Content Area: Health and Physical Education

 

Index: 2.3B Grade 12 CPI 4

 

Standard: 2.3 - Drugs & Medicine

 

Strand: B - Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs

 

Cumulative Progress Indicator:  4 -The student will describe the impact of alcohol and other drugs on those areas of the brain that control vision, sleep, coordination, and reaction time and assess how the use and abuse of alcohol and other drugs impairs behavior, judgment, and memory.

 

Grade: 12

 

Sample Activities:

 

·    NATURAL HIGH - Students research the effects of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs on the various functions of the central nervous system. Be sure students investigate naturally occurring substances, such as endorphins. Students create a video entitled “100 Ways to Feel Great Without Using Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs” and develop posters, banners, or bumper stickers to support the theme.

 

      Variation: In small groups, students simulate the movement of neurotransmitters across the synapse. Each student portrays a different aspect of the process. Students develop diagrams, models, or computer graphics to illustrate the workings of the human brain and the effects of various substances
on human behavior.

Variation: Students investigate the effects of exercise on the human brain and emotions.
 

·    WHAT HAPPENED?  - Divide the class into groups of four students. Each group discusses normal brain function and the effects of alcohol on the brain. Groups discuss ways to resist or prevent problems related to alcohol consumption. Provide each group with a scenario, similar to the ones below. Each group analyzes a scenario and answers the following questions during the course of the discussion:
-    What is the problem?
-    What factors will influence alcohol’s effects on this person?
-    What behaviors can be expected?
-    How could the situation be prevented?
-    What help may be needed? Where should the person go for help?

SAMPLE SCENARIOS: ALCOHOL
-    Michael is a 32 year-old male attorney, 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighing 165 pounds. At lunch he consumed three glasses of beer with his sandwich. Now he wants to stop at the store to pick up some gum so his breath will be fresh for his afternoon court appearance.
-    This is Tom’s first semester in college and he seldom drinks. Tonight he is pledging a fraternity and has to compete in a “chug” contest. The other pledge wins the contest because Tom passes out. Tom is not feeling well and his new fraternity brothers put him to bed to sleep it off.
-    Maggie has been drinking beer on the beach with her friends. The sun feels very hot now and when she tries to stand, she loses her balance a bit. She starts towards the water to cool off.
-    Ellen is a 22-year-old married female who just found out she is pregnant. Her husband, Roger, is away a lot on business, and she spends many lonely nights reading and sipping wine. For the second night in a row, she realizes she has consumed an entire bottle of wine in less than two hours.