Critical Decision Making

Have you ever been faced with making a difficult decision? So often in life we find ourselves at crossroads; some of minor importance, such as choosing which shoes to wear to a party; and some of great magnitude, such as deciding on a career path or area of study. Whichever the case may be, the basic essential questions are usually the same: What are my options? Should I or shouldn't I? Which choice is better for me? What will happen if I make this decision? What are the consequences? To facilitate decision making, it can be helpful to organize all the information and factors involved in the situation. First, acknowledge the decision you must make (eg., which shoes to wear to the party). Next, identify what your options are (eg., high heels or sneakers). Now consider the possible positive and negative outcomes of choosing each option (eg., high heels look pretty, but are difficult to walk and dance in; sneakers are not very dressy, but would be very comfortable, and would allow me to enjoy myself more). Finally, evaluate how important each of the possible outcomes may be to you, and why. Now make your decision...and if the shoe fits, wear it!

Vocabulary:

crossroad: a time when you have to choose between two or more different things

minor: small

magnitude: large, or of importance

essential: necessary

options: choices, things to choose from

consequences: results of one's actions (usually negative)

Use the vocabulary words to complete the following sentences:

1. Even though she fell off her bike, she only had a ________ bruise on her knee.

2. In order to follow this recipe exactly, we will need all the ___________ ingredients.

3. Tom loves kittens but Lauren loves puppies; they found themselves at a ________ deciding on a pet.

4. When you do not follow the rules in class, you must suffer the ___________ of your actions.

5. She knew the whale was large, but did not fully appreciate its ________ until she saw it in person.

6. The menu had so many ________ that it was easy to find something I liked.

Grammar Point: Causes and Results

As discussed in this passage, our decisions (causes) can lead to a variety of outcomes (results). We can expresss such relationships between events using words such as so, then, therefore, thus, hence, as a result, consequently, and in that case. Using the example of deciding which shoes to wear, write a sentence about the decision and the outcome including cause and result words or phrases. If you write a good sentence then you will have mastered this grammar point!

Are you LOST?

One of my favorite television programs is LOST. Now in its fifth season, I have been a loyal viewer of the show since the very beginning, when Oceanic Flight 815 first plummeted down onto the mysterious island. But lately I find myself on the verge of being lost! Ever since the Oceanic Six have returned from the island to their "normal" lives, viewers have experienced a series of flashbacks and flashforwards...not to mention the flashes back on the island, which have the remaining survivors traveling through time and history on the island. It is often difficult to keep track of what point in time we are visiting the Others or members of the Dharma Initiative. The characters may go from childhood to adulthood and back again with a simple flash of light. Perhaps, as John Locke believes, it was the fate of the passengers to end up in this odd new world, and this is why he is committed to getting the Oceanic Six to return to the island. He believes their return is a necessity not only to the safety of the remaining passengers, but also to the survival of the island itself. Is it possible that their return will stop the flashes, and allow them all to settle back in the present? Or will returning to the island be their demise? Stay tuned to find out...I know I will!

Vocabulary

1. plummeted: to fall quickly

2. on the verge: close to, on the edge

3. flashback: to see something that happened in the past

4. flashforward: to see something happening in the future (or present in the case of LOST)

5. fate: destiny, something that is meant to happen or to be

6. demise: ruin, end of existence, death

Complete these sentences with the vocabulary words:

1. The fly met its _________ when it landed in the spider's web.

2. When I heard the children playing, I had a __________ to my own childhood long ago.

3. They are such a great couple, it was their ______ to be together.

4. I was so exhausted that I was ____________ of falling asleep.

5. I often _________ to imagine what I will be doing 10 years from now.

6. The stockmarket has really __________ during this economic crisis.

Grammar Point

We can use a variety of words, including modal verbs, adjectives, nouns, and adverbs, to help us to express modal meaning: showing ability or possibility. The passage above demonstrates this by incorporating such words as perhaps, or possible. Can you find other examples of modal expressions?

Am I smarter than a third grader?

Every weekday we follow a strict routine in my family. Alex, Sami and Aidan get out of school at 2:30 in the afternoon and we go straight home. The first thing on our agenda is homework, but we often make some time for an after school snack. As it turns out, I am usually the most in need of some brain food as we undertake the evening's assignments. When did homework become so difficult? I am proud to say that I excel at Aidan's Pre-K assignments, and rarely come across a challenge that I cannot meet. Sami's first grade homework gets the juices flowing in my brain, neither for the content nor its difficulty, but instead for all the new terminology and methods that make the content almost unrecognizable to me. Then there's Alex's third grade homework. I used to consider myself quite a proficient mathematician, but I now find myself relying on my calculator to check his calculations. By the time all the assignments are complete, I feel as though I have just struggled through an entire school day, and that I have just barely lived to tell about it!

Vocabulary

1. routine: something you do on a regular basis; day to day
2. agenda: a schedule, or order of events
3. undertake: to start something, or take on something
4. terminology: words used in a process, or to describe something
5. unrecognizable: something you do not know, or have never seen before
6. proficient: to be very good at something

Use the vocabulary words to complete these sentences:
1. Sheila changed so much that she was _______________ to me.
2. When will you be able to _________________ that new project?
3. We always go to breakfast after Mass as part of our ____________.
4. She has studied Italian for many years, and is _____________ in the language.
5. Our travel ____________ states that we will go to London before Paris.
6. The teacher gave me a vocabulary list for the lesson so that I could learn the __________.

Grammar Point: Conjunctions
Conjunctions are words that act like glue. They help us connect one thought to another, or to connect two or more independent clauses to create a compound sentence. Two common examples of conjunctions are 'and' and 'but,' although there are many more. Reread the passage above and find examples of conjunctions. Then try to write your own sentence using a conjunction.