DECISION MAKING LESSON

Kellie Segraves, 2ND grade

ZOMBIE ATTACK
Ill never forget the day zombies almost took over our (1.noun-place)
____________. I was (2.verb+ing) __________ to school when from out of
nowhere came a (3.noun-animal) __________. It started (4.action verb+ing)
__________ toward me and I quickly realized something was not right by the
way that it (5.past tense verb) _________. I quickly began (6.verb+ing)
__________ in the opposite direction to try and get away. Suddenly (7.proper
noun- person) __________ appeared and started (8.action verb+ing)
__________ toward me as well. He/She was (9.verb+ing) _____________ in a
strange way. I realized that the whole town had been taken over by
zombies! Luckily the zombies were out of shape from getting very little
exercise, so I was able to gain some distance from them by (10.action
verb+ing) __________ my (11.noun- body part) _________ as fast as I could. I
(12.past tense verb)_____________ to the left, and I (13.past tense
verb)_____________ to the right, but they kept (14.action verb+ing) __________
toward me! I started (15.action verb+ing) __________ energetically, hoping
that it would lead me to safety. Just when I thought I was done for, I heard
my (16.common noun- family member)____________ say, Wake up, youll be
late for school! It had all been a dream! While (17.action verb+ing)
__________ to school with my friend, (18.famous persons name) __________,
that morning, I talked about my dream. My friend (19.past tense verb)

DECISION MAKING LESSON

Kellie Segraves, 2ND grade

__________ beside me and told me that it is a good thing I

(20.verb)___________ for at least 30 minutes a day so I had the strength and
stamina to escape the zombies. even if it was only in my sleep!
Exercise is great for getting us in shape so we can run away from zombies, but it is also important for our
health and can actually help us be better students! I was reading some articles and found that a couple
ways it can benefit us is by increasing our ability to pay attention and allowing us to remember things
more easily.
Of course I want you the best that you can in school, so I need you to help me decide the best way to add
movement into our classroom.

Kellie Segraves, 2ND grade

DECISION MAKING LESSON

WORD LIST:
bike
boogie
climb
crawl
dance
dodge
flap
fly
gallop
hop

jog
jump
kick
laugh
leap
lunge
march
pounce
push
race

ZOMBIE ATTACK STORY

Done as class or in small groups
1. (noun-place)

reach
roll
scamper
shake
skate
skid
skip
spin
sprint
squeeze

step
stomp
stumble
swim
throw
tip-toe
twirl
twist
walk
wave

2. (action verb + ing)

3. (noun-animal)

4. (action verb + ing)

5. (past tense verb)

6. (action verb + ing)

7. (proper noun-person)

8. (action verb + ing)

9. (action verb + ing)

10.

(action verb + ing)

11.

(noun-body part)

12.

(past tense verb)

13.

(past tense verb)

14.

(action verb + ing)

15.

(action verb + ing)

16.

(common noun- family

17.

(past tense verb)

member)
18.
(proper noun- famous

(past tense verb)

person)
20.
(verb)

19.

Kellie Segraves, 2ND grade

DECISION MAKING LESSON

Criteria:

Criteria:

Criteria:

Criteria:

Alternativ
es:
1.

TOTA
L:

2.

3.

TOTAL

5 5 5 5

Kellie Segraves, 2ND grade

DECISION MAKING LESSON

Get Moving
(Deciding the best way to add movement to the classroom)
Grade Level: 2
Subject: ELA/Health
Duration: two 45 minute sessions
TAG Objectives:
- Demonstrate skills in fluency and flexibility to solve problems or create
new products.
- Develop original ideas, presentations, or products through synthesis and
evaluation.
- Clarify, illustrate, or elaborate on an idea for product improvement.
Advanced Communication Skills:
-The student produces written and/or oral work that is compiles, purposeful,
and organized, includes relevant supporting examples and manipulation of
language.
- The student creates products and/or presentations that synthesize
information from diverse sources and communicate expertise to a variety of
authentic audiences.
- The student responds to contributions of others, considering all available
information.
- The student supports and defends his/her own opinion while respecting the
opinions of others.
HO/CT Skills:
- Collect/organize ideas
-Draw conclusions; make inferences
- Conducts comparisons using criteria.
ELA Objectives:
RI2.1- Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding

Kellie Segraves, 2ND grade

DECISION MAKING LESSON

RI.2.8- Describe how reasons support specific points made by the author.
RI2.10- Read and comprehend grade level informational text
W.2.1- Write opinion pieces that state an opinion and support it with reasons.
SL2.1- participate in collaborative conversations
L.2.1- Demonstrate command of standard grammar
L.2.2- demonstrate command of standard conventions of writing
Health Objectives:
Standard 1: Students will comprehend concepts related to health promotion and
disease prevention to enhance health.
Standard 2: Students will analyze the influence of family, peers, culture, media,
technology, and other factors on health behaviors.
Standard 4: Students will demonstrate the ability to use interpersonal
communication skills to enhance health and avoid or reduce health risks
Standard 5: Students will demonstrate the ability to use decision-making skills to
enhance health.
Standard 7: Students will demonstrate the ability to practice health-enhancing
behaviors and avoid or reduce health risks.
Standard 8: Students will demonstrate the ability to advocate for personal, family,
and community health.

Essential Question:
How can we use ideas, information, and criteria to help us make a decision?
MATERIALS:
Power point, Zombie Attack story print out, word list (copied or projected),
articles (listed below), criteria grid
SESSION ONE
HOOK:
1) Read and/or display the word list. Ask the students what do all of
these words have in common? (all action verbs).
2) ZOMBIE ATTACK STORY: Tell the students that you are writing a story
and need their help because you are missing many action verbs as well
as some other words. Give each group an equal number of missing
word clues to fill in.
3) Next, read the story aloud and have the students call out the missing
words as you get to them. (see story alternative below)
4) After the story, intoroduce the decision making activity
ZOMBIE ATTACK STORY VARIATION: Divide the students into small groups and have
them fill in the word boxes. Then give them a copy of the Zombie Attack story so
they can transfer the words and read their own versions of the story.

DECISION MAKING LESSON

Kellie Segraves, 2ND grade

INFORM:
-Show this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5P8pbTKP58
-Pass out summarized version of the following article.
*http://www.edutopia.org/blog/move-body-grow-brain-donna-wilson
* DIFFERENTIATION:
-Support/On: Verbally summarize the articles with the students
-Challenge: Give students written summary to read themselves with most
relevant parts highlighted for them. Have them read and discuss in groups.
-Extra challenge: give articles to students to read themselves having them
highlight the most relevant parts.
Additional background articles for teacher information:
-How Exercise Can Help Us Learn-NTTimes.com (well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/8/07/how-exercise-can-helpus-learn/?_r=0)
-How Does Physical Activity Affect Academic Performance
(www.sparkpe.org/blog/how-physical-activity-affects-academic-performance/)

-GoNoodle movement activity

BRAINSTORM ALTERNATIVES:
*Display and Explain the rules of Brainstorming
(In small groups or as a class) What are some ways we can add movement
in our school day? Use what you learned from the articles to help you decide.

BRAINSTORM CRITERIA: (In small groups or as a class)

-Define criteria and give examples (slide show)
-show example of how criteria will e used (slide show)
What are some things we need to consider when choosing the best idea?
Use what you learned from the articles to help you decide.
CHOOSING ALTERNATIVES: Analyze their alternatives using criteria to
choose the BEST one.
Differentiation:
Support: Give alternatives and criteria
On: Give some criteria and/or alternatives
Challenge: Generate own alternatives and criteria

Kellie Segraves, 2ND grade

DECISION MAKING LESSON

SESSION TWO

SYNTHESIZE:
CHOOSE ONE WAY TO RESPOND: (Differentiation)
1. Write a letter to the principal explaining why we need more movement in
the school day and propose your idea with reasons based on your criteria, as
well as any other compelling points.
-Complete the Opinion Writing Checklist
Differentiated Checklists based on ELA level
2. Create an advertisement for Educator Magazine. Tell why we need more
movement in the school day and sell your idea with reasons based on your
criteria, as well as any other compelling points.
-Complete the Opinion Writing Checklist
Differentiated Checklists based on ELA level

3. Write a script for a television advertisement. . Tell why we need more

movement in the school day and sell your idea with reasons based on your
criteria, as well as any other compelling points.
-Complete the Opinion Writing Checklist
Differentiated Checklists based on ELA level

Kellie Segraves, 2ND grade

DECISION MAKING LESSON

ASSESS:

GET MOVING
(A DECISION MAKING LESSON)
1

Ideas
For alternatives

No reasonable
alternatives
proposed.

one reasonable
alternative
proposed.

Two reasonable
alternatives
proposed.

Ideas
For criterea

No reasonable
criterea
proposed.
No choice made
for optimal
decision.
Completed <5
items on the
checklist
No punctuation
and
capitalization
are correct
Student does
not complete
most
assignments
with high
quality. Student
does not use
feedback to
improve
performance.
Student was off
task most of the
time

one reasonable
criterea
proposed.
Decision is
made without
use of criteria.
Completed 5-6
items on the
checklist
Some
punctuation and
capitalization
are correct
Completes most
assignments
but not with
high quality.
Student does
not use
feedback to
improve
performance.

Two reasonable
criterea
proposed.
Decision is
made using
some criteria
Completed 7-8
items on the
checklist
Most
punctuation and
capitalization
are correct
Completes most
assignments
with quality
work, and uses
some feedback
to improve
performance.

Three
reasonable
alternatives
proposed.
Three criterea
alternatives
proposed.
Decision is
made using all
criteria.
Completed all
items on the
checklist
All punctuation
and
capitalization
are correct
Completes all
assignments
using best
quality work,
and uses
feedback to
improve
performance.

Student was on
task some of
the time

Student was on
task most of the
time

Analyze using
Criterea
Opinion Writing
Checklist
Conventions

Work Habits

Participation

Student was on
task all of the
time

DECISION MAKING LESSON

Kellie Segraves, 2ND grade

REFLECTION:
I thought this was a good strategy for teaching the kids how to make good
decisions based on criteria, a skill they can use their whole lives.
The students really enjoyed the mad-lib zombie story, and it was a fun
review of parts of speech. I chose the Activity theme because I recently
went to a seminar on adding movement in the classroom and thought this
was something that would be authentic for them. They came up with some
creative options and good criteria. We found that in a couple of cases we
had a tie and chose to use additional criteria as the tiebreaker. It was
interesting when the students found that their favorite choice was not
always the one that won out when using their criteria. It provided for good
discussion about why that happens. If it isnt our favorite, what makes it the
best for our situation?