Unit Learning Goal

Students will understand the term “good work” as defined by excellence, ethics, and engagement. 

Lesson Goal

Students will explore and understand the elements of a “dilemma.”

Assessment

Students will document their understanding of a dilemma in their written reflections. Impressions of group discussion may be used to determine level of student understanding. Exit tickets will display qualities students have distilled from the conversation.

portfolio documentation

Resources

Total TIME

45 minutes

Instructions

1. Opener: Turn & Talk [5 minutes].

  • Ask students to turn to the person next to them and discuss the following questions for 2.5 minutes:

    • What do you think a “dilemma” is? 

    • Are there certain circumstances or situations that are dilemmas and certain circumstances or situations that aren’t? 

  • Bring students back together after 2.5 minutes and ask one or two groups to share out one of their answers.

2. Elements of a Dilemma [15 minutes].

  • Ask students to break into groups of two or three. 

  • Give each group the “Is this a Dilemma?” worksheet. Ask groups to discuss the worksheet together and to write or draw their answers to the questions. 

    • Students should only pick one of the characters to focus on (Li Wei, Matthias, or Farah) and read all three versions of that character’s story. 

    • Ask students to compare and contrast using the following prompt: What elements are changing as the situation gets more complicated? What stays the same? 

  • Add this worksheet to the students’ Good Work Portfolio.

3. Class share out [5 minutes].

  • Call on two to three groups and ask them to share a key idea they took away from this activity regarding what makes a situation a dilemma as opposed to not a dilemma. 

4. Definition of a dilemma and discussion [15 minutes]. 

  • For 5 minutes: Share the following definition of what a “dilemma” is with students in a visible space (e.g., digital whiteboard, slide).

    • In a dilemma [adapted from here]: 

      1. An individual must make an active choice.

      2. There must be different courses of action to choose from.

      3. No matter what action is taken, some element of good work (ethics, excellence, or engagement) is compromised. There is no perfect solution.

  • Discuss with the class: 

    • Is this definition similar or different to what you came up with on your own? What elements are the same? What is different? Why?

    • What tension is your characters struggling with? What element(s) of good work are being compromised and why? Why was there no perfect solution for them? 

    • Apart from what you’ve read here, how could you change an element of your character’s story to make it less of a dilemma?

4. Exit Ticket [5 minutes].

  • Question: Read the following:

  • “Lisa is a first-year college student during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her college has decided to remain open for students. Though quite shy herself, Lisa is happy to be assigned a very sociable roommate also within her major. Lisa takes her studies–-and the school’s strict honor code—seriously. Unfortunately, Lisa’s friendly roommate, Eva, does not share the same academic integrity. After noticing Eva looking up answers online during a remote exam, Lisa is distraught. Because of her timidness in making new connections, Lisa feels dependent upon Eva to introduce her to new friends and build her social community at the school. At the same time, the policy regarding remote learning explicitly prohibits online searches during exams. Should Lisa report Eva to her professors, or turn a blind eye to blatant disregard for academic honesty?”

    • Is this a dilemma? Why or why not? 

  • Keep the written reflection for the Good Work Portfolio.

Possible Enrichments

  • Have students create their own dilemma based on the 3 criteria of a dilemma using the “3 Elements of a Dilemma” worksheet.