[Teen Living]

What will you do?

Overview:
Students will put into practice their critical thinking skills by roleplaying different decision-making scenarios.

[9-10] [50 Minutes]

Teaching Materials
Pictures and articles of a variety of topics Scenarios (located at the bottom of this lesson plan)

Standard 1/Objective 4: (Cognitive Domain Levels 1, 2, 4 &

Psychomotor Domain Level 3)

Describe and practice critical thinking skills. Identify the components of the critical thinking process Identify situations for applying the critical thinking process. Discuss how this process can help manage and/or prevent problems.

Other Resources/Technology
Possibly a computer with a projector if you want to show the pictures and articles using it instead of cut-outs.

Introduction/Set Induction (10 minutes):

As students enter the classroom, give each of them a coin (a penny, nickel, dime, or quarter). Begin the class by holding up many different pictures or articles of a variety of topics (alcohol use/abuse, cigarettes, texting while driving, controversial items, etc.). As the pictures and/or articles are presented, ask the students if they can identify how their opinion developed on each specific issue. -Was it from what their parents said? -Was it from their friends views? -Was it from the medias interpretation? -Was it from their own observations and conclusions? Explain how we develop opinions before, during and after events. Unless we critically examine our opinions, we may be easily swayed by the influence of those around us. Sometimes we develop certain opinions so as to be accepted or gain the approval of others. But this will prevent us from personal growth and learning how to develop our own ideas and opinions. Introduce the critical thinking process.

Transition (5 minutes):

[What would you do?]

The students will all be split into groups according to their coin. (So all the pennies will get together, all the nickels will get together, etc.). Once the groups have been formed, each group will be assigned a specific task. Here are the following tasks: -Pennies: Discriminate between Fact and Opinion -Nickels: List possible solutions and consequences -Dimes: Identify personal and family values that conflict with the situation. -Quarters: Take a position based on logic (make a decision)

Lesson Body (30 minutes): (Teen Living/Role Play)

Role-Play: As a class we will go through the critical thinking process. We will first identify and describe the problem and then each group will perform their specific task as we work as a class to make a decision. The following is an example: -Identify and Describe a Problem: Andrew is 16 years old and wants to feel more included in his High School. He hears of a common cologne that all the popular boys are using. He finds an ad for the cologne and is shocked by how expensive it is. He cant decide if he should buy it or not. -Pennies: Discriminate between fact and opinion: FACTS: *It is made for men. *The cost is expensive. *It can be purchased at department stores. OPINIONS: *It smells good. *The girls like it. *It will make me popular -Nickels: List possible solutions and consequences: *Purchase the cologneit would take most of Andrews allowance/college money. *Purchase an acceptable, less expensive brandAndrew would have money lef t to save for college. -Dimes: Identify personal and family values that conflict with the situation: *My family values education and any extra money is saved for my college. *My parents dont like me to make trivial purchases using my savings. -Quarters: Take a position based on logic (make a decision): I will buy an acceptable less expensive brand of cologne. The only resource available to purchase cologne is my allowance or savings. By buying a less expensive cologne, I could use my allowance and not have to go into my savings. Now that the class has just gone through the critical thinking process, each group will be given a specific scenario where they have to apply the critical thinking process. As a group they will role play the scenario in front of the class using each of the steps in the critical thinking process and the role play format down below. (The scenarios are included at the bottom of the lesson plan).

[What would you do?]

PHASE 1: Warm Up the Group (time): Identify or introduce the topic or problem. Make the problem explicit. Interpret the problem story and explore the issues. Explain role play. PHASE 2: Select Participants (time): Analyze the roles. Select role players. PHASE 3: Set the Stage (time): Set line of action. Restate roles. Get inside the problem situation. PHASE 4: Prepare the Observers (time): Decide what observers should look for. Assign observation tasks. PHASE 5: Enact (time): Begin role-play. Maintain role-play. Break role-play. PHASE 6: Discuss and Evaluate (time): Review action of role-play (events, positions, realism). Discuss major focus. Develop next enactment.

Summary/Closure (5 minutes):
Reiterate the importance to studying out and issue and making your own decision instead of simply following the crowd.

Assessment/Evaluation:
Each of the students will participate and will each be involved in the role play.

[What would you do?]

SCENARIOS:

[What would you do?]