Desktop - UNIT PLANNER

UNIT TITLE Whats the Big Deal

About Drugs?

SUBJECT PSE

GRADE 7

TEACHER(S)
J. Russell-Loewen

DATE

TIMING (WEEKS) 1 semester

LOCATION ON CALENDAR
(MONTH) Sept December

GUIDING QUESTIONS should be enquiry based, establish relevancy and at least one should focus on an AOI

What effects do smoking, alcohol and drugs have on a person? (Health and Social Education, Approaches to Learning)
How can I develop a drug-free lifestyle? (Health and Social Education)

LEARNING OUTCOMES - what a student should know, be able to do and understand. Outcomes should be measurable against criteria and include at
least one IT skill.

Students will be able to .

Identify the special benefits and challenges of life as a second-year middle school student
Discuss the knowledge and skills needed to navigate successfully through adolescence
Examine, identify and rank the influences, perceptions and pressures that affect young peoples choices and actions in school, among friends, in the media, and in
ones home country (thinking skills)
Consider how drug and alcohol use can create dependence at a time when adolescents seek more independence and control in their lives
Examine ways that tobacco, other drug, and alcohol use can affect young peoples lives and create dependency and reduced control
Think critically about why young people use or do not use tobacco, other drugs, and alcohol
Understand the misconceptions and research the facts about drugs, smoking and alcohol ( IT information literacy)
Follow the research process and prepare a creative presentation with a partner (using multiple intelligence options and IT) displaying the facts about a certain drug or
alcohol

(information literacy, collaboration, presentation)

Use effective and assertive ways to handle negative pressure to use drugs and alcohol

(communication, problem solving)

Create a classroom resource of fun, interesting, and worthwhile ways to stay clean and sober

(presentation)

Share insights about the unit with each other and build positive peer support for making healthy choices and avoiding harmful drugs

(collaboration)

KEY ASSESSMENT TASKS for subject based MYP criteria, as they appear on student reports. It is not essential to assess all in one unit.
A. Knowledge and
Understanding
o

Drug Research
project

Smoking/Alcohol
Graphic organizers

Quiz

KEY ACTIVITIES

B. Application of Skills
o

Performance Assessment of
Peer Pressure responses

Self and peer assessment

(projects, peer pressure)

Personal Commitment

C. Reflection and Evaluation

o

Journals (ongoing)

Self assessment of project

D. Presentation
o

Research project

See weekly plans on T drive for more detailed activities

Make KWL charts in small groups to keep track of questions and new things learned
Identify (using a web or chart next year on Inspiration) people and things that influence their choices and actions; explain how these can positive or negative
Define key terms to be used in the unit
Graffiti chart paper activity small groups rotate to list how drugs/smoking/alcohol are viewed in Home, School, Oman, Home Country, Media - discuss
Participate in a survey about their perceptions of young peoples use of tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs; compare their guesses with the reality
Research and present the ways smoking (one week), alcohol (one week), and drugs(2-3 week research project) can affect a young persons life using the research
process
Analyze the effects of smoking using the demonstration Smoky Sue and looking at research materials
Counteract myths about drinking/smoking/drugs with the truth (based on research)
Identify risks and positive options in typical situations involving alcohol, smoking, and drugs
Groups identify important goals for adolescence and adulthood and possible roadblocks to reaching these goals; discuss relationship between roadblocks and drug
use
Analyze lyrics of songs and listen to videos (Johnny Cash Hurt, Red Hot Chili Peppers Under the Bridge) to hear first hand account the effects of drugs
Discuss effects of drugs on James in A Million Little Pieces (read excerpts)
Discuss and list ways to handle inside and outside pressures to use alcohol and drugs; practice resisting both; rate peers on performance when responding to
teacher
Identify times they have felt stress; remind them of strategies they learned last year; discuss positive ways to deal with stress
List people they can talk to about difficult problems
Make a poster 101 Ways to Stay Clean and Sober
Create a personal commitment for how they will make healthy choices and support their friends in doing the same

KEY RESOURCES

Unit wiki site at http://jrloewen.pbworks.com/Healthy+Choices important research sites and videos useful throughout unit
Many ABA Books on Smoking, Alcohol, many different drugs (at least two per drug listed in project) mostly in 320s and 610s part of library
Alcohol Hotlist - http://www.kn.att.com/wired/fil/pages/listalcoholjr.html (link to site on wiki)
Smoking Hotlist - http://www.kn.att.com/wired/fil/pages/listsmokingjr.html (link to site on wiki)
Alcohol 3-D Kit in ABA Bookstore The Consequences of Alcohol Abuse
ABA Library Pathfinder (various resources for research project) - http://www.abalibrary.com/aba_sec_pathfinder.htm (hasnt been updated...used wiki more last 2
years)

First/Second-hand accounts of the affect of alcohol/drug/tobacco use (students? John? Brenna? Me-Jan Crook)
AADAC 4 Kids http://www.aadac4kids.com/index.asp
VHS PSE Resource Under the Influence (has been copied to a DVD-R)
Sask Learning Web Sites http://www.sasklearning.gov.sk.ca/pls/urldb/udb_ad_hoc_page_pkg.subj_detail_form?
a_keyword=drug+awareness&a_udb_subject_type_id=1

Drug Awareness Booklet (Kids Help Phone) http://www.health.gov.sk.ca/drug_awareness_pub/01K013-DrugAwareness.pdf

Making Healthy Choices glossary
Above the Influence - http://www.abovetheinfluence.com/
What you Need to Know About Drugs http://kidshealth.org/kid/grow/drugs_alcohol/know_drugs_meths.html
zoot2 (teen online magazine) - http://www.zoot2.com/justthefacts/index.asp
Online games about smoking, alcohol, etc. - http://www.zoot2.com/gamesactivities/index.htm
DVD: Teen Files: The Truth About Drugs PSE Resource
On Your Zone teacher resources unit plan - http://teacher.aadac.com/prevention/school_resources_own_your_zone/gr7/oyz_overview_gr7.asp
Smoke Free Movies - http://smokefreemovies.ucsf.edu/problem/index.html
Songs/Music Videos Johnny Cash Hurt and Red Hot Chili Peppers Under the Bridge and Book: A Million Little Pieces
Movies (i.e. Click, Billy Madison, Austin Powers, Old School, Sleeping Beauty (yes, the Disney one!), Dumbo, Pinocchio, Scary Movie 3 or 4, Dazed & Confused,
Mean Girls, Thirteen, American Pie any, Mr. & Mrs. Smith)

INTERDISCIPLINARY LINKS.

Science (Lloyd Clark) respiratory system, cardiovascular diseases

Phys. Ed. (Chris Sylvester) breathing through a straw activity
English (Mel, Diana, David) No Turning Back main character gets involved with inhalants; students discuss the reasons why and the effects in both classes

Teacher REFLECTION of unit

Student FEEDBACK

The hotlists were really useful for having students research smoking and alcohol in centres (some books, some
IT resources). Helpful to have new addition of hands on materials i.e. alcohol effects kit.

Students feel much more informed and able to make a

healthy choice.

This year I gave them more time to practice peer pressure than previously, and the students this year did much
better. They all had the option to keep trying until they achieved all criteria, and most chose to do so and really
excelled by the end important to build on skills from bullying unit in G6.

Students especially enjoyed and found meaning in the

101 Ways, Smokey Sue demo, peer pressure
performances, and the drug presentations.

Many in-depth and meaningful discussions arose from reading A Million Little Pieces and watching the music
videos.

Students requested more games.

More print resources for the specific drug projects have arrived, which are very useful to the research phase.

Some students wanted a bit more time to practice

responding to peer pressure.

ACTION to take for next year, based upon reflection and feedback.

Order even more visual aids and hands on resources to meet the needs of visual/kinesthetic learners.

Laminate peer assessment cards for rating peer pressure responses as well as rubric for Application of Skills i.e. 7 skills needed eye
contact, firm steady voice, stops the pressure, influences friend positively, etc.