Scholastic
Analyzing Media Messages
Telling young people to just say no can be difficult in a world that inundates them with messages to just say yes. A lesson on media messages encourages teenagers to analyze song lyrics and advertisements that mention drugs and/or...
PBS
Stories of Painkiller Addiction: Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness Campaign
The I-STOP law was designed to regulate the distribution and tracking of prescription drugs. After reading an article about its signing and implementation, middle and high schoolers work together to come up with their own ideas for an...
Discovery Education
Is Our Community Influenced by the Opioid Epidemic?
Opioid abuse is becoming a national crisis, but combating the influence of opioids requires examining the ways it affects individual communities. A thorough teacher guide provides step-by-step instructions about implementing an...
PBS
Stories of Painkiller Addiction: The Brain on Autopilot
For some people, the force of addiction can be as biologically compelling as the drive for food or water. High schoolers watch a video segment about Ryan, a recovering addict, and learn more about how opioids and other drugs can affect...
PBS
Stories of Painkiller Addiction: Contemplating Nature vs. Nurture
Does having an addict in your family make it more likely to become one yourself? Explore the genetic risk factors, as well as the prominent environmental influences, for substance addiction in a lesson that encourages awareness and open...
Department of Education (Ireland)
Understanding Influences
"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 behaviors.
Nemours KidsHealth
Drugs: Grades 9-12
What do drugs do to the body and to the mind? What are the dangers of using drugs? How can teens respond to the pressure to use drugs? After reading a series of articles related to drug use and abuse, class members prepare a skit to...
Curated OER
Health: Influences on Decisions
Students discover factors influencing their decisions after explaining their reasons for choosing favorite beverages. Working in pairs, they complete worksheets about the influences on decision-making. They write stories about...
PBS
Stories of Painkiller Addiction: The Cycle of Addiction
Drug addiction, including prescription drug addiction, begins with a reason that's different for every user. High schoolers learn more about the reasons people begin abusing drugs with a set of videos and worksheets that discuss four...
PBS
Stories of Painkiller Addiction: Decisions and Consequences
Teach young learners that most drug addictions end in one of three outcomes: treatment, jail, or death. After watching a short video segment on the consequences of drug abuse, class members discuss what they viewed and consider what...
Curated OER
Peer Pressure
Eleventh graders analyze the social impact media plays in relation to peer pressure. In this peer pressure lesson plan, 11th graders listen to Afroman's "Lets All Get Drunk" and read the lyrics. Students write about the song and view a...
Nemours KidsHealth
Drugs
Young scholars investigate drugs by identifying which ones are illegal and potentially harmful. In this medicine lesson, students complete worksheets in which they role play situations where they have found or ingested drugs and decide...
Curated OER
Tonight's Homework - Watch Cartoons
Second graders explore various forms of media and its influence on their daily lives. Through an exploration of newspaper, commercial advertisement and audio media, they discuss the way media is used and how it can influence decision...
Curated OER
Making Choices about Tobacco Use
Students examine the dangers associated with smoking. In groups, they discuss what it means to be addicted to a drug and how the media influences our decisions. After watching excerpts of films, they identify the use of smoking and the...
Curated OER
Breaking News English: UK Doctors' Drink/Drug Problem
In this English worksheet, students read "UK Doctors' Drink/Drug Problem," and then respond to 47 fill in the blank, 7 short answer, 20 matching, and 8 true or false questions about the selection.
Curated OER
Substance Abuse Prevention at Hollywood High
Students research alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs using cd-roms, Internet websites, and media center materials. In small groups they write a script and create a computer animated movie using the "Hollywood High" computer software.
Curated OER
Time is In
Analyze the influence of culture, media, technology, and other factors on health. High schoolers will identify and recognize propaganda techniques (glittering generalities, bandwagon, sex appeal, testimonial, transfer, etc.) and write a...
Curated OER
If You Really Love Me
Students identify the effects of substance abuse. In this drug awareness lesson, students work together to develop a slogan for substance use and abuse. Each pair of students posts their slogans for the class to see.
Curated OER
Grade 9 - Personal Development (Substance Abuse Prevention)
Ninth graders evaluate peer, cultural, mass media, and social influences related to substance use and abuse. Define available support and describe use refusal skills.
Nemours KidsHealth
Smoking: Grades 3-5
Students discuss the pros and cons of smoking. For this smoking lesson, students navigate websites to find information on smoking and then participate in a discussion with specific discussion questions.
Curated OER
Health And Life Skills Outcomes
Young scholars use skills that are directly related to alcohol, tobacco and other drug choices (e.g., refusal skills, decision making, stress reduction skills)
Curated OER
Health and Home Economics
Eighth graders conduct research on a topic of choice. They discuss the topics of copyrighting, plagiarism, and biblipgraphic format issues, conduct research using a variety of materials and resources, and create a poster, travel...
American Psychological Association
Developing Adolescents
Why to young people act the way they do? Scholars investigate the stages of adolescent development incorporating high school psychology techniques. Using research from the American Psychological Association, they uncover the five areas...
Curated OER
Modern Counterculture Movements
Students prepare a presentation examining anti-establishment activity by groups in society today. They prepare a presentation, on poster board or presentation software, about one contemporary protest group.