Content Area: Health and Physical Education

 

Index: 2.3A Grade 6 CPI 4

 

Standard: 2.3 - Drugs & Medicine

 

Strand: A -   Medicines 

 

Cumulative Progress Indicator: 4 - The student will describe factors that impact the effectiveness of a medicine.

 

Grade: 6

 

Sample Activities:

 

·        MEDICAL INTERFERENCE - Ask students to define interference. Draw a parallel to sports by asking students what happens when a football, soccer, or basketball player is interfered with during a game. Explain that the same thing can happen when an individual takes one medication and then takes another drug or medication. Explain that some drugs may interfere by blocking the first medicine’s effects, by making its effects stronger or weaker, or by hampering the body’s ability to use the drug appropriately. Describe the possible consequences of drug interactions. Provide several examples of situations in which students might be asked or pressured to use a substance that might interfere with a medication they are taking (e.g., allergy medicine and alcohol, dairy products and some antibiotics). Students practice different responses for each situation and vote on the best responses.

 

·        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.