Year 1, Lesson 3.3: The 5D’s

Unit Learning Goal

Students will learn about dilemmas and how to navigate difficult situations.

Lesson Goal

Students will be able to apply the “5 Ds” framework for navigating dilemmas to real-world dilemmas from their own lives.

Assessment

  • Monitor group conversation for understanding regarding the dilemma scenario analysis and application of the 5 Ds to personal examples.

  • Review the Should I Stay or Should I Go handout for use of the framework to parse the scenario.

  • Review the Video Dilemmas handout for use of the framework to parse the scenario 

  • Analyze Exit Ticket for comprehension of the 5 Ds framework. 

CASEL Alignment

Responsible Decision-Making

Portfolio Documentation

Resources

None

Prerequisites

  • Lesson 2.2 Values

  • Lesson 2.4 Identity

  • Lesson 2.6 Alignment, Misalignment and School Mission

  • Lesson 3.1 Defining Dilemmas

  • Lesson 3.2 Responsibility

Total Time

45 minutes

  • Remind students that, in your last class, you discussed the rings of responsibility and what it means to be responsible to ourselves, to friends and family, to our communities, to our professions, and to to the wider world. Depending on time, ask students to turn-and-talk one of their responsibilities with each other.

    Tell students that today you’ll be discussing a framework for how to discuss, reflect on, and work through dilemma discussions, which pulls together several of the concepts you’ve discussed this year, including values, identity, and responsibility.

Instructions

1. Explain the The 5Ds. [10 minutes]

  • Introduce the concept of the 5Ds.

  • Share the 5Ds Handout. First, explain each element of the 5Ds. 

    • Dilemma: Recognize a dilemma as a difficult situation that may not have a "right" course of action.

    • Discuss: Consult and brainstorm regarding factors leading to the dilemma and various courses of action.

    • Deliberate: Engage in reflection and consideration of the options available.

    • Decide: Make and carry out a decision.

    • Debrief: Reflect on the impacts of the decision and what has been learned.

  • Explain to students that the 5Ds process can be done individually as personal reflection or collaboratively with others when one encounters a dilemma. 

  • Next, explain each of the factors that students might consider when discussing the types of tensions that might arise in order to cause a dilemma. 

    • Roles: What are the different roles this person in the dilemma is inhabiting? How are those roles potentially in conflict with one another? 

    • Responsibilities: What are the various responsibilities that this person is balancing (to themselves, to others, to their community, to the world)?

    • Values: What values does this person hold dear? Are any of those values in tension or conflict?

    • Alignments/misalignment: Are different stakeholders and/or their goals in harmony or in discord?

  • Offer time for questions.

2. Applying the 5D’s. [10 minutes]

  • Distribute the Should I Stay or Should I Go Handout and read the dilemma out loud together. 

    • Remember, there are short summaries available of each dilemma on The Good Project website, if needed. 

  • Divide the class into small groups of 3-4. 

  • Ask each group to complete the handout together.

  • Keep the handout for the Good Work Portfolio.

3. Class share out. [5 minutes]

  • Call on a couple of the groups and ask them to share their decision regarding the dilemma and one or two factors that led them to this decision, using the factors introduced (roles, responsibilities, values, alignment). 

4. Video Dilemmas. [10 minutes]

  • Keep students in their same small groups.

  • Have each group complete the Video Dilemmas Handout

    • Students will choose one of the following five video clips to fill out a 5D’s chart:

      NOTE: Please be aware that some of the dilemmas deal with sensitive subjects. Adjust and adapt the contents per your age level, context, and culture. Feel free to choose alternative video dilemmas that you feel would be more relevant to your classroom. 

      • Frozen: In this climactic scene, Anna saves her sister Elsa from being killed by the villain Hans.

      • Free Solo: This documentary follows Alex Honnold’s attempt to climb El Capitan without ropes.

      • The Matrix: Neo faces the decision to either take the red pill, which will show him the truth about the Matrix, or the blue pill, which will allow him to return to his ordinary life.

      • Jurassic Park: Dr. Ellie Sattler and Dr. Ian Malcolm debate the consequences of bringing dinosaurs back to life. 

      • Icarus: The filmmaker, Bryan Fogel, exposes the Russian doping scandal, where the Russian government sanctioned the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sports. 

  • If time allows, have groups share out with the class. 

  • Keep the handout for the Good Work Portfolio.

5. Closing and Exit Ticket [10 minutes].

  • Ask students to complete the Lesson 3.3 Exit Ticket by answering the multiple choice questions about the 5 Ds.

  • Keep the completed exit ticket for the Good Work Portfolio.

Possible Enrichments

  • Have students reflect upon a time they encountered a dilemma or witnessed someone else struggling with a decision.

    • Have students write/draw/create a video about a time when they struggled with what they should do regarding a decision or when they saw someone else struggling with what to do regarding a decision.

    • Have students use the “5Ds” to work through the dilemma.

    • Keep the reflection for the Good Work Portfolio. 

  • Have students find a news article and determine whether it fits the three criteria of a dilemma using the Three Parts of a Dilemma Handout

Lesson Walkthrough

Watch this short video guide for lesson specific advice from The Good Project Research Team.