Rachael Morlock - Making Good Choices: Evaluating Consequences

Published in 2020 by The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.

29 East 21st Street, New York, NY 10010

Copyright 2020 by The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer.

Editor: Elizabeth Krajnik

Designer: Michael Flynn

Photo Credits: Cover Cavan Images/Getty Images; cover, pp..

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Morlock, Rachael, author.

Title: Making good choices: evaluating consequences / Rachael Morlock.

Description: New York: PowerKids Press, [2020] | Series: Spotlight on social and emotional intelligence | Includes index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2019009444| ISBN 9781725306745 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781725306776 (library bound) | ISBN 9781725306752 (6 pack)

Subjects: LCSH: Choice (Psychology) | Decision making.

Classification: LCC BF611 .M675 2020 | DDC 153.8/3--dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019009444

Manufactured in the United States of America

CPSIA Compliance Information: Batch #CWPK20. For further information contact Rosen Publishing, New York, New York at 1-800-237-9932.

Contents

CHAPTER ONE

YOU HAVE A CHOICE

Every day, you make choices that shape what you do, how you do it, and who you are. Some choices are small and can be made quickly. Other choices can have a big impact, or effect, on your health, your , and your ability to do well in your activities. These choices can also affect the people around you. Part of making good decisions is learning how to think about these consequences.

Every day is filled with simple decisions. Theyre even part of the games you play. Practicing thoughtful decision-making with small choices can help you prepare for more decisions.

Making good choices is a skill that gets better with practice. Like other skills, you can learn it by following simple steps. One important step is to evaluate, or judge, the consequences of a decision before you make it. This takes careful thought and imagination, and it can lead you to making better choices. Good decision-making is a skill you can use your whole life, whether youre at school, at home, or with friends.

CHAPTER TWO

DECISION-MAKING STEPS

Making good choices starts with a clear understanding of the problem or decision thats in front of you. Are you choosing a new after-school activity? Are you deciding when to do your homework? No matter what choice you make, your first step is to the problem.

The next step is to come up with a list of to choose from. Once you know what your options are, you can evaluate them. What kind of consequences will they have? What will they affect? These questions will help you choose what to do.

Make a decision that takes the consequences of your actions into consideration. After youve made a choice, follow through on it. The final step is to look back on your decision and how it worked out. This is called reflection, and it can help you make better decisions in the , too.

Think about the last big decision you made. Maybe you chose to learn to play the trumpet in school. How did you make your choice? Did you follow any decision-making steps?

CHAPTER THREE

WHATS A GOOD CHOICE?

Making a good choice can be harder than you think. When youre very young, many of your decisions are simple and guided by your parents or other adults. You might choose what clothes to wear or what to eat from the options they offer you. As you get older and go to school, its up to you to make more choices on your own. You can choose how to act at school, you can pick your friends, and you can decide what activities to join.

If youre not sure what to do, a trusted adult can help you make the best choice. They might see options or consequences that you havent thought of on your own.

How can you tell if youve made a good choice? A good choice is one that has the greatest chance of leading to positive results. It should have the most positive outcomes not only for you, but also for everyone else . When you evaluate consequences, you compare different choices to find the one with the most likely positive results.

CHAPTER FOUR

IDENTIFYING OPTIONS

When you have to make an important decision, you might feel stuck with only one option. This is especially true if you are or upset. You should recognize strong emotions as a signal to stop and think carefully.

Once youve slowed down your thinking, you can let your creativity kick in. Push yourself to think of other ways to solve your problem. Ask yourself questions about your decision. Think about other actions that could help you reach your goal.

In 2015, an eight-year-old boy named Levi Draheim made an unusual decision. He joined a group of other young people in a against the United States. They want the government to choose better protections for the planet. Kids can select from many options if they decide to help the planet. Draheim made his choice after carefully and creatively identifying his options.

Levi Draheims home in Florida is in danger from rising ocean water. He is the youngest of a group of 21 young people who decided to sue the United States government over .

CHAPTER FIVE

MAKING PREDICTIONS

Once you have a list of options, you can begin evaluating them. Evaluating is all about measuring how positive or the consequences of each option could be. Since you cant try out all the options, the best way to do this is to make predictions.

A prediction is an educated guess about what will happen in the future. Predictions use your imagination, but they also rely on observations, experience, and . In addition to what you already know, you might need to find more information, or knowledge about something, to help you make a prediction.

Imagine that youre choosing to play a sport. Can you predict what might happen if you join the tennis, soccer, baseball, swimming, or basketball teams? What sports have you played before? What do you know about each team? Gathering information can help you make predictions about each option.

Before choosing a sport, find out when practices and games are, what supplies you need, and whos on the team. This can help you predict which choice will be best for you.