Grade Level

/Subject
Context
Description

Socioscientific Lesson Plan

Veterans and Opioid Addiction
Stephanie Dickerson
th
11 Grade Chemistry
This lesson will be a mixture of chemistry and biology topics that will be
used for students to understand the science behind addiction and the impact it
has on parts of the brain and their functions. Throughout this project, the
students will learn information about the brain and the function of different
components that play roles in substance addiction. The students will need to
have an understanding of chemical reactions and the structures associated
with chemical compounds. The knowledge required for the biology
component of the project will have to be taught throughout the lessons as
well as the students will conduct their own research on the changes that occur
in the brain for someone with substance use disorder as well as the chemical
reactions that occur in the brain to cause these changes and responses to
different chemical stimulants or depressants. The chemical reaction prior
knowledge was assessed during the Chemical Reactions and Equations unit
through multiple in class activities, homework assignments and lab
investigations. My students prior learning experiences have impacted the
planning of this lesson to make it meaningful to them and to draw
connections across multiple scientific disciplines. Throughout the school year
the students have expressed concern that the topics they are learning in
chemistry do not relate to their lives or their chosen career paths. With this
lesson, the students are using biology, chemistry and even psychology to
investigate the impact opioids and other addictive substances, in this case
heroine will be another drug the students will encounter during their research,
can have on a very respected group of Americans. This lesson will build
connections between what students already know about veterans, the
conditions they may return home with after leaving the service and the
treatment of veterans once they return home.

Standards Met
SC.CHE.2.1
SC.CHE.2.1.a
SC.CHE.2.1.b
SC.CHE.2.1.c
In the physical science syllabus, coefficients were introduced to balance
simple equations. Other representations including Lewis structures and threedimensional models also were used and manipulated to demonstrate the
conservation of matter in chemical reactions. In this course, more complex
reactions will be studied, classified and represented with chemical equations
and three-dimensional models. Classifying reactions into types can be a
helpful organizational tool in recognizing patterns of what may happen when
two substances are mixed (see Note).
Some general types of chemical reactions are oxidation/reduction, synthesis,

Socioscientific Lesson Plan

Veterans and Opioid Addiction
Stephanie Dickerson
decomposition, single- replacement, double replacement (including
precipitation reactions and some acid-base neutralizations) and combustion
reactions. Some reactions can t into more than one category. For example, a
single replacement reaction also can be classified as an oxidation/reduction
reaction. Identification of reactions involving oxidation and reduction as well
as indicating what substance is being oxidized and what is being reduced are
appropriate in this course. However, balancing complex oxidation/reduction
reactions will be reserved for more advanced study.
The rate of a chemical reaction is the change in the amount of reactants or
products in a specific period of time. Increasing the probability or
effectiveness of the collisions between the particles increases the rate of the
reaction. Therefore, changing the concentration of the reactants, the
temperature or the pressure of gaseous reactants can change the reaction rate.
Concept
Addressed

The big idea being taught by this lesson and the sequence of lessons that will
follow is for students to be socially and scientifically conscience. They will
learn how to not only use their own feelings on a subject to justify the
acceptance or rejection of an issue, but how to back up their beliefs with
scientific research and evidence. The rationale behind this lesson plan is to
have students discuss what they already know about veterans and begin to
build their opinions about the use of highly addictive opioids to treat chronic
pain in veterans and the overall impact this has on their mental and physical
health. In order to do this, the students will be presented with several articles
that present both sides of the argument (veteran addiction is on the rise due to
over use of opioids to treat chronic pain or there isnt a correlation between
the two.) The students will also be able to conduct their own research to find
reliable resources on the subject. This justification is related to the
overarching concept because students will need to begin by determining
where they stand on the issue and in order to do this they will have to gather
information about both sides of the issue.

Objectives

The students will be able to:

Communicate information they already know about veterans and
addictive substances to the class.
Explain the basics of the chemical reactions that occur in the brain of
a person suffering from Substance Use Disorder or addiction

Academic
Language

Identify negatives of using opioids to treat veterans with chronic pain

Identify positives of using opioids to treat veterans with chronic pain
Develop an opinion on the issue of opioid use in the treatment of
chronic pain for veterans based on scientific evidence
The essential vocabulary chosen for this lesson is:
Opioid- an opiumlike compound that binds to one or more of the
three opioid receptors of the body.
Opioids are substances that act on opioid receptors to produce
morphine-like effects. Opioids include opiates, an older term that
refers to such drugs derived from opium, including morphine itself.

Learning
Strategies

Materials
Needed
Safety Needs
and Instruction

Socioscientific Lesson Plan

Veterans and Opioid Addiction
Stephanie Dickerson
Substance Use Disorder (SUD)- also known as drug use disorder, is a
condition in which the use of one or more substances leads to a
clinically significant impairment or distress. Although the term
substance can refer to any physical matter, 'substance' in this context
is limited to psychoactive drugs
Veteran- A veteran (from Latin vetus, meaning "old") is a person who
has had long service or experience in a particular occupation or field
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)- a mental health condition
that's triggered by a terrifying event either experiencing it or
witnessing it. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares and
severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event.
Chronic- persisting for a long time or constantly recurring.
Direct Instruction- this strategy will be used at the beginning of class to
give students an overview of the topic and the assignment. This will also
be used at the end of class during the presentation on addiction chemistry.
Whole Group Discussion- this will be used during Segment 1 when we
discuss the students background knowledge on veterans, opioids and
addiction.
Individual Work- the students will complete the K and the W portions of
the KWL chart on their own prior to the group discussion.
Real Life Application- this topic connects since to a station that many
people in US have served
1. 1 Laptop per student (Students have one to one laptops)
2. 25 copies of Pros and Cons Chart
3. 25 copies of How Can My Students Determine if a Web Source is
Reliable?
There are no safety needs for this lesson.
Pre-class Prep: Make all copies necessary for the lesson. Have chairs set up
in a circle for the round robin on veterans that will happen towards the
beginning of class.
Engagement/Introduction/Hook (10 minutes): Whole Class Activity

Instructional
Outline

The students will sit in the circle that has been set up prior to class to create a
sense of community and support as some students ma have emotional stories
about family members who fought in the war, parents who are overseas, or
people who passed away in the line of duty. The students will be instructed to
take out a sheet of paper and take notes they feel are necessary for their
understanding of a socioscience topic. For the intro, I will give an overview
of what a socioscience issue is and how it is related to the project we will be
working on for the next several days.
Transition 1 (10 minutes): Individual Activity
I will pass out the KWL charts so the students can individually write down
what they know about veterans, the experiences they have overseas, and what
happens when they come back home. The students will also write down what
they know about addictive substances and the impact they have on the human
body. After the students have taken the time to write down their own thoughts

Socioscientific Lesson Plan

Veterans and Opioid Addiction
Stephanie Dickerson
we will discuss them aloud in a guided discussions.
Segment 1 (20 minutes): Whole Class Discussion
The discussion will be lead by a series of questions read by me and the
students will then be able to answer and respond to other students answers.
The questions will be as follows:

Does anyone have a family member who has severed?

What do you know about their experiences overseas?
Does anyone currently have a family member serving?
What do you know about the lives that some veterans lead once they
return to America?
Does anyone know anything about PTSD? If so, what do you know
about it?
Does anyone here know what the term addiction means or what
affects it has on the brain?

After the students have answered these questions, there will be time left to
share any other stories the students have in relation to veterans or addiction.
Transition 2 (5 minutes): The students will place the chairs back at their
tables as I distribute the pros and cons worksheet that they will record their
research on and the how to find reliable sources worksheet
Segment 2 (10 minutes): Teacher Instruction
There will be a short video that the students will watch that explains the
chemistry of addiction in terms they can understand. There will also be an
exit ticket given that assesses the key points presented in the video to ensure
students understand the basics of how addiction occurs.
http://www.techinsider.io/chemistry-of-addiction-brain-drugs-2015-9
Closure (3 minutes): For homework, the students will conduct research on
the differing viewpoints surrounding this issue. They were given a handout
that gave instructions for finding reliable internet sources and they will be
required to list where they got their information. The pros and cons
worksheet will be used during class tomorrow, as the students will be
debating for the side they have chosen.
Modifications

Assessments of
Learning

The modifications made for this lesson are different types of activities to suit
learning styles. There is individual work, group discussions as well as
research that is conducted at home so students can develop their own
opinions in a safe non-judgmental environment. For socioscience topics
students may feel more comfort discussing their opinions after looking up
more information to support what they believe with scientific facts. After the
students have identified what stance they will take on the issue, they may
chose to work with a partner to complete a presentation presenting their
stance, support and proposed solution.
Formative Assessments: KWL chart to determine what students know already
about veterans and veterans treatment. The KWL chart will let me know that

Socioscientific Lesson Plan

Veterans and Opioid Addiction
Stephanie Dickerson
students can identify the information they already know about the topic even
if they do not want to speak out loud during the discussion. The round robin
discussion will also assess this same objective. The pros and cons worksheet
will be assigned a grade for completion. This will assess objectives 3, 4 and
5.
Summative Assessments: The exit ticket will be given a grade for accuracy of
understanding of the chemistry behind addiction.

Name:_______________________________________ Date:___________ Bell:____________

What I LEARNED

What I WANT to Learn

What I KNOW

Veterans KWL

Name:_______________________________________ Date:___________ Bell:____________

How Can My Students Determine if a Web Source is Reliable
Students often uncritically accept information they see in print or on the Internet. Students should
be encouraged to carefully evaluate sources found on the Internet. The evaluation tool (below)
will help students analyze web resources in terms of accuracy, authority, objectivity, timeliness,
and coverage. Consideration of these factors will weed out many of the inaccurate or trivial sites
students may encounter while doing online research. Analyzing web resources
Answer the following questions to evaluate web resources.
Accuracy
Are sources listed for the facts?
Can information be verified through another source?
Has the site been edited for grammar, spelling, etc.?
Authority
Is the publisher reputable?
Is the sponsorship clear?
Is a phone number or postal address available?
Is there a link to the sponsoring organization?
Is the author qualified to write on this topic?
Objectivity
Does the sponsor have commercial interests?
Is advertising included on the page?
Are there obvious biases?
Currency
Is a publication date indicated?
Is there a date for the last update?
Is the topic one that does not change frequently?
Coverage
Are the topics covered in depth?
Does the content appear to be complete?

Name:_______________________________________ Date:___________ Bell:____________

Pros

Cons

What stance will you be taking on this issue now that you have conducted your research?

Exit Ticket

Name:_______________________________________ Date:___________ Bell:____________

1. What is the chemical called that is released in the brain to make you feel a surge
of pleasure or enjoyment?

2. Psychoactive drugs such as amphetamines and cocaine increase the amount of the
chemical identified in number 1 by how much?

3. When the brain constantly experiences these increased levels of the chemical,
what happens to the receptors in the brain? How does this change lead to
addiction?

Name:_____________________________ Date:________________ Bell:___________

Exit Ticket
1. What is the chemical called that is released in the brain to make you feel a surge
of pleasure or enjoyment?

2. Psychoactive drugs such as amphetamines and cocaine increase the amount of the
chemical identified in number 1 by how much?

3. When the brain constantly experiences these increased levels of the chemical,
what happens to the receptors in the brain? How does this change lead to
addiction?