Decide It or Apply It?
A 50-minute Grade 4 lesson on telling a decision that needs a vote from one that only needs a rule applied.
Decide It or Apply It? is a free 50-minute Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies lesson plan for Common Core standard D2.Civ.11.3-5 — compare how decisions get made in a classroom, a school and a government. 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:
- Grade 3 to Grade 5
- Length:
- 50 minutes
- Standard:
- D2.Civ.11.3-5
Grade 3 to Grade 5 · Civics
D2.Civ.11.3-5
Compare procedures for making decisions in a variety of settings, including classroom, school, government, and/or society.
Objective
Students will be able to say whether a case calls for a vote or for a published rule to be applied.
Students are successful when they can
- Sorts cases into vote and rule.
- Says why voting on a settled rule would be worse.
- Names a case where the rule ran out.
What you need
- The harbour return's published dues
- Twelve case cards
- The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan
The lesson
Warm-up — vote on every ton?
5 min- Ask whether the harbour board should vote on the dues for each vessel as it docks.
- Enjoy the objection and hold it.
Teach — two different jobs
17 min- Show the published dues. The rate is set; the clerk applies it to each cargo.
- Ask what daily voting would destroy: predictability and equal treatment.
- Show the 1890 board deciding on half-time working. No rule covered it. That needed a vote.
- Name the test: is the answer already written down?
- Sort four more cases aloud, saying the reason each time.
- Add the hard case: the rule exists but does not cover this. Then you vote on the gap.
- Point out that the rule itself was set by a vote once, and can be again.
“Is this already decided, or being decided now?”
Guided practice — sort twelve
15 min- Pairs sort twelve cases into vote and rule.
- They flag one they could argue either way.
- Groups debate the flagged cases.
Independent practice
10 min- Students complete the 'Decide It or Apply It?' page.
- Check for reasons about whether the answer is already written.
Close
3 min- Ask which school decisions are votes and which are rules.
What goes wrong, and why
Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.
Thinks voting is always fairest.
Why: Voting is taught as the democratic move.
Fix: Voting on each cargo means different prices for different shippers. That is less fair.
Thinks a published rule can never change.
Why: Applied rules feel permanent.
Fix: The board can vote a new rate. Setting and applying are different acts.
Applies a rule that does not cover the case.
Why: Having a rule feels like having an answer.
Fix: Ask whether the rule mentions this situation. If not, it is a gap.
If they are not there yet
- Six cases, three of each kind.
- Give the reason and ask which procedure it names.
If they finish early
- Write a case where the rule exists and should not be applied.
- Say who decides when a rule has run out.
- Compare applying a rule with a magistrate applying law.
Exit ticket
Should the harbour board vote on the dues for each vessel? Say why, and name the right procedure.
What to look for: No: the published table already decides it, and voting each time breaks equal treatment. A yes means the two procedures are still fused.
Printable practice for D2.Civ.11.3-5
Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.
- Decide It or Apply It?Sort each one into the right procedure.
Questions about Decide It or Apply It?
How long does the Decide It or Apply It? lesson take?
50 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 5 min, teach 17 min, guided practice 15 min, independent practice 10 min, close 3 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 Decide It or Apply It? teach?
D2.Civ.11.3-5 — D2.Civ.11.3-5, Civics for Grade 3 to Grade 5: “Compare procedures for making decisions in a variety of settings, including classroom, school, government, and/or society.” In plain terms, compare how decisions get made in a classroom, a school and a government.
What do I need to teach this lesson?
The harbour return's published dues, twelve case cards 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 voting is always fairest; thinks a published rule can never change and applies a rule that does not cover the case. 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: “Should the harbour board vote on the dues for each vessel? Say why, and name the right procedure.” No: the published table already decides it, and voting each time breaks equal treatment. A yes means the two procedures are still fused. 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 Decide It or Apply It??
Yes — 1 printable D2.Civ.11.3-5 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 Decide It or Apply It? 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.11.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.