Social Studies Grade Four

Unit 4: Decision Making

Module One - Decision Making, Rules, Laws
Concepts

decision making, rules, laws, change
Knowledge Objectives
Students will know that:

rules are made by groups and organizations and are enforced in various ways .
laws are made by governments and enforced by the justice system .
rules and laws may change in response to changing needs and wants .
Skills/Abilities Objectives
Students will:

categorize rules and laws and link them with their purpose.
identify and use various methods of decision making.
Attitudes/Values Objectives
Students will:

value rules and laws as necessary components of society.
Citizen Action Objectives
Students may:

participate in decision making processes.
Suggested Approaches

Brainstorm a list of decisions the students and teacher have made during the day or week. Who made each decision? How was the decision made (i.e., made by one person, by voting, by several people agreeing to it, by being told to by another person, because of a rule or law)? The teacher may choose to introduce words like autocratic, democratic, and consensus.
Discuss, and give additional examples of the various types of decision-making processes.
Divide the class into groups, give them each some relevant situations, and ask them to determine what kinds of decision-making processes might be used in each. Give reasons for choices. Report to class.
What will I do with my free time on Saturday?
What clothing will I buy and wear to school?
What will we do for a class party?
What topic will I choose for a writing assignment?
Should we have a bottle drive to raise funds for our club?
Do we pass a law forcing people to lock parked cars?
Who will lead the province as the next premier?
Where should we go on a canoeing holiday this summer?
Use the Student Information Page to read and discuss decision-making scenarios.
Using drama in context to explore making decisions in various ways. A talking circle may be used.
Identify advantages of discussions involving all group members, the small/large group discussions, and public voting (vs. secret ballot).
Use the suggested activities to determine the differences between rules and laws. Have students make connections between rules/laws and who makes them, how they are enforced, and the consequences of breaking them.
Have students imagine what it would be like without rules/laws.
Relate rules/laws to rights and responsibilities .

Module 1: Activity Guide

Teacher background
Some pertinent information that may be incorporated in this study includes the following:

groups of people make decisions in various ways, for example:

by consensus (e.g. traditional First Nations and others),
by conducting a survey for majority opinion,
by having leaders decide,
by voting,
by having representatives decide;

rules and laws are made and enforced for various reasons, for example:

to establish a decision making process,
to maintain order,
for reasons of safety,
to meet needs and wants,
to maintain efficiency within a system;

as people organize themselves into groups, they establish procedures for making decisions;
rules are made by groups and organizations and are enforced in various ways;
laws are made by governments and enforced by the justice system; and
rules and laws may be changed in response to changing needs and wants.
Making decisions
Discuss decision making. Consider the following:

Each of us makes decisions daily.
Why is decision making necessary?
Why can decision making sometimes be a difficult process?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of group decision making?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of individual decision making?
Are the changes that result from decision making always positive or popular?
What happens when we're not able to make decisions ourselves? If others must always make decisions for us, will we ever be satisfied with the resulting change?
Decision making is a learned skill.
Discuss, and have students practice, the various types of decision making processes including consensus, a majority opinion, a leader's decision, and a representative's decision. Choose a relevant topic (e.g., Should smoking be allowed on the playground? How should we raise funds for UNICEF?)
Have the students working in groups. Instruct them first to consider the issue and identify possible courses of action. Then allow each group to practice making decisions by:

consensus. The groups will not stop discussing the issue until consensus is reached.
majority opinion. The groups will consider all the options and vote by secret ballot.
leader's decision. A leader, selected by the teacher or by drawing lots, will make a decision. (Students may lobby the leader.)
representative's decision. Each group will elect a representative. The representatives will meet and come to a decision using one of the above methods.
Discuss the various methods the students experienced. Discuss how they felt about each, which they thought was most fair, which was most efficient, which was most democratic. Discuss different situations that would require different decision- making processes.
Decision making may lead to change. Have groups work with the Student Information Page: Making decisions. For each scenario, make the decision, decide what will be the changes and/or consequences for all involved, and report what decision making process you used. Carefully consider everything - the decision and the results or changes - before you decide.
Have students reflect how they reached their decisions.
Have students identify a personal decision (e.g., Will I smoke?) using a decision tree. On the tree, write the question at the top. Below the question make two columns, one yes and one no. In each column write the consequences of each decision. Have the students consider all the consequences and write their decision at the bottom.
Talking Circle
To reach a unanimous decision in some Indian cultures, a Talking Circle format has been used.

An issue is presented.
An object from nature, like a stone or stick, is used to pass around the circle.
Everyone has an opportunity to talk but only when they are holding the stone that is passed around.
After everyone has had a chance to speak, a vote may be taken. If there is no consensus on the issue, people are assigned to small groups to discuss the issue and try to come to a shared decision in the small group.
Then there is again a full discussion.
Identify advantages of discussions involving all group members, the small/large group discussions, and public voting (vs. secret ballot).
The Talking Circle may also be used just to allow all people an opportunity to express their opinions or ideas. In that case, a vote need not be taken, and consensus may not necessarily be reached.
Rules and laws
The teacher may choose to use concept attainment to explore the differences between rules and laws.
Use the Student Information Page: Rules and laws. Group students into pairs and distribute the statements on the Student Information Page. Discuss the questions listed. Have students categorize them according to rules and laws. Give reasons.
When they have done that, discuss:

When a new rule or law is made, some people will lose some rights or freedoms, while other people will gain some rights or freedoms. For example, with the law of "no smoking" in some public places, smokers lose the freedom or right to smoke in a building they work in, while non-smokers gain the right or freedom to work in a smoke-free environment.
Discuss some student examples of similar issues dealing with rights and freedoms. For example, some people believe that skateboards and bicycles should be banned from sidewalks. Discuss the rights/ freedoms implications for students who enjoy these activities.
Use the above statements to do the following:

Select a rule or law. Discuss it using the following questions:

Who lost rights or freedoms?
Who gained rights or freedoms?
What do you think might have led to the making of this rule or law? Describe events that may have happened.
What might lead to having it changed? Give suggestions.

Are rules and laws needed?
Prepare a class chart illustrating rules that apply:

in the classroom,
on the playground,
on the way to school.
After making the chart, divide into small groups and discuss the following questions:

Who makes the rule?
Why do we have the rule? (What would happen if the rule didn't exist?)
Do you think it is a useful or a fair rule?
What happens if a student breaks this rule?
Should students have a say in making rules?
If you thought a rule was unfair, how would you try to get it changed?
Traffic signs are one way that Saskatchewan tells its citizens about the laws affecting drivers. Observe different traffic signs on your way to school. Draw as many traffic signs as you can. Beside each one tell what it means. Use a highway map of Saskatchewan as a resource to gather more information about traffic signs.
Laws apply to children as well as adults. Make a list of all the laws that affect you. A few suggestions are given below to get you started:

Laws against stealing.
Laws requiring you to go to school.
Traffic laws that affect you when you ride your bike.
Child labour laws.
Ask adults to help you find other laws and add them to this list.
Suggested Resources
(listed in other bibliographies and catalogues)
My Choice (MHP, V8247)
Why We Have Laws: Gobble, and Snore. (MHP, 5900)
An RCMP representative may be available to speak to grade four students about pranks and policing today.

Student Information Page: Rules and laws

Discussion questions:

What is the difference between a rule and a law?
Why are both rules and laws necessary?
Why do schools have rules?
What would happen if there were no rules or laws?
Statements - Rules and Laws

She is chewing gum in class.
Be sure you have your homework done on time.
Someone stole our car last night.
That man was murdered.
That car went through a stop sign.
I always lock my bike when I leave it on the playground at school.
You need a passport if you go to Japan.
A person who drives a car must have a driver's license.
Our house was broken into over the weekend.
I have to lock the door when I leave the house.
In chess, a queen can move in any direction.
If you get a parking ticket, you have to pay it.
You are not allowed to skateboard on the street.
High sticking is not allowed in hockey.
Take turns talking.
It's your turn to do the supper dishes.
Clean up your room every Saturday.
Babysitters should be paid $3.00 per hour.
My friend has to go to bed before 9:30 p.m.
We're not allowed to climb that tree in our back yard.
All schools must have fire alarms.
People shouldn't shoplift.
Young people may get a driver's license when they are 16 years old.
You are not allowed to cut your own Christmas tree in the park.
Don't run in the hallway.
My dad makes me go to the dentist every six months.
The speed limit on the highway is 100 km/hr.
Some windows in our school were broken over the weekend.
Walk across the street, don't run.
People should not sell or buy drugs at school.
Grade 4 students have to enter the school by the east door.
All students must take off muddy shoes.
You have to buy a license before you can fish in this lake.
Wear a seat belt when you are riding in or driving a car.
Take off your cap when you enter the room.
In football, a field goal is worth 3 points.
Don't be late for school.
Students should take turns at the water fountain.
You have to pass Grade 4 before you go on to Grade 5.
People earning salaries have to pay income tax.
Hunters must ask permission before they can hunt on our farm.
The pulp mill is not allowed to dump raw sewage into the North Saskatchewan River.
Pedestrians have the right of way in a crosswalk.
The hunter was carrying a loaded rifle in his car.

Student Information Page: Making decisions

Decision One. A Dicey Situation.
Decisions, decisions! Constant decisions. And I always seem to be the one stuck with making the tough ones. The other day my daughter Sarah asked if I would take her skating on Saturday. She got new skates for Christmas, and has been after me ever since to take her out. I said, "Sure, I'd love to." The smile on her face was so big it made me happy I'd decided to take her. But here's the problem. My son Cory has an out-of-town hockey game on Saturday, and I was one of the parents who volunteered to drive. On top of that, he's really excited because he knows I'll be watching and cheering. I never thought of his game when I made the promise to Sarah. What do I do?
Decision Two - No Time For Indecision

Five of us were hiking in Prince Albert National Park. We had stopped for lunch in a clearing about two kilometres from the car. It was a great day - sunshine, a light breeze, and no crowds. After lunch we decided to work our way along a steep, rocky ledge that was slippery from the spray of the rapids in the river below us. We carried heavy packs, and had to be careful with our balance.
About halfway across, one of our partners cried out as he slipped and crashed into the rapids. As he bobbed to the surface we noticed the fall had broken his leg, the splintered bone puncturing his skin. We knew we needed a helicopter, a hospital, and a doctor to treat him. But as we watched, stunned, we also knew he wouldn't have a chance in those rapids, especially because of the broken leg. We had no time for indecision. We had to act - now!
Decision Three - Which Wheel Went Wrong?
The kids had been meeting at the old parking lot for years. It was at the edge of town, and had been used by a business that had been boarded up and closed long ago. It was a perfect spot for the kids with their bikes and skateboards, as long as they watched for the odd car that pulled in now and then.
Then it happened. One of the kids, who happened to be a hot shot on a skateboard, had her back turned when a car pulled into the entrance of the lot. It was dusk, and the sun was just low enough to be drilling into the driver's eyes. He swerved and braked, but it was too late.
Who was at fault? Would the members of the town council blame the skateboarder and close the old lot, or would the driver take the blame?
Decision Four - To Go Or Not To Go
Jim was finishing grade nine in a school in northern Saskatchewan. His family had lived in the community for a long time, with Jim's father working at the mine - one week in, one week out for three years. Jim's mother worked part time at the Northern Store and was kept very busy looking after Jim's sister and brothers, Sarah in grade three, Daniel in grade five, and Jonas in grade seven. Jim loves the outdoors, particularly going on the trapline with Uncle Jonas and going to the annual caribou hunt. Jim has been south several times - to Prince Albert and once to Saskatoon. One trip was a class trip to Prince Albert and all other trips were with mom for medical reasons. Jim's school has only fifty-three students from kindergarten to grade nine with eight students in grades six to nine. Jim is the only grade nine student. If Jim wants to go on to grade ten he will have to go to La Ronge or Prince Albert? Should Jim stay in his community and try to find work? Should the family move to a community where the children can finish high school? Could Jim finish high school by correspondence? Should Jim go to a boarding school?