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What Would You Do? Moral Dilemmas Book 2 Review by Jennifer Barker

Michael O. Baker
The Critical Thinking Co.
PO Box 1610
Seaside, CA 93955-1610
800-458-4849
http://www.CriticalThinking.com

What Would You Do? Moral Dilemmas Book 2 aids parents and teachers in discussing problems and situations that students might face. This book is meant for grades 6-12. It is not intended to teach morals or ethics or to be used as a textbook for a student's personal use. This is a discussion guide only.

The introduction provides teaching suggestions and suggests ways the book can be used. Twenty-nine scenarios are covered, and with each one is a list of questions that will prompt a student's problem-solving skills as well as teach them how to navigate their moral compass. Here is an example:

"Suppose a friend of yours is so overweight that he or she is always the brunt of jokes. You enjoy each other's company, but you fear your friend is hurting your chances of getting dates." (p. 15) The teacher or parent would then discuss in-depth with their child how he/she should handle the situation. "Would you explain your concern and stop hanging around your friend?" or "Would your do or say nothing and hope for the best?" What would you want your child to do?

Cheating, lying, and interpersonal relationships are just a few of the struggles faced by students in the pre-teen to teenage years. The author covers these topics and many more. However, the format of problem 29 is different from the rest. The student is asked to select ten qualities in the list provided that they would either value or not value in different people (for instance, someone with whom they would share a romantic relationship).

It is important to use this book as a tool to prepare the child to make these decisions and to think over these topics in the safety and comfort of an adult's supervision. The adult or parent can help the child see the different sides of the issue so they can come to the best solution themselves. Then if a similar situation does occur, the child will already have a plan of action. Although the book covers a large age group, each topic would need to be evaluated for appropriateness for the age of the child.

Product review by Jennifer Barker, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, April 2008

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