Pick your poison: tobacco, alcohol, opiates, cocaine, or marijuana. An online exhibition launches a research project that asks groups to select one of the five drugs and gather information on how the use of the drug and the regulations...

Students investigate alcohol safety by researching the Internet.  In this drugs and alcohol lesson, students discuss the legal drinking age and brainstorm the problems drinking can cause.  Students complete a worksheet about...

Students identify the effects and consequences of using and abusing alcohol and drugs. In this drug education lesson, students watch a video about underage drinking. Students research an assigned drug and compose a PowerPoint...

Teenagers hear many messages about drugs from advertisements, their peers, their teachers, and their parents. But who is lying? What is the truth? A thorough, thoughtful unit takes a purposeful look at drug education, drug culture, and...

Marijuana affects the brain differently than inhalants, which have a different effect than opioids. Elementary and middle school classes read about these drugs as well as nicotine, methamphetamine, hallucinogens, and steroids before...

Students examine the reasons people use alcohol and discuss the negative things that can happen when mixing sex and alcohol. In this lesson on risky behavior, students explore the ways in which they can reduce the risks involved when...

One exercise does not necessarily work for all! A resource from the National Institutes of Health provides tweens and teens with exercises to help them cope with anxiety and stress. Participants note their stress levels before and after...

Students, in groups, research the physical, psychological and social effects of alcohol and marijuana on the people who use them. They prepare a class presentation with their research.

What is substance abuse? What is the difference between a depressant and a stimulant? Here is a comprehensive unit on drug use, including three lessons with such activities as categorizing and defining key terms, identifying...

Following a brief survey about tobacco, scholars examine a fact sheet to answer questions about the substance. A practice page challenges the class to determine the cost of the habit using money math. Pupils discuss their findings...

High schoolers examine that certain drugs interfere selectively with neurotransmission, and realize that the effect of a drug is dependent upon dosage and route of administration.

Sixth graders listen to a story titled "Thin Ice!" then partake in a whole-class discussion asking and answering questions about what was read. Scholars brainstorm risky behaviors in preparation for a game of RISKO—a game similar to...

Ninth graders use the internet to research the effects of alcohol and marijuana. They present strategies for resisting peer pressure.

Students critically evaluate young peoples' comments on under age drinking. They map out valleys tieing together communities and drinking problems in a variety of situation. In addition, they correlate drinking and education in schools...

Students use the Internet to examine ways they can prevent using drugs. They discover the dangers of these substances and complete online quizzes.

Young scholars examine drug and alcohol abuse by American teens. In this health journalism lesson, students read the USA Today article titled "Boomers Assess High School", respond to discussion questions regarding the article, and...

Life is all about choices, and a healthy life tends to involve a lot of healthy choices. Guide teenagers toward a life full of nutritious food, regular exercise, and responsible decisions with a series of lessons on healthy habits for...

Students examine how drug and alcohol use diminishes our ability to perform tasks that require manual dexterity such as driving a vehicle. Using gloves and sunglasses students attempt tasks and compare it with the relationsip to an...

Students read a comic about a teen drug overdose that leads to death. In this drug awareness lesson, students role play characters in the story that react to the death of their friend due to drug use in an online forum. Students evaluate...

February is Marijuana Awareness Month, and a set of interdisciplinary activities can make your class aware of the social, medical, legal, and psychological effects of marijuana. With writing prompts, research opportunities, and...

Students develop an awareness of the behaviors signaling that a friend may be in trouble with alcohol or drugs of abuse. They practice ways to encourage a friend to seek out adult help by viewing a video, role-playing situations, writing...

Students evaluate the effects of drug use on behavior, appearance and the ability to contribute to society.  In this drug education lesson students analyze the relationship between drug use and injury, violence and criminal...

Students evaluate the effectiveness of 'shock tactics' to discourage drug abuse. They view a video about the death of a 21-year-old heroin addict. In small groups they discuss the video and complete comment sheet.

"Understanding Influences," a richly detailed, carefully scaffolded unit, asks middle and high school scholars to examine how internal and external factors like friends, media, and society influence their attitudes and...