Lesson Plan

Choices and Decision Trees

Grade Level: 6-12

Length: 30-45 minutes

DE Domain: VAR

  • For students to have a tool that they can make big impact decisions. They will be able to think through the options of making or not making a choice.

Students will be able to recreate the decision tree with decisions made at school or at home. The hope is that they will have a tool they can apply in multiple classrooms or at home.

VAR.5 – Practice and demonstrate self-awareness of thought processes and behavior.

VAR.1 – Embrace decisions as opportunities.

Lesson:

Engage (5–15 minutes):

Students have the option to answer one or both of the following journal prompts:

  • What are some of the repeated choices you make everyday?
  • What are some choices you find yourself saying no to?

Students should pair up after some time to individually write in their decision journals. Students should share at least 1 of their answers to the 2 prompts.

Apply (10-15 minutes):

Decision Tree

Provide students with an opportunity to take some notes on the steps to a decision tree:

  • Step 1: What decisions do I have to make?
  • Step 2: What choices do I have?
  • Step 3: Identify your YES outcomes for each choice option.
  • Step 4: Identify your NO outcomes for each choice option.
  • Step 5: Review your tree and make a choice.

Before having students complete their own, walk through 1-2 examples with students to model using the chart.

Provide students with about 10-15 minutes to create their decision tree. Encourage students to think about what is going on in their life with school, work, and family to think through different options.

Once students have completed the work, they can either share with a small group or take part in a gallery walk to see all the decision trees that they created.

Reflect (5 minutes):

Have students fill in their decision journal with the following prompt as a wrap up of today’s activity:

Based on our lesson today, name a decision that would be helpful to use a decision tree and why.

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