Place a packet of three “Circle Me!” activity sheets face down on each student’s desk. Give the students the following directions:

• I will give you 30 seconds to circle as many numbers as you possibly can.
• You must wait for me to tell you to start.
• Numbers must be circled consecutively (one, followed by two, three, four, etc.).
• You must stop when I say time is up.

Have students begin. When 30 seconds have passed, ask them to share which number they circled last. Repeat the above activity two more times. Each time students finish, ask them to share the last number they circled.

Explain that experience doing something usually makes it easier and makes us feel more confident about doing it. Tell students that today they will continue building their confidence and strengthening their skills by making more decisions.

Purpose: Through a review of the steps used to make decisions, students recognize that decision making is a process.

1. Students review the process of decision making.

Guide students in conducting their own review of what they have learned about decision making. Prompt students by suggesting that they do the following:

Think about what they would say if they were going to teach someone who is not in this class how to make a decision.

Look through the activity sheets in their folders to help them recall what they have done in previous sessions.

2. Students outline what they have learned.

Through questions, comments, and a few revisions, guide students to write an outline on the board that identifies these five basic steps of the decision making process:

1. Define the problem.
2. Gather any information you may need—ask questions.
3. Identify options available to you—think of as many as you can.
4. Weigh the pros and cons of the options and the consequences.
5. Decide.

3. Students recognize decision making as a process.

Through discussion, encourage students to describe as many details about each of the steps as they can recall. Help students reach a consensus that this outline represents a process that they can follow whenever they need to make a decision.

Ask for a volunteer to make a poster that presents the five steps of the decision making process. Display the poster in the room. 

Purpose: Students collaborate with each other in using the five steps of the decision making process to make a decision about their school.

1. Students prepare for the activity.

Decide whether you wish to have students work as a class or in smaller groups for this activity. If you prefer to have everyone work together as a class, write a few questions such as the ones below on the board, and have the class choose one question to discuss and make a decision about. Choose topics that are of interest to your students.

If you prefer, divide the class into two or three smaller groups. Keep groups large enough to ensure that a number of opinions will be represented. You might assign each group a question, or list a number of questions on the board and allow each group to choose one.

The following are possible topics/questions that groups can consider:

• Should our school require students to wear uniforms?
• Should schools enforce a dress code for their students?
• Should students get a passing grade at the end of the year even if they have not completed all of the work?
• Our school can support only five after-school programs. Which programs should it support?
• What should be done about students in our school who are caught writing graffiti and committing other acts of vandalism?
• Should students be allowed to use AI to help write papers?
• What should be done about students who harass other students?

2. Students use the decision making process to make a decision.

Distribute copies of the “Make It Easy” activity sheet, and suggest that students use them to organize their thoughts and ideas.

If the class is working in smaller groups, give students a time limit (perhaps 10 minutes) to discuss and make a decision. Try to leave enough time at the end of this activity for each group to share briefly the options they considered as well as their final decision. 

Purpose: Students practice using the decision making process to make a personal decision.

1. Students reflect on decisions they are currently dealing with in their own lives.

Explain that students will have the opportunity to make one more decision before they leave class today. Ask them to think about what is happening in their lives. Suggest that they think about relationships with friends, what might happen in the future, or anything else that they need to make a decision about. Or students may want, instead, to reconsider a past decision that had negative consequences.

2. Students work through the decision making process.

Tell students to make their own pro/con lists to help them organize their thoughts. If students need information, suggest that they make a list of questions and write down whom they need to ask. Explain that they have the remainder of the class period to think about options and consequences, and to evaluate the pros and cons for each.

Tell students that they do not need to actually make their decision today—especially if they need to gather information. The goal is to at least start the process.

Ask students if they think that people who are successful in life are good decision makers. Ask them to explain their answers. Elicit from students the following key points that were taught in this lesson:

• Use all the steps of the decision making process when making decisions that are important to you: define the problem, gather information if needed, identify options, weigh options and consequences, and decide.
• The best decisions are thoughtfully made, so take the necessary time to make them.