How Our Class Decides
A 40-minute Kindergarten lesson on how a class makes a decision together, and why the order matters.
How Our Class Decides is a free 40-minute Kindergarten to Grade 2 social studies lesson plan for Common Core standard D2.Civ.11.K-2 — explain how a class can make a decision together. It is timed across 5 sections, gives the exact wording to use where the wording carries the mathematics, names 3 misconceptions with the teaching move that addresses each, and ends with an exit ticket and a printable worksheet with its answer key.
- Grade:
- Kindergarten to Grade 2
- Length:
- 40 minutes
- Standard:
- D2.Civ.11.K-2
Kindergarten to Grade 2 · Civics
D2.Civ.11.K-2
Explain how people can work together to make decisions in the classroom.
Objective
Students will be able to name the steps a class takes to decide something together.
Students are successful when they can
- Names the steps in order.
- Says why listening comes before voting.
- Accepts a result they did not vote for.
What you need
- A real decision the class must make
- Step cards to order
- The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan
The lesson
Warm-up — decide it badly
5 min- Announce a decision without asking anybody. Watch the reaction.
- Ask what was missing.
Teach — four steps, in order
13 min- Lay out the four step cards: suggest, listen, vote, do it.
- Do a real decision with the class, naming each step as it happens.
- Swap voting and listening. Vote first, then hear the reasons. Ask what went wrong.
- Put them back. Say why listening comes first: you might change your mind.
- Name the last step: everybody does the thing, including the people who lost.
“Listen first. There is no point hearing a good reason after you have already voted.”
Guided practice — order the steps
12 min- Groups order the step cards for a decision of their own.
- They run the decision for real in their group.
- They report what they chose and how the vote went.
Independent practice
8 min- Students complete the how-the-class-decides page.
- Read the steps aloud.
Close
2 min- Carry out the class's real decision.
What goes wrong, and why
Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.
Thinks the loudest or the first suggestion wins.
Why: That is often what happens without a process.
Fix: The four cards, in order, every time. The process is what makes volume irrelevant.
Refuses to join in with a decision they voted against.
Why: Losing feels like being overruled.
Fix: Name the fourth step explicitly. Everybody does the thing is part of deciding together.
Votes before hearing the reasons.
Why: They already know what they want.
Fix: Run it in the wrong order once. Somebody always changes their mind too late.
If they are not there yet
- Three steps rather than four.
- Give the steps and put them in order.
If they finish early
- Decide something where the vote is close.
- Say what to do when the vote is a tie.
- Say when a class should not vote.
Exit ticket
Put these in order: vote, listen, suggest, do it.
What to look for: Suggest, listen, vote, do it. Voting before listening means the wrong-order demonstration needs repeating.
Printable practice for D2.Civ.11.K-2
Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.
- How the Class DecidesNumber the steps from 1 to 4.
Questions about How Our Class Decides
How long does the How Our Class Decides lesson take?
40 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 5 min, teach 13 min, guided practice 12 min, independent practice 8 min, close 2 min. The minutes are stated per section and add up to the stated length, so the plan can be cut or extended at a section boundary rather than abandoned halfway.
Which standard does How Our Class Decides teach?
D2.Civ.11.K-2 — D2.Civ.11.K-2, Civics for Kindergarten to Grade 2: “Explain how people can work together to make decisions in the classroom.” In plain terms, explain how a class can make a decision together.
What do I need to teach this lesson?
A real decision the class must make, step cards to order and the printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan. Everything listed is either ordinary classroom equipment or a free printable from this site — there is nothing to buy and nothing to prepare beyond photocopying.
What mistakes should I expect in this lesson?
Three, each a reasoning error rather than carelessness: thinks the loudest or the first suggestion wins; refuses to join in with a decision they voted against and votes before hearing the reasons. The plan gives the thinking behind each one and the teaching move that addresses the thinking rather than the symptom.
How do I know whether the lesson worked?
The exit ticket asks: “Put these in order: vote, listen, suggest, do it.” Suggest, listen, vote, do it. Voting before listening means the wrong-order demonstration needs repeating. That tells you whether the class needs a reteach or a thirty-second conversation before you plan tomorrow.
Is there a worksheet to go with How Our Class Decides?
Yes — 1 printable D2.Civ.11.K-2 worksheet, linked at the end of the plan and free like the rest of the site. Each one comes with an answer key and 25 versions, so the practice after the lesson can be a different paper on every desk.
Is How Our Class Decides free to use?
Yes. The plan, its printables and their answer keys are free to read, print and photocopy for your own class, with no account and no email capture. It was last reviewed on 7 September 2026. Please do not resell it or republish it as your own.
Last reviewed 2026-09-07. Aligned to D2.Civ.11.K-2 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.