The pamphlet provides a framework for teaching decision making skills at the elementary and secondary levels. The first section presents five criteria for selecting instructional objectives, subject matter, and teaching procedures in basic education. The criteria include (1) emphasis on skills for daily living, (2) relevance to students' personal experiences, (3) continuity of curriculum throughout grade levels, and (4) practical application of skills. The second section describes the Essential Learning Skills Television Project, which creates brief television programs to help fifth and sixth graders develop skills in communication, math, and critical thinking. The third section suggests instructional procedures for developing other television programs and related printed materials. Much of the discussion centers on how to teach students to make two types of decisions: factual and value-oriented. Factual decisions involve gathering and evaluating information to choose between alternative claims about reality. Value decisions involve use of both facts and value judgments to choose among alternative courses of action or policies. The concluding section evaluates the pamphlet's teaching ideas in terms of the original five criteria for basic education. (Author/AV)