START 2.3
Put “A” Ideas in Order
Grades 1-3

Only one idea can be best. How do you choose? Imagine you have a whole box of colorful crayons, but you can only use one to draw a picture of your favorite animal. So many fun colors to pick from.
How do you decide? Use a Decision Table.
A decision table helps you pick the best idea.
Task 2.3.1 – Small Group
You are the coach of five cheerleaders: Abbie, Betty, Carla, Darla, and Emy. The season just ended. Who wins the Best Cheerleader Award?
Use a Decision Table
st words: To make st words (superlative), you add “-est” to the end.
For example, “happy” becomes “happiest,” “tall” becomes “tallest,” and “funny” becomes “funniest.”
You choose evaluation questions, such as:
- Who is the peppiest?
- Who is the best dancer?
- Who has the best smile?
- Who is the best tumbler?
- Who is the loudest?
Next, we make a table. Each cheerleader gets a row, and each question gets a column.
Name | Peppiest? | Best Dancer? | Best Smile? | Best Tumbler? | Best Grades? | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Abbie | ||||||
Betty | ||||||
Carla | ||||||
Darla | ||||||
Emy |
Use numbers to rate each cheerleader from 1 to 5, with 5 being the best and 1 being worst.
Decide on the best in the first column you will grade. Give it a 5, since there are five cheerleaders.
Then decide on the worst in that column. Grade it a 1.
Next, decide on the next best in that column. Give it a 4
Decide on the second worst in that column. Give it a 2
You will have one empty box remaining. It will be a 3.
Name | Peppiest? | Best Dancer? | Best Smile? | Best Tumbler? | Best Grades? | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Abbie | 4 | |||||
Betty | ||||||
Carla | 2 | |||||
Darla | 1 | |||||
Emy | 5 |
Fill in the numbers until the table is full. Make sure that no column has more than one of the same number, such as three 5’s.
Name | Peppiest? | Best Dancer? | Best Smile? | Best Tumbler? | Best Grades? | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Abbie | 4 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 18 |
Betty | 3 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 17 |
Carla | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 9 |
Darla | 1 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 14 |
Emy | 5 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 16 |