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NYS-Aligned Classroom Resource
NYS Learning Standards for Health, Physical Education, and Family and Consumer Sciences (2020)
Health & PE Grade 4 3-5 Lesson Plan

Smart Choices: Decision-Making and Refusal Skills

Duration: 45 minutes · NYS Learning Standards for Health, Physical Education, and Family and Consumer Sciences (2020)

Alignment Record

Built from publicly available New York State standards. Standard codes cited from official NYSED sources.

Health Standard 1
Students will have the necessary knowledge and skills to maintain personal health, including the ability to make health-enhancing decisions.
Source: NYS Learning Standards for Health, Physical Education, and Family and Consumer Sciences (2020), Health Standard 1, Intermediate/Elementary — nysed.gov
Health Standard 3
Students will understand and be able to manage their personal and community resources, applying decision-making and refusal skills to health-related situations.
Source: NYS Learning Standards for Health, Physical Education, and Family and Consumer Sciences (2020), Health Standard 3 — nysed.gov
Confidence: High Confidence Automated validation + founder oversight
#grade 4#health#decision-making#refusal skills#peer pressure#NYS health standards#3-5 health#SDI#MLL
Classroom use case

Use this resource for classroom instruction, small-group support, intervention, enrichment, independent practice, or planning support. Preview the alignment record before choosing whether to spend your signup credit.

Preview content
  • Lesson Plan for Grade 4 Health & PE
  • NYS framework label: NYS Learning Standards for Health, Physical Education, and Family and Consumer Sciences (2020)
  • Primary standard: Health Standard 1

Smart Choices: Decision-Making and Refusal Skills

Grade 4 · Health & PE · NYS Health Standards 1 & 3 · 45 Minutes

NYS-Aligned Standards

Health Standard 1 — Health-enhancing decisions and personal health skills. Health Standard 3 — Managing resources and applying decision-making and refusal skills. NYS Learning Standards for Health, Physical Education, and FCS (2020)

Learning Objectives — “I Can” Statements

  • I can use a step-by-step process to make a healthy decision.
  • I can name and use at least three refusal strategies.
  • I can explain why saying “no” to an unhealthy choice keeps me safe.

Essential Question

When someone pressures you to make an unhealthy choice, how can you say “no” and still feel confident?

Lesson Sequence

Hook / Warm-Up (8 min)

Read a short scenario: “A friend dares you to skip your homework to play a game. What could happen?” Students brainstorm possible outcomes — good and bad.

Direct Instruction (12 min)

  1. Introduce the STOP decision-making steps: State the problem, Think of choices, Organize the outcomes, Pick the healthy one.
  2. Introduce refusal strategies: say no clearly, give a reason, suggest a different idea, walk away, find a trusted adult.

Guided Practice (12 min)

In groups, students apply STOP to a scenario card (e.g., a stranger online asks for a photo; a friend offers something that isn’t theirs). Each group reports their healthy choice and refusal strategy.

Independent Practice (8 min)

Students write a short script showing themselves using a refusal strategy in a realistic situation.

Closure (5 min)

Share one refusal strategy you would actually use and why it fits you.

SDI & Differentiation Block

Supports for MLLs/ELLs

Entering/Emerging (NYSESLAT Levels 1–2):

  • Refusal-strategy picture cards (stop hand, walk away, find adult)
  • Sentence frame: “No thank you, because ___.”

Transitioning/Expanding (NYSESLAT Levels 3–4):

  • Vocabulary: decision, consequence, refusal, pressure, trusted adult
  • Provide the STOP steps as a labeled visual organizer

Supports for Students with IEPs

SDI Adaptation Dimensions: content, methodology, delivery

  • Content: Focus on two refusal strategies; use one scenario instead of several
  • Methodology: Role-play with teacher modeling first; visual STOP poster
  • Delivery: Read scenarios aloud; allow verbal or acted responses; extended time

Suggested Placement: ICT, Resource Room

Model Response

“State the problem: a friend wants me to share answers on a test. Think of choices: say yes, say no, tell the teacher. Organize outcomes: cheating could get us both in trouble. Pick the healthy one: I’ll say, ‘No, I don’t want to cheat — let’s study together after school instead.’”

Alignment Record

FieldValue
Standard CodesHealth Standard 1; Health Standard 3
FrameworkNYS Learning Standards for Health, Physical Education, and FCS (2020)
Sourcenysed.gov — NYS Health/PE/FCS Learning Standards (2020)
ConfidenceHigh Confidence
Validation NotesCited at the NYS Health Standard level. Decision-making and refusal skills are documented skill expectations under Standards 1 and 3 of the 2020 framework.
Why teachers can trust this resource
✓
Original resource
Created as an original instructional support — not copied from marketplace content.
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Built from publicly available NYS standards
Standard codes and text sourced from NYS Learning Standards for Health, Physical Education, and Family and Consumer Sciences (2020) — a publicly available official framework.
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Validated for classroom use
Checked for instructional clarity, classroom usability, and standards connection through automated validation and founder oversight.
✓
Alignment notes included
The alignment record above explains how this resource connects to the relevant NYS framework, with the exact standard code and source.
✓
Designed for classroom use
Supports whole-class instruction, small-group work, intervention, enrichment, independent practice, and planning support.
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No student data required
Teachers download and use this resource without entering student personally identifiable information.
Resource ID: SC-054 · StandardCraft NYS Resource Library v1.0
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Independence notice: StandardCraft is an independent resource platform and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the New York State Education Department (NYSED). This resource is original content aligned to publicly available NYS standards. It is designed to support classroom planning and instruction and does not replace district curriculum, school-approved instructional programs, or teacher professional judgment.
StandardCraft — Original, educator-built resource aligned to publicly available NYS Learning Standards for Health, Physical Education, and Family and Consumer Sciences (2020). Resource ID SC-054. Standard codes are cited from official NYSED sources. StandardCraft is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the New York State Education Department (NYSED). This resource supports — and does not replace — district curriculum, school-approved instructional programs, or teacher professional judgment.