Reality Matters: Deadly Highs: Teacher s Guide

Transcription

1 Reality Matters: Deadly Highs: Teacher s Guide Grade Level: 6-8 Curriculum Focus: Health Lesson Duration: One to two class periods Program Description A new generation is experiencing addiction to drugs and alcohol that the modern world has made alarmingly accessible. Internet sales have become a popular way for underage teens to purchase alcohol. Acid is now available in clever strips that fit neatly inside a school notebook, and a large number of teens are becoming addicted to drugs available in their parents medicine cabinets. Discussion Questions Before watching the video What image comes to mind when you visualize a drug addict? As you watch the program, think about the choices that led these students to drug addiction. Note why the students were drawn to drugs and consider the consequences of the students action. After watching the video Is it really possible to engage in casual drug use? Explain the meaning of this question: Do you control the high, or does the high control you? At what point does drug use become addiction? Lesson Plan Student Objectives Examine the influence of families and peers. Understand the cycle of addiction to drugs and what can be done to prevent it.

2 Reality Matters: Deadly Highs: Teacher s Guide 2 Materials Paper and pencils Newsprint and markers Computer with Internet access (optional but very helpful) Procedures 1. Begin the lesson by asking students why they think people experiment with drugs. Write their ideas on a piece of newsprint. Then ask students why they think some young people go from experimentation and social use to drug dependency, which eventually results in addiction, a physiological dependence. Write down any ideas students may have about why drug experimentation escalates. Then put away both sheets until later in the lesson. 2. Discuss with students the cycle of addiction, a scientific theory about why experimentation with drugs can lead to addiction. The cycle of addiction includes the following steps: (1.) A young person is feeling pain and discomfort due to family or school problems. (2.) Looking for ways to feel better, the person starts to take drugs. (3.) At first the drugs seem to work because they dull the pain. So the person keeps taking the drug. (4.) From this point, it may not take long for the person to become addicted because he or she has developed a physical dependence to the substance. Now the person can think only about getting more of the drug. (5.) At this stage, a serious downward spiral begins. The person will sacrifice family, friends, school, or work for drugs. Changed both physically and mentally, the person is now an addict. 3. Discuss the cycle of addiction with the class. You may have a whole-class discussion or copy the information above and hand it out to students. Or students may look at the following Web sites for more information After students have some understanding of the cycle of addiction, present the two scenarios below. They focus on how such a cycle gets set into motion. You may copy the scenarios or read them aloud to students. Then ask students to answer the questions that follow. Students may work alone or in small groups to complete the activity. Scenario 1 Allison was having a bad year. After years of not getting along, her parents had finally decided to get a divorce. While there was a lot of tension in the house, her parents were trying hard to be polite to each other and considerate of Allison s feelings. Always a good student, Allison continued to find comfort in studying hard and getting good grades in school. Her best friend, Susie, had really been there for her, too. Every weekend Susie had planned something fun for

3 Reality Matters: Deadly Highs: Teacher s Guide 3 them to do by themselves or with other friends. Over the past several months, Allison and Susie had gone ice-skating on a regular basis, seen many movies, and gone bowling. Allison had also continued to play soccer on her school s team. Throughout the year, Allison had been able to talk to her parents about the pending divorce. Allison s parents had been willing to listen to her concerns and discuss her anger about this big change in her life. Allison felt really sad, but she also felt that she was going to be all right. Scenario 2 Laura felt as if her life were falling apart. Her parents had just told her that they were getting a divorce. The news did not come as a surprise, although Laura had always hoped they would find a way to stay together. Her parents didn t talk to her about her feelings. And now that Laura needed her friends, they seemed to have disappeared. The best part of her life was playing soccer because she liked being part of a group. But she didn t socialize with the girls on her soccer team. Laura had always been a good student, but she was having great difficulty concentrating on her schoolwork. Her friend Katy had invited Laura to go to parties, but she had always said no because she d heard kids brought drugs to those parties. Feeling lonely and isolated now, Laura considered going to a party with Katy. It might be a way to forget about her problems for a little while. Questions (a) Which girl is more likely to become involved with drugs? Why? (b) What role do friends play in both girls lives? Do you think friends are an important influence? Give reasons to support your ideas. (c) What role does family play in the girls lives? Do you think the family is an important influence? Give reasons to support your ideas. (d) Do you think that Allison is going to turn to drugs? Why or why not? What factors in her life will help her make decisions about taking drugs? How do you think these factors will affect the way she makes decisions about other issues in her life? (e) Do you think that Laura is going to turn to drugs? Why or why not? What factors in her life will affect the way she makes a decision about drugs and other issues in her life? (f) What do you think are some characteristics of people who turn to drugs? What are some characteristics of people who cope in other ways? Give examples to support your ideas. 5. Give students time in class to answer the questions. Then discuss their responses. Which girl did students think was more likely to turn to drugs? What reasons did students give? 6. Make a class list of characteristics of people who begin using drugs. Students will probably say that people who turn to drugs have the following characteristics. They are lonely. They are unhappy. They feel isolated. They are looking for ways to ease their pain.

4 Reality Matters: Deadly Highs: Teacher s Guide 4 Assessment Use the following three-point rubric to evaluate students work during this lesson. Vocabulary 3 points: Students were highly engaged in class discussions, gave thoughtful responses to the questions following the scenarios, made a strong list of characteristics of young people susceptible to drugs, and had strong interpersonal skills. 2 points: Students participated somewhat in class discussions, gave careful but somewhat simplistic responses to some of the questions following the scenarios, made an adequate list of characteristics of young people susceptible to drugs, and had average interpersonal skills. 1 point: Students participated minimally in class discussions, gave simplistic responses to a few of the questions following the scenarios, made a weak list of characteristics of young people susceptible to drugs, and had weak interpersonal skills. addiction Definition: Physiological dependence on a certain drug Context: Alex thought that he could snort cocaine without developing an addiction, but he soon learned that he couldn t control his cravings. cycle of addiction Definition: A downward spiral of unhappiness, followed by drug use and temporary relief, that leads to physical and mental dependence Context: By the time Jake s mother realized that he had a drug problem, he was an addict, the final phase in the cycle of addiction. drugs Definition: Substances such as alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine that are unhealthy, illegal in some cases, and can lead to addiction Context: At some of the parties given during middle school, a few kids brought drugs for others to try. peers Definition: A group of people of the same age, grade, and social standing Context: As young people move from childhood into adolescence, they become more involved with their peers. Academic Standards National Academy of Sciences The National Science Education Standards provide guidelines for teaching science as well as a coherent vision of what it means to be scientifically literate for students in grades K-12. To view the standards, visit

5 Reality Matters: Deadly Highs: Teacher s Guide 5 This lesson plan addresses the following science standards: Science in Personal and Social Perspectives: Personal health; Risks and benefits Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL) McREL s Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education addresses 14 content areas. To view the standards and benchmarks, visit This lesson plan addresses the following national standards: Language Arts Viewing: Uses viewing skills and strategies to understand and interpret visual media; Listening and Speaking: Uses listening and speaking strategies for different purposes Support Materials Develop custom worksheets, educational puzzles, online quizzes, and more with the free teaching tools offered on the Discoveryschool.com Web site. Create and print support materials, or save them to a Custom Classroom account for future use. To learn more, visit DVD Content This program is available in an interactive DVD format. The following information and activities are specific to the DVD version. How To Use the DVD The DVD starting screen has the following options: Play Video This plays the video from start to finish. There are no programmed stops, except by using a remote control. With a computer, depending on the particular software player, a pause button is included with the other video controls. Video Index Here the video is divided into four parts (see below), indicated by video thumbnail icons. Watching all parts in sequence is similar to watching the video from start to finish. Brief descriptions and total running times are noted for each part. To play a particular segment, press Enter on the remote for TV playback; on a computer, click once to highlight a thumbnail and read the accompanying text description and click again to start the video. Curriculum Units These are specially edited video segments pulled from different sections of the video (see below). These nonlinear segments align with key ideas in the unit of instruction. They include onscreen pre- and post-viewing questions, reproduced below in this Teacher s Guide. Total

6 Reality Matters: Deadly Highs: Teacher s Guide 6 running times for these segments are noted. To play a particular segment, press Enter on the TV remote or click once on the Curriculum Unit title on a computer. Standards Link Selecting this option displays a single screen that lists the national academic standards the video addresses. Teacher Resources This screen gives the technical support number and Web site address. Video Index I. Deadly Highs (4 min.) Anti-drug campaigns are compared to the variety of drugs easily available at schools, parties, and through friends. Students talk about curiosity and peer pressure that lead to experimenting with drugs. II. Temptation (6 min.) Sarah Tosone, a recovering addict, describes her desire for risks and an adrenaline high; she thought using drugs would help her fit in. An emergency room doctor presents medical risks from experimenting with drugs. III. Addiction (8 min.)) Students describe how drug addiction felt physically and emotionally. They talk about how easy it is to abuse legal drugs. Huffing hydrocarbons is presented as one of the most dangerous addictions. IV. Tough Decisions (7 min.) Students talk about why and when they stopped using drugs. The story of a girl who was killed by someone who used drugs emphasizes how drug use can hurt others. Curriculum Units 1. Anti-Drug Campaigns Q: Have you ever been to an anti-drug rally? If so, what did you learn? A: Use students answers as an introduction to the video segment. Q: What do you think is the best age to talk about drugs? A: Accept students ideas from their own experiences. The video suggests that it is most important to keep talking about drugs through middle school and high school. 2. Why Teens Experiment Q: What are some reasons you think kids try drugs? A: Student answers will vary, but will probably include peer pressure and curiosity. Record their ideas to compare to those given by students in the video.

7 Reality Matters: Deadly Highs: Teacher s Guide 7 Q: Why was using a variety of drugs stated as dangerous? A: Knowing the effect of one drug does not mean that you will react the same way to a different drug. Kids think that they are different and that they will not get addicted or be hurt. One experiment can change your life. 3. Adrenaline Highs Q: What is an adrenaline high? A: Answers will vary, but most students will say that it refers to a feeling of exhilaration from an extreme event like winning a championship game, river rafting, snowboarding, etc. Q: What are some dangerous ways kids get an adrenaline high? A: Answers will vary, but should include information from the video: driving too fast, shoplifting, drinking at parties, and taking drugs. 4. Self-Esteem Q: How do you decide if someone is cool? A: Students answers will vary, but probably will focus on looks, clothes, and risk-taking behaviors. Q: What is self-esteem? A: Self-esteem is how you see yourself and how you feel about yourself. It is normal for most students to have highs and lows in their self-esteem and to make decisions based on how they feel about themselves. 5. Progression of Drug Use Q: Who are drug addicts? A: Record students answers to compare to answers they give after viewing. Q: What does it mean to be addicted to a drug? A: Chemical addiction means that your body needs the drug to function. The drug no longer gives a high because the body needs its chemical to keep going. People can also be emotionally or socially addicted. 6. Risk Factors Q: What are some of the health risks from using drugs? A: Answers will vary, and many students may say that marijuana will not hurt them. Listen for answers that acknowledge that different drugs will affect individuals differently. Also, a person may react one way to one drug and a different way to another.

8 Reality Matters: Deadly Highs: Teacher s Guide 8 Q: What are some of the health risks of using drugs? A: Death from an overdose is possible, but more commonly teens suffer from seizures, strokes, or panic attacks while high. Extreme nausea and depression can occur when a person is coming down from a high. At some point, the body becomes chemically dependent on the drug, leading to physical reactions when the drug is not available. 7. Abusing Legal Drugs Q: What are legal drugs? A: Answers will vary with students stating individual drugs by name. Q: If a drug is legal, how can it be a problem.? A: Abused legal drugs include prescription and non-prescription medicines taken in any way other than directed or prescribed by a doctor. If a medicine is taken in doses other than prescribed, or taken by another person, that is breaking the law and risking a medical problem. 8. Huffing Q: What is huffing? A: Students should know that huffing is inhaling from an aerosol can. They may also mention sniffing magic markers, glue, or cleaning supplies. Q: What health risks does huffing pose? A: Teens can black out, have a panic attack or a stroke, or even suffer cardiac arrest. Long-term effects include permanent damage to the brain and sinus passages and allergy-like illnesses. Headaches and runny noses are common, too. 9. Genetic Predisposition Q: Do you think there is any way to know who will get addicted to drugs? A: Answers will vary, but most students will likely say that they know they would not. Q: What is the increase in addiction risk to a teen who is predisposed to addiction? A: A teen with a predisposition to addiction has a 15 to 25 percent chance of becoming addicted, or about one in four teens. It is difficult to identify who is predisposed to addiction. 10. In Detox Q: Many teens think they can stop using a drug anytime. How hard do you think it would be to stop using drugs? A: Answers will vary, but students may say that it would be easy if they wanted to stop.

9 Reality Matters: Deadly Highs: Teacher s Guide 9 Q: What is detox? A: Detox, short for detoxification, is the process of the body ridding itself of a drug or any other chemical substance. 11. Risks to Others Q: How might one person s drug habit injure someone else? A: Record students answers and compare them to answers after watching. Q: How did Jennifer die? And what happened to the driver of the car? A: Jennifer was killed in a car in which the driver became unconscious after huffing. He was in a coma for four months and suffered permanent brain damage. Now he s in prison for manslaughter. 12. Resistance Q: Many teens think that drugs won t hurt them. What do you think? A: Accept students ideas and compare them to answers following the video. Q: Why are kids tempted to use drugs? A: Answers will vary and may reflect personal experiences. Video-related responses should include that their friends do it, drugs are easily available, curiosity, and desire for a thrill.