Assessment
A sample observation
checklist is included at the end of the unit. It may be
used throughout this unit and in the context of other topics
during the year. Further information on assessment and evaluation
is provided in the Assessment and Evaluation section of this
document.
Additional Internet Resources:
Taken
from: Health
Education: A Curriculum Guide for the Elementary Level (Grades
1-5): Sample Units |
