Law and Morality
	The Bereans - Marion Tarbox, Spurgeon Intermediate
	One of the elements that seems to be missing in today's society was known as "counting the cost." Before most people built a house, bought a car, got married, or changed jobs, they usually went through a process that would have allowed them to count the cost, to know in advance the advantages and disadvantages for that particular action at that particular time. Too often today, it seems, no one is counting the cost. This lack can be seen not only in students but in adults, and families, as well as cities, states, and countries. People are doing things, people are demanding things without counting the cost. There are huge costs involved in many of the "choices" people are making today, and someone is going to be paying for the way people are living their lives and the choices they have made. Our students will be making choices about many life-changing (and some life-threatening) habits: smoking, drugs, gambling, sex, pornography, abortion, etc. They will also be making choices on careers, religion, eating habits, exercise habits, behavioral habits, credit cards, video games, etc. Many things will be presented to them in the menu of life. Many choices society says are okay. But are they? How are students to decide if they haven't been taught to "count the cost?" How will they decide if they haven't been told the truth about the costs? Have they been given the tools to correctly discriminate between a good and a bad activity? Have they been given the ability to discern between things that will enhance their lives and the things that will jeopardize them? Have they been given examples of right living and right decisions to emulate as they mature? Knowledge is power. If students can learn to seek and love knowledge, truth and wisdom, they will have the power they need to prevail in this world. One of the ways to prepare students for this search is to teach them the skills necessary for research. Some of the tools for research are the computer and the spreadsheet. The purpose of this unit is to prepare students to use the spreadsheet to chart information they have found. Charting and comparing facts will give them a basis from which to make decisions affecting their lives. Whether it is information on when and how to buy a car or a home, or which state to live in, or whether some lifelong habits are better left alone, they should be able to find and understand the information upon which to make their decisions. After they have acquired the skills necessary to handle the data, it will be time to find information. This information can come from almanacs, journals, articles, newspapers, books, or the Internet. It can be canned information already provided by the teacher, or the students can be taught to go to the source.