GRADE 9 HEALTH 1 - DECISION MAKING
Introduction:
As you are well aware, life is full of choices, some small and some really big ones. When talking
about your sexuality and how you express it, what are the driving factors that help guide your
decision making in this area of your life?
When making “big” decisions it is always a good idea to use a strategy to figure which option is
best for you. Below is a decision making model that can be used to help individuals analyze their
options when making tough decisions. Read over the model and be ready to use it to complete
your assignment for this unit.
Decision Making Model
SEEING
 What are my options?
 What are the issues?
o Who will be affected? (Me, family, friends, others!)
o Is this a moral issue? (loving God, yourself, others!)
 At this stage you are trying to identify all your options for the decision. Creative thinking is
required to come up with solutions that work for everyone.
JUDGING
 Analyze the options (pros and cons for each option)
 What is the truly loving option?
 Listen to your conscience
o What does the church and our religion say?
o What do my parents say?
o What can we learn from those with experience?
ACTING
 Decide to do the loving thing
 Ask for guidance from God to help you (Prayer!)
 Follow through with the decision (if needed break it into small steps)
 Some decisions are tougher than others.
EVALUATING
 How did the decision work out?
 What did you learn?
 What were the effects on your life? Your relationship with others? (family, friends, others,
God!)
 Can you make any more changes?
 At this stage, reflecting back on the decision can be difficult, sometimes the outcome of a
decision isn’t known for months, possibly years.
 For the purposes of the assignment you will have to pretend that a decision was made and
role play how everything turned out.
The following activity is intended to get you to start thinking about where you stand in terms of your
sexuality and relationships with others. More specifically, the challenge is to think about what your
limits are in relationships as well as to get you to start thinking about all of the possible outcomes
when faced with “big” relationship decisions. Before you begin the assignment lets take a look at
what abstinence and chastity are:
What is Abstinence?
 Refraining from sexual intercourse.
 As well as avoiding genital contact and other high risk behaviours.
o What are some high risk behaviours that could lead to you breaking your promise to
abstain?
Why would abstinence be a good idea?
1. Freedom from disease
2. Freedom from fear of pregnancy
3. Freedom to develop emotionally
4. Freedom to pursue goals
5. Avoidance of emotional problems and depression often associated with intimacy outside of
marriage.
6. Ability to develop worthwhile relationships
7. Increase in self-esteem
What is Chastity?
 A positive alternative to early sexual activity
 Avoidance of deliberate sexually arousing behaviour
 Setting limits in advance in a relationship
 Making a decision to save sex for marriage
Making Responsible Decisions Assignment
Instructions:
Using the decision making model above, read each scenario and complete the table for each.
Step 1: You must identify at least three options for each scenario, your options should show some creative
thinking.
Step 2: For each decision you must identify at least three positive outcomes (+) and three negative
outcomes (-) that may occur if you chose that option.
Step 3: Chose one option by simply stating which one you have chosen.
Step 4: Using some creative thinking you now have to outline how things played out. Did the decision turn
out well, or not. Write out briefly how it all went.
Scenario #1: Movie Night
You and your boyfriend/girlfriend have been dating for eight months. Your boyfriend/girlfriend is in Grade 9
and you are in Grade 11. You have a lot in common and have always enjoyed each other’s company. From
the start of your relationship you had agreed that you would wait to have sexual intercourse, as your
boyfriend/girlfriend was younger and was not ready. Your friends have recently been making fun of your
lack of sexual activity. You have been invited to your boyfriend/girlfriend’s house to watch movies.
However, your boyfriend/girlfriend parents have unexpectedly been called away. What do you do?
Scenario #2: Dinner Out
You are out on your second dinner date with your girlfriend/boyfriend and on the way home they ask if you
want to go park behind the school. Your not exactly sure what their intentions are but you are not sure you
want to be intimate with them. Also your curfew is in fifteen minutes. What do you do?
Case
Study
Movie
Night
What are the options?
(Seeing)
What could happen with each
of these options?
(Judging)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
-
What decision did you make?
(Acting)
Was it a good decision?
Why?
(Evaluating)
Case
Study
Dinner
Out
What are the options?
(Seeing)
What could happen with each
of these options?
(Judging)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
-
What decision did you make?
(Acting)
Was it a good decision?
Why?
(Evaluating)
Category
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Thinking and Inquiry
-used thinking skills with
limited effectiveness in
generating pros and cons
for each option and
foreseeing possible
outcomes based on option
chosen
-used thinking skills with
some effectiveness in
generating pros and cons
for each option and
foreseeing possible
outcomes based on option
chosen
-used thinking skills with
considerable effectiveness
in generating pros and
cons for each option and
foreseeing possible
outcomes based on option
chosen
-used thinking skills with
a high degree of
effectiveness in
generating pros and cons
for each option and
foreseeing possible
outcomes based on option
chosen
Communication
Communicates
information and ideas
with limited clarity.
Communicates
information and ideas
with some clarity.
Communicates
information and ideas
with considerable clarity.
Communicates
information and ideas
with a high degree of
clarity and confidence.
Application
-used understanding of
decision making model to
generate ideas with
limited effectiveness
-used understanding of
decision making model o
generate ideas with some
effectiveness
-used understanding of
decision making model to
generate ideas with
considerable effectiveness
-used understanding of
decision making model to
generate ideas with a high
degree of effectiveness