• Michigan Merit Curriculum
• Standard 6: Decision Making
– 4.7 Apply decision-making and problem-solving steps to
generate alternative solutions regarding social situations
that could place one’s health or safety at risk
– 4.8 Predict the potential short-and-long term effects of
each alternative on self and others, and defend the
healthy choice(s).
• Standard 5: Goal Setting
– 4.6 Develop short-term and long-term personal goals and
aspirations.
Identify the steps in the
decision-making.
Explain why it is important to
practice decision making.
Develop and implement an
action plan for setting a goal.
Identify influences on health.
Page in workbook
Step 1: D = Define The Problem– What
decision needs to be made?
Step 2: E = Explore Alternatives –
What are the possible choices that
I could make? Remember to
include “not act at all,” if
appropriate. Share your options
with responsible family members,
teachers, or friends..
Step 3: C = Consider Consequences – Is there
both positive and negative results of each
choice? Is the decision healthful, safe, and
legal? Does it show respect for myself and
others?
Step 4. I = Identify Your Values:
Is your course of action is in keeping with your
values and the values of your family and
community?
Ask yourself are you comfortable with the
possible outcome?
What will I feel about this decision in the
weeks and months to come?
Step 5: D =
Decide and Act
Use everything you
know at this point to
make a responsible
decision.
You can feel good
that you have
carefully prepared
and thought about
the situation and
your options.
Step 6. E = Evaluate:
Ask yourself: What was the outcome? Was it
what I expected? How did my decision affect
my health? What effect did my decision have
on others? What did I learn? Would I take
the same action again?
Define the problem.
Explore the
alternatives.
Consider the
consequences.
Identify your values.
Decide. Make a
decision and act.
Evaluate the decision.
Value: relative worth, merit, or importance. Are
the beliefs and philosophies that we hold about
life, its purpose, and our own purpose.
Our values are the ideas we hold about what is
important and what is not, what is wrong and what
is right.
They are behind all of our beliefs, interests and
goals.
They influence what friends we choose, what we do
with our free time, how we spend money.
Values are what DRIVE OURACTIONS.
Values
•
•
•
•
•
•
Love
Health
Wealth
Comfort
Fun
Happiness
•
•
•
•
•
•
Success
Learning
Peace
Intimacy
Adventure
Security
Directions: Prioritize your list. Identify the top
value, then the second highest value, and so on
until your prioritize the whole list. Which of
these values is truly the most important to me in
life?
The “Decision-making Model” will help you
make decisions that will:
Protect your rights, health, and selfrespect, while respecting the rights ,
health, and self-respect of others.
1. Practicing your decision-making skills can
prepare you to handle real-life situations.
2. Setting and achieving goals is important to
the quality of your life
3. A key to effective goal setting is learning to
develop and implement an action plan.
Do your plans include further
education and a family?
What type of job do you hope to
have?
What do you hope to have
accomplished by the age of 25?
Having and setting goals is one way to help
shape your life in a positive directions.
A goal is something you aim for that takes
planning and work.
 Short-term goals goal
setting over a short period
of time.
Long-term goals take a
period – sometimes
months or even years-to
achieve.
Long-term goals can be
achieved by breaking
them down into shortterm goals.
• Make your goals your
goals, not someone else’s
• Your goals should match
your hopes and dreams.
• They should be realistic,
but do not be afraid to
dream.
• Make sure your goals will
not harm your health of
anyone else’s.
•Set a goal because it will help you grow, not
because you want to out do someone or win
someone else’s attention.
•If your fail to reach your goal, use what you
learned from the failure to set a new goal.
An ACTION PLAN to identifying and achieving goals.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Identify sources of help and support.
Set a reasonable time frame for reaching your
goal.
Establish checkpoints to evaluate your progress.
Time frames…
Reward yourself after reaching your goal.