Begin class today with the following anecdote that illustrates the importance of taking the time to get information:

A man was driving to Alaska. Halfway there, he ran into a huge snowstorm and got lost. He pulled over to wait out the storm. Finally the snow stopped and he noticed that there was a snowplow right in front of him. Relieved, he started his car and began following the plow as it cleared snow off the road.

After a while, the snowplow stopped. The driver got out and walked back to the man’s car. “Where are you headed?” she asked.

“I’m on my way to Alaska,” the man answered.

“Well,” the plow driver replied, “you’re not going to get there by following me. I’m just plowing out this parking lot!”

Ask students to explain why you may have told this story. Tell students that the point of this story is that if you don’t find out the facts, you can end up making decisions that don’t get you anywhere. Explain to students that today they’re going to learn how easy it can be to get the information they need to make good decisions.

Purpose: Students recognize that gathering information is an important part of the decision making process.

1. Students recognize that gathering information can change their decisions.

To illustrate how facts and information can change decisions, present students with the following scenario. Explain that if students wish to respond yes to a question, they should stand. If they wish to respond no, they should sit.

• If I offer you $1,000 to go on a shopping spree, will any of you take it?
• There’s one thing you should know: you will only be able to spend this money in certain stores. Will you still take it?
• If you take the money, you’ll be required to spend half on yourself and half on someone else. Will you still accept it?
• Here are two more conditions: If you take the $1,000, you’ll have to spend it by the end of the week. You’ll also have to spend it on something that will last longer than one year, like a smartphone, 4K TV, laptop, or video game system. How many of you will still take the money?

Take a tally of the number of students who are standing. Tell students to remain standing, and ask two or three volunteers to briefly explain why they would keep the money despite all the conditions you stipulated. When they have finished their explanations, read the last requirement:

• There’s one very important thing I forgot to mention! If you take the $1,000, you’ll have to pay me $6,000 by the end of the week. Do you still want the money?

2. Students explain the reasons for their decisions.

Invite students who stood and then sat down to explain why they changed their minds. Elicit responses acknowledging that the deal you offered did not actually benefit them in the end because it resulted in students owing you more money than you gave them. Ask students for suggestions on what they could have done to find this out earlier (e.g., asking if there was a catch).

Explain to students that it’s very important for them to make sure that they have as much information as possible before making a decision. Assure students that getting information isn’t a difficult thing to do; they just need to take the time to ask the right questions.

Purpose: Students recognize that asking relevant questions and actively listening to answers is an effective way to gather information.

1. Students form small groups and listen to directions.

Divide the class into groups of four or five students, and ask each group to send a volunteer to the front of the room. Explain that the volunteers are to imagine that they have been offered a job, and that they must decide whether to accept it. Ask the volunteers to leave the room for a few minutes. Tell them to think about any questions they may have about the job while they are waiting. Suggest that, in order to determine which questions to ask, they think about what is most important to them (e.g., what they value, what they would like to get out of a job).

While the volunteers are out of the room, explain to the groups that they will be answering questions about the job. Have students write this information for their responses:

• The hours are from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday.
• The job is working as an assistant in the elementary school office.
• An assistant runs the copy machine, changes bulletin boards, and cleans and sets up classrooms.
• The supervisor is very strict but fair.
• Assistants must wear orange smocks while working.
• The pay is $8 an hour.

2. Students ask questions to gather information.

Have volunteers come back into the room and join their groups. Explain that the volunteers may ask five questions about the job they have been offered. They are to ask one question at a time to each group member. Their goal is to find out as much information about the job as possible.

Tell the groups that they are only to respond to questions and give only the information that is requested. If a volunteer says, “Tell me about this job,” the response should be, “I can only answer a question.” If a volunteer asks a yes or no question (such as, “Is it a good job?”), the response can be either yes or no—nothing more.

Before the groups begin working, remind them that only five questions can be asked and answered.

3. Students identify effective questions.

When the class has finished, invite volunteers to report whether they decided to accept the job and explain their decision. Then, read aloud all of the details from the job description. Prompt volunteers to evaluate the effectiveness of the questions they posed to their groups by asking questions such as the following:

• How many of the details were you able to find out?
• Were you missing information that was important to you? If so, what?
• What kinds of questions did you ask?
• What kinds of questions should you have asked?

Encourage students to give examples of questions that were successful in gathering the necessary information. Through questions and comments, guide students to recognize that using who, what, where, when, why, and how questions is very effective when gathering information and details.

Point out to students that sometimes just asking questions may not get them all the information they need. When this happens, they may need to use other methods of research. Remind them that if the decision is important to them, they should take the time to gather information. Explain that they will feel much more confident about making decisions when they know they are making informed decisions.

Purpose: Students practice asking relevant questions in order to gather information and make an informed decision.

1. Students practice using their information-gathering skills in interviews.

Have students work with partners to conduct interviews. Give one student in each pair a copy of the “Mystery Person #1” activity sheet, and the other a copy of the “Mystery Person #2” activity sheet. Caution students to keep the details of their identities secret until their interviews.

Explain that students are to take turns interviewing their partners for a column in the school newspaper about new students. Then, give the following directions:

• As an interviewer, you have five minutes to ask questions. Your purpose is to find out as much as you possibly can about the mystery person in the interview. Remember to ask who, what, where, when, why, and how questions and to take good notes.
• As a mystery person, you have recently transferred to this school. Remember to listen carefully to the questions. If you are asked a question that isn’t answered on your activity sheet, make up an answer that fits your character.

2. Students make an informed decision.

When 10 minutes have passed, ask students to suppose that their soccer team needs another member who knows the game and who could be a key player. Ask them if they would invite the person they interviewed to meet the coach and try out for the spot.

Allow a few seconds for students to make a decision; then, call on volunteers to share their decisions and the reasons for them with the class. (Mystery Person #2 has played soccer since the age of four and is probably an excellent player. Mystery Person #1 is probably not interested in soccer because it is not listed as an interest or hobby on the activity sheet.)

Ask students to summarize what they learned about asking effective questions to gather information. Elicit from students the following key points that were taught in this lesson:

• Before making decisions, take the time to get the information you need.
• Asking the right questions and listening to the answers is an effective way to get information.
• Informed decisions are always the best decisions.