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School on Wheels Social and Emotional Learning
Decision-making
Decision-making is the ability to make choices that are thoughtful, responsible, and based on what’s right for you and others. Good decision-makers think through their options, consider how their actions might affect their friends, family and community, and try to make the best choice—even when it’s hard.
The following activities help you practice decision-making through problem-solving, reflection, and scenarios. They’ll help you build the confidence to make smart choices every day.
Complete all activities in order. Click the “Session” headings below to open each lesson plan.
Reminders for students and tutors:
● Listen with interest.
● Participate.
● Ask open-ended questions.
● Choose the best way for each of you to reflect and show your learning.
Packet Completion Prize Information:
Your student is eligible for a prize after completing all of the activities below! You will find the link to the completion form at the end of Activity #3 – please complete it together when you’ve finished all of the activities on this page.
Introduction to Decision-Making
What do we need to consider when making decisions?
- Tool of the week: The Six Thinking Hats
5 min: S.E.L. Check-in activity
Watch the following videos to see the importance of choices, then discuss the reflection questions.
Watch one of the videos below:
High school students can also choose: Decision skills make a difference in your life
Discussion & guiding questions:
- Can you tell me about a time you made a choice and it turned out to be good or not so good? What happened?
- Why is it important to think about other people when you make a choice? How can this influence the choices you make?
- Think about a time when you had to make a tough choice. What steps did you take to decide, and what did you learn from the outcome? What steps should you take to make a good decision?
- If you had to give advice to someone younger about setting goals or making tough choices, what would you tell them?
High school students can also answer:
- What does “making a decision” mean to you? Can you think of an example of a big or small decision you made recently?
- Who or what influences the choices you make every day (friends, family, media, etc.)? How can you make sure your decisions still reflect your own values?
- Why do you think it’s important to think about both short-term and long-term consequences when making a choice?
5 min: Session review & preview
Review the previous session and the School on Wheels 2025 Community Padlet.
Reminder: During your session, take a screenshot of your student’s work to add to the Padlet later. You can also summarize what you worked on if you are not comfortable taking screenshots.
Preview the plan for today.
15 min: Core Program activity (Literacy, Academic, BUS)
5 min: Break
20 min: S.E.L. Summer Program activity
When we face a difficult decision, it can be helpful to consider the situation from different perspectives. This allows us to make more thoughtful choices and helps us better understand the decisions made by others, whether they’re a friend, a family member, or even a character in a story. Select one of the stories linked below to complete this activity.
During reading: Think about the characters’ big decisions. Ask yourself: What choices did they make? Why? What happened because of those choices?
After reading: Think about one big decision made by a character from different perspectives. Use “The Six Thinking Hats” to reflect on that decision. You can go through each “hat” one at a time. While “putting on” each hat, please discuss or note your thoughts together. Don’t forget – you can use “The Six Thinking Hats” when making your own decisions in the future!
If you do not have access to a stable internet connection, print a text version of this activity in English or Spanish before meeting with your student.
Choose one of the stories below:
Tutors, these stories are intended to be read with your support, including reading out loud to your student. They are ordered from least to most difficult comprehension level. Watching the video option or reading the story aloud together also helps to build essential literacy skills!
If your student takes reading assessments with School on Wheels, you can refer to your results emails for their Lexile score and compare it with the Lexile listed with an “L” for each story below. If your student’s Lexile is within 100 points of the story, it is at their reading level!
5 min: S.E.L. Check-out activity
Create your own memes using the Think Before You Meme worksheet in English or Spanish! Match everyday scenarios with funny memes that best capture how you’d react. On the worksheet, draw a line from each written scenario (on the left) to any meme (on the right) that you think fits best—and makes you laugh! If you have time, post your favorite pairing on Padlet!
Submit a screenshot, or if unfamiliar with taking screenshots, you can summarize what you and your student worked on.
Weighing the Pros and Cons
The Ups and Downs of Every Decision
- Last week’s tool: The Six Thinking Hats
- Tool of the week: Pros and Cons List
5 min: S.E.L. Check-in activity
Think of a time you faced a tough decision. To begin this session, explore some challenging scenarios and decide how you would respond.
Draw, act out, write, or discuss 2 scenarios together.
- A friend wants to see your test answers. What do you do?
- Your turn! Come up with a situation where you would need to make a hard decision quickly. What do you do?
5 min: Session review & preview
Review the previous session and the School on Wheels 2025 Community Padlet.
Reminder: During your session, take a screenshot of your student’s work to add to the Padlet later. You can also summarize what you worked on if you are not comfortable taking screenshots.
Preview the plan for today.
15 min: Core Program activity (Literacy, Academic, BUS)
5 min: Break
20 min: S.E.L. Summer Program activity
Making an important decision requires careful consideration. It is helpful to have a way to organize your thoughts. Consider a real decision you are trying to make now or will need to make in the future, for example:
- What classes should you choose?
- How should you spend money?
- What should you do after school?
- What job do you want to do?
- What college or trade school do you want to go to?
Remembering the “thinking hats” you learned about last time, go through the steps and use the Pros & Cons List worksheet to organize your thoughts. Consider the outcomes of your decision to decide if you need to switch to a different option, if that is possible, and to learn from the experience.
5 min: S.E.L. Check-out activity
As we learned, decision-making can be difficult, and important decisions require more careful consideration. We make decisions every day in our lives, some small and some big. They can be lots of fun, too! To check out, click here to play a “Would you rather?” game!
In-person matches without stable internet may print out the game here (English & Spanish)
Post your favorite “would you rather” on Padlet: take a screenshot of your favorite slide, what you chose, and why!
Submit a screenshot, or if unfamiliar with taking screenshots, you can summarize what you and your student worked on.
Our Past and Future Decisions
How can we learn from our decisions?
- Last week’s tool: Pros and Cons List
- Tool of the week: Consideration of past and future decisions
5 min: S.E.L. Check-in activity
Let’s take a few minutes to reflect on how decision-making has shown up in your life. Think about what you’ve learned and realized about decision-making in your previous sessions, and how you can use that to make your own choices. This is a chance to pause, check in with yourself, and reflect!
Optional: Watch The Power to Choose
Discussion & guiding questions:
- Have you ever struggled with a decision?
- What’s the best decision you’ve ever made?
- How has a past decision you’ve made affected someone else in a positive way?
- What’s something you’ve learned about yourself when making a tough decision?
5 min: Session review & preview
Review the previous session and the School on Wheels 2025 Community Padlet.
Reminder: During your session, take a screenshot of your student’s work to add to the Padlet later. You can also summarize what you worked on if you are not comfortable taking screenshots.
Preview the plan for today.
15 min: Core Program activity (Literacy, Academic, BUS)
5 min: Break
20 min: S.E.L. Summer Program activity
Choose your own adventure story
Tutors of 4th-12th grade students and in-person matches: This activity requires preparation.
The Quest for the Lost Light (Recommended for elementary grade students)
Matches without stable internet, click here to print.
Deep Decisions: A Marine Mission (Recommended for 4th-12th grade students; includes discussions about climate change. Please review this guide on how to talk with students about climate change. A vocabulary list (in both English and Spanish) may also be helpful to support understanding.)
Matches without stable internet, click here to print.
Optional: If you’re feeling creative, draw a picture or comic of your character experiencing the results of one of their big decisions and post it on Padlet.
5 min: S.E.L. Check-out activity
Think about everything you’ve learned about making thoughtful, positive decisions. Now, write a short letter to your future self using this website or a sheet of paper. This will be a letter you can read later when you’re trying to make a good decision.
Your letter should include:
- What do you want your future self to remember when making a decision?
- What is your decision-making plan or your personal steps?
- What have you learned that you want to carry with you?
- What kinds of positive decisions do you hope you’ll make in the future?
- You can include tools we’ve used, like:
- Thinking Hats
- Pro/Con Lists
- Consideration of past and future decisions
Reminder: If your student is comfortable sharing their letter, please post on Padlet.
Submit a screenshot, or if unfamiliar with taking screenshots, you can summarize what you and your student worked on.