Why is Jack the hero in the story of Jack and the Beanstalk? It’s because he made the best choice or best tradeoff. The moral of this story is to take advantage of the opportunities that life gives you. Jack took a huge risk when he exchanged the cow for the magic beans. When we make a choice, we are participating in something called a “tradeoff”. A tradeoff is –

• A sacrifice that must be made to get a certain product or experience
• When a person gives up the opportunity to buy ‘good B,’ because they want to buy ‘good A’ instead
• When a student gives up an evening of playing video games in order to study for a test because they want to get a high grade

Homeschoolers/Parents/Educators: Sketch/color an illustration. Theme: tradeoff. Read the story “Jack and the Beanstalk” in Learning to Read: Favorite Fairy Tales. Talk about what you like the best about this fairy tale. Play the maze game “Find the Right Path”. Write about what you need to give up in order to get something better. Finish this sentence: I want to… (Skills: identify, comprehend, critical thinking, creativity)