"Would You Rather" Decision Making Lesson Plan

Standards Addressed

• Self-Awareness: Recognizing one's emotions and values as well as one's strengths and limitations.
• Responsible Decision Making: Understanding the importance of making ethical and beneficial choices.

Objectives

Students will be able to:

• Identify a personal choice in a low-stakes scenario and explain the reasoning behind it
• Recognize at least one factor that could change their decision
• Listen to a classmate's differing choice and identify a valid reason behind it

Assessment

Students can be assessed in the following areas:

• Participation in scenario responses and discussions

Materials

• List of scenario prompts (included below)
• Optional: two sheets of paper labeled A and B for the choice corners variation

Activating Prior Knowledge

Ask students to think of a recent moment when they picked something different from what a friend or family member expected.

Share an example and then invite one or two volunteers to share briefly. Use this to introduce the idea that sometimes people make different choices, but the reasoning for each one can still be valid.

Lesson Steps

1) Explain that the class will work through several scenarios and that there is no correct answer to any of them. Tell students the goal is to notice what shapes a decision, not to find the right choice.

2) Read the first scenario aloud. Give students a moment to think of their answer silently before anyone responds.

3) Ask for a show of hands or quick verbal response for each option. Invite two or three students who chose differently to briefly share their reasoning, one sentence each.

4) Ask the follow-up question: What would need to be different for you to choose the other option?

Give students time to think, then invite a few responses. Treat this step as the core of the lesson and allow enough time here even if fewer scenarios get covered.

5) Repeat steps two through four for each remaining scenario. Scenarios:

• Would you rather pick your own part of a group project or have parts assigned for you?
• Would you rather share your idea out loud in a group or write it down first?
• Would you rather work alone in a quiet room or in a busy room with others?
• Would you rather ask for help immediately when stuck or try a few things on your own first?

Avoid framing any answer as more mature, more social, or more independent than another throughout the discussion. Reinforce that classmates are making equally thoughtful choices that may look different from each other.

Reflection

Facilitate a closing discussion using the following prompts:

• Did your answer to any scenario surprise you?
• Did anyone notice their answer might change depending on the day, their energy level, or who else was involved?

Let students volunteer responses rather than calling on individuals directly. If a student shares that their answer never changes, name that as a valid pattern too, since consistency is its own form of self-knowledge.

Digging Deeper (Optional)

For classrooms that want a built-in movement break, label two corners of the room A and B. After reading each scenario, students physically move to the corner matching their choice before discussion begins. This adds a regulation break between scenarios and makes the range of answers visible in the room rather than abstract.

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Here is a copy of the printable version of the "Would You Rather" Responsible Decision Making Lesson Plan.

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