Content Area: Health and Physical Education

 

Index: 2.3A Grade 6 CPI 2

 

Standard: 2.3 - Drugs & Medicine

 

Strand: A -   Medicines 

 

Cumulative Progress Indicator: 2 - The student will discuss medicines used to treat common diseases and health conditions.

 

Grade: 6

 

Sample Activities:

 

·        USING MEDICINES AS DIRECTED - Brainstorm health conditions that might require treatment with medication (e.g., poison ivy, strep
throat, acne, hives, upset stomach, pneumonia, HIV infection). Log the list on chart paper or the chalkboard. Divide the class into small groups and distribute various empty bottles/containers of prescription and over-the-counter medicines (supplied by the teacher or school nurse). Groups examine
the labels and package inserts for information on the uses (indications), type of drug, dosage, warnings, and side effects. Supply the class with excerpts from consumer guides and pharmacological information books to assist in gathering more information about the product. (Students can explore pharmaceutical company Web sites.) Write important points about the medication on large sheets of newsprint and post them on the wall. Using the chart, each group describes the product they researched and where they found that information. Be sure students indicate if the medication/product they researched is a prescription or over-the-counter medicine. Reinforce important rules about the use of medicines. As a culminating activity, divide the class into pairs. Using small empty boxes or bottles, students design medication labels and packaging inserts for a make-believe medicine. Display and discuss the hypothetical products. Students write a paragraph about the need to read and follow directions and the possible consequences of improper use.

 

·        TOP 10: COPING - Brainstorm and list common health complaints of young adolescents (e.g., headache, stomachache, sore throat). Divide the class into small groups, and assign each group a health complaint from the list. Each group develops a list of 10 strategies to cope with the problem without resorting to medicines. Students create a poster or bulletin board entitled “Top 10 Things to Do When You Don’t Feel Well—Without Taking a Pill.”