(30-45 minutes)

OBJECTIVE
Students learn how to form opinions and make good decisions.

MATERIALS
Magazines, books, newspapers, and/or access to the Internet

GET READY

• If your classroom is not equipped with the Internet, find a classroom/resource room that is.
• Make sure you have access to varied forms of media: newspapers, books, etc.

INSTRUCTIONS

Setting Up the Research

• Tell students that a good decision is well thought out and based on information from many sources. Say, Good decisions are based on information. What are good sources of information? (Newspapers, the Internet, books, magazines, etc.) These are great places for finding information on anything we want.
• Ask students to brainstorm an issue or topic that impacts their lives and that they would like to know more about, i.e. the environment, education, etc. Tell them they can be specific: rainforest destruction, seat belts on school buses, etc.
• Vote to determine a subject for the class to research.

Conducting the Research

• Conduct research on the subject the class selects. Research the topic using: books, Internet sites, magazines, videos, etc.
• Share the research in its many forms with your students.
• Say, Now that we have learned about _____, does anyone want to share how they feel about it (share an opinion)?
• Listen to responses and encourage students to explain why they feel the way they do (prompt them to mention the research sources).
• In the case of an election, ask students to share why they made the decisions they have made.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

• How do we make good decisions?
• Why do you think it is important to gather information from many different places?
• Can you believe everything you hear and see? Why or why not?

MORE!
Encourage students to bring in information on the subject as they see it in newspapers, etc. Create a bulletin board to document the information as it comes in.

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