Spatial Requirements: Regular classroom setup: little or no space required
Activity Type: Movement/group
Grades: 3-12
Group Size: 6 or more
Time: 15 minutes

Introduction: Whom do I allow to influence my decisions?  How much do other people determine the choices I make?  The answers to these questions can determine whether or not we find ourselves stuck in the pot, allowing the influence of others to continually pull us back in. The purpose of this activity is to allow students to think about the different directions their lives can take when others make their decisions for them.

Materials:

• 1 die per group of 6
• 1 pen or pencil per student
• 1 piece of paper per student
  
  

Activity: 

Tell the students to number their papers from one to six.  They should title this list “My Answers,” then respond to the following questions on their piece of paper:

Question 1: What is your favorite food?
Question 2: What is your favorite television show?
Question 3: What is your favorite sport?
Question 4: What is your favorite color?
Question 5: If you could choose any animal for a pet, what would you choose?
Question 6: If you could choose any job to have when you are older, what would it be?

Now divide the class into groups of six and assign each group member a number from one to six.  If one group has fewer players, assign someone multiple numbers. The person assigned number one will roll the die first. Then the person assigned the number shown on the die reads their answer to question one. For example, if player one rolled three, player three would read their response. This response becomes the official group answer to the first question, and all the players replace their original answer with this one. Player two then rolls the die to decide which player reads question two, and this continues until all six questions have been answered and recorded by the group.

Processing the Experience:

• Which question was easiest to answer? Which one was hardest?
• How do your personal answers differ from the group answers?
• How did it feel to have your answers replaced with someone else’s?
• How might this activity apply to peer pressure?
• How can the influence of others sometimes affect us negatively?
• Why do you think it’s important to make your own positive choices?
• How often in life do you let others pressure you into making certain decisions?
• How can making certain choices just to “fit in” force you to veer off the path that will lead to reaching your goals?
• Who ultimately pays the consequences for the choices you make?