Goals of Elementary Decision Skills

• To cultivate awareness that “we’re all in this together,” and that our consideration of each other is essential
• To provide a language for talking about key ethics concepts, and to encourage discussion of ethical issues
• To provide practical experience with core values as the underpinnings to common ethical ground
• To promote Ethical Fitness® by providing tools and experiences in analyzing and resolving tough ethical dilemmas
• To promote moral courage through practical experience in putting ethics into action

Intended Learning Outcomes

After completing all age-appropriate lessons in this curriculum, students should be able to:

• Understand the basic responsibilities of working in any group
• Use ethics terminology appropriately and consistently
• Recognize and understand most choices between right and wrong
• Understand that some choices are a conflict of right versus right
• Analyze, to some degree, right-versus-right dilemmas based on four paradigms and begin to resolve right-versus-right dilemmas
• Define and recognize moral courage as a part of ethical decision making

The Concept “Build”

Elementary Decision Skills is organized by concepts that build on one another as follows:

• Awareness
• Values
• Decision Making

Each curriculum is accompanied by a teachers’ guide; lesson plans including readings, overheads, and handouts; numerous examples of ethical dilemmas appropriate to elementary-school settings; assessment tools; listings of additional resources; and, for younger students, “A Note to Parents” discussing the lessons.

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