Home›Lesson Plans›Social-Emotional Learning›Responsible Decision-Making · Grade 12

Ethical Decisions at Work

Twelfth graders build responsible decision-making for the workplace — owning mistakes, refusing dishonesty, protecting confidentiality, and giving credit fairly. Integrity builds a reputation that follows you your whole career. They match situations to the ethical choice, then discuss.

Grade 12Ethical Decisions at Work45 minutes1 class periodCASELExplicit teaching4 StandardsCASEL
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Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Act with integrity.
  • ✓Own mistakes.
  • ✓Protect confidentiality.
  • ✓Give fair credit.
Essential Question

What does doing the right thing look like on the job?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Match It · Interactive

Match the Ethical Choice

Project this and match each workplace situation to the ethical choice — tap the situation, then tap the choice.

🤝 Match each situation to the ethical choiceTry it
Situation
The ethical choice
Now tap the choice!
The Lesson · Explicit teaching

45 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Check-In — On the Job

4 min

Your boss asks you to bend the truth — what do you do?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Pose the question.
  • Share ideas.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Think.
  • Share.
  • Get ready.
2

Learn — Workplace Ethics

11 min

Students learn.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to Match the Ethical Choice.
  • Match each one.
  • Note integrity builds reputation.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Match.
  • Say.
  • Note it.
3

Practice — Practice

14 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Take a scenario.
  • Name the ethical choice.
  • Explain why.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Take.
  • Name.
  • Explain.
4

Apply — Apply

11 min

Students apply.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Discuss a gray-area case.
  • Decide the right move.
  • Name the value behind it.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Discuss.
  • Decide.
  • Name.
5

Reflect — Reflect

5 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • What do you do if you make a mistake?
  • Why does workplace integrity matter?
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Say it.
  • Say it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the CASEL Framework for Social and Emotional Learning across its five core competencies.

CASEL
Responsible Decision-Making

Make ethical choices at work.

CASEL
Responsible Decision-Making

Consider consequences and others.

CASEL
Self-Awareness

Act in line with values.

CASEL
Relationship Skills

Communicate with integrity.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Situation/choice cards.
  • Frame: "the ethical choice is ___."
  • Use clear examples.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Match 3 situations.
  • Use examples.
  • Use sentence frames.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Debate a gray-area case.
  • Write a code of ethics.
  • Research a real case.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 🤝Situation cards
  • 💻Match the Ethical Choice
  • 📋Case-discussion sheet
  • 📓Notebooks
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

ethicsprinciples of right and wrongintegritydoing right consistentlyconfidentialitykeeping info privateaccountabilityowning your actionshonestybeing truthfulcreditacknowledging who did the workreputationhow others see youprofessionalacting with standards
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
What do you do if you make a mistake at work?
Own it and work to fix it.
QUESTION 2
If asked to do something dishonest?
Respectfully refuse.
QUESTION 3
Why does workplace integrity matter?
It builds a reputation that follows your whole career.

Reflect: ethical decisions at work.

Have students discuss a workplace gray-area case. A printable case-discussion sheet is in the SEL library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Responsible Decision-Making: Ethical Decisions at WorkFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Responsible Decision-Making: Ethical Decisions at WorkQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
0%

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Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Responsible Decision-Making: Ethical Decisions at WorkPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: accountability, confidentiality, credit, ethics, honesty, integrity, professional, reputation
  1. owning your actions
  2. principles of right and wrong
  3. acting with standards
  4. being truthful
  5. keeping info private
  6. acknowledging who did the work
  7. how others see you
  8. doing right consistently

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What do you do if you make a mistake at work?
  2. If asked to do something dishonest?
  3. Why does workplace integrity matter?
Answer key — Part A: 1) accountability · 2) ethics · 3) professional · 4) honesty · 5) confidentiality · 6) credit · 7) reputation · 8) integrity
Part B: 1) Own it and work to fix it. 2) Respectfully refuse. 3) It builds a reputation that follows your whole career.