Responsible Decision Making – Grade 7 – Lesson 1
Objectives:
- Students will understand the significance of accountability in their lives.
- Students will explore the positive outcomes of taking responsibility for their actions.
- Students will demonstrate their understanding of accountability.
Introduction:
Start by asking students to raise their hands if they have maintained good attendance in school so far that year, recognizing and appreciating their responsible behavior. Next, inquire how many students have pretended to be sick at some point to skip school.
Pause briefly, acknowledging that it is easier to take credit for actions that are praiseworthy but often more challenging to own up to mistakes or less commendable actions.
Activity 1: The Blame Game
Scenario: Describe a situation where students and their friends accidentally cause damage to a neighbor’s parked car while playing around on their way home from the park. Ask students what they would do in this situation.
Facilitate a discussion of possible actions and record responses on the board, encouraging students to think beyond the impulse to run away.
Explore Consequences:
Ask follow-up questions to elicit the potential consequences of each option, considering positive and negative outcomes. For example:
- What would happen next if you chose that action?
- Would the result be positive or negative for you?
- What if a neighbor witnessed the incident?
- What if someone present gives a different account of what happened?
Visual Representation: Use arrows to connect actions to their respective consequences on the board. For actions that avoid taking responsibility, draw convoluted paths, and for responsible options, draw direct paths.
Highlight Responsible Choices: Emphasize that admitting a mistake and taking responsibility for one’s actions lead to more positive and straightforward outcomes.
Analyze and compare the different paths of action presented on the board, drawing insightful conclusions. The aim is to emphasize that acknowledging a mistake or taking responsibility for one’s actions is a straightforward and honest approach, which is likely to yield positive outcomes.
Identifying Excuses: Discuss options that could be seen as excuses and help students understand that excuses often deflect blame onto others to avoid taking responsibility.
Recognizing the “Blame Game” Trap: Convey that getting caught in the “Blame Game” trap erodes personal responsibility and can result in more negative consequences in the long run.
Activity Conclusion:
Summarize the key points of the activity, emphasizing the importance of accountability. Encourage students to embrace responsible decision-making and demonstrate integrity by accepting responsibility for their actions. Remind them that accountability empowers them to learn from mistakes and fosters a sense of personal growth and maturity.
Activity 2: Me, Myself, and I
Write the word “accountable” on the board.
What does this word mean to you? Is it a compliment to be described as accountable?
Understanding Accountability: Write the word “accountable” on the board and prompt students to share their thoughts about its meaning and whether it is a compliment. Through questions and dictionary definitions, guide them to understand that accountability means “being responsible for one’s actions or work.”
Accountable and responsible are synonyms. Being accountable for one’s actions reflects trustworthiness and reliability.
Write the word “trustworthy” on the board and ask students to explain what this word means. Guide students to the understanding that “trustworthy” means “being reliable.”
Consequences Discussion: Challenge students to identify and discuss other positive consequences of being accountable, responsible, and trustworthy. Record their responses on the board, encouraging contributions related to home, school, and peer relationships.
Drawing Conclusions: Use the list generated by students to help them draw conclusions about the consequences of being accountable for their actions. Engage them in discussions about whether any consequences might be considered negative, and prompt them to reflect on the importance of being accountable despite potential challenges.
- Identifying Negative Consequences: Discuss the consequences listed and determine which ones could be considered negative.
- Encouraging Discussion: If students identify some consequences as negative, challenge them to explain their reasoning and ask if other students share their perspective.
- Evaluating Accountability: If all the consequences listed are positive, explore whether choosing to be accountable is a good or bad decision in light of the discussed outcomes.
- Examining the Difficulty of Accountability: Engage in a conversation about the challenges people may face in being accountable for their actions and encourage students to share their thoughts on why accountability can sometimes be difficult.
Self-Reflection: Encourage students to ask themselves, “Who is responsible for my actions?” and emphasize that the answer should always be, “I am.”
Activity 3: Owning Up to It
Group Dilemmas: Divide the class into four groups and assign each group a dilemma to solve. Students will discuss possible solutions and choose one to act out for the class or create posters to display.
Scenario 1: Two groups will work on a scenario where they borrowed an electronic device, spilled soda on it, and broke the headphones. Group 1 will work on excuses, while Group 3 will focus on responses that show accountability.
You borrowed an electronic device from a friend. While you were eating and your friend wasn’t around, you spilled soda all over it. While trying to clean up the mess, you also broke the headphones. Your friend will return soon and want their device back. What will you do?
Scenario 2: The other two groups will tackle a scenario about a big project due the next day, with some students having not worked on it yet. Group 2 will develop excuses, while Group 4 will create responses that demonstrate accountability.
You have a big project due tomorrow. The assignment was given two weeks ago, and your teacher has been checking every other day to ensure that everyone is working on it. You’ve reported that you’ve chosen your topic and have begun to work on it, but you really haven’t. This project will count toward most of your grade, and there’s no way you can finish it in one night. What will you do?
Presentations and Discussion: Have students perform their solutions or describe their posters. Afterward, engage in a group discussion by asking questions like:
- How did you feel when excuses were given?
- How did you feel when accountability was taken?
- Which responses do you find to be more reliable?
Closing:
Wrap up the lesson by discussing why being accountable is a strength. Elicit the following key points from students:
- Being accountable means taking responsibility for one’s actions, whether positive or negative.
- Accountability reflects maturity and reliability, making a person worthy of trust and respect.
Lesson adapted from: Rutgers SECD Lab Resources