Content Area: Health and Physical Education

 

Index: 2.3C Grade 6 CPI 4

 

Standard: 2.3 - Drugs & Medicine

 

Strand: C - Dependency/Addiction and Treatment

 

Cumulative Progress Indicator:  4 -  The student will describe how substance abuse affects the individual and the family and describe ways that family and friends can support a drug-free lifestyle.

 

Grade: 6

 

Sample Activities:

 

·        THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE - Initiate a student discussion with these questions: “Close your eyes and imagine where you might be 5, 10, and 20 years from now. Do you see yourself happy? successful? having fun? What do you think what might happen if you start using drugs? How might your life be different?” To focus on the possible effects of the use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs during one’s life, students create an upside-down book. One side of the book—the positive, self-affirming side— contains self-portraits, drawings, poems, or descriptions of how the student envisions himself/herself at various stages of a drug-free life cycle. The other side of the book contains similar drawings, this time showing how life might be different if the individual used alcohol, tobacco, and/or other drugs. After the books are completed, students exchange books with a classmate. In pairs, students discuss the books. Reconvene the entire class and summarize the potential effects of substance use.

 

·        ON THE JOB - Explain how the use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs interferes with job performance. In order to understand this better, students interview a school staff member about his/her job. Each student is given a teacher-prepared questionnaire for the interview. Questions should focus on what the person does, the skills and personal qualities needed for the job, and educational requirements. After the interviews, organize students into groups by job title. Students compare the results of their interviews and predict how the use of ATODs might interfere with job performance.

 

      Variation: As a follow-up activity, students role-play a job interview. Using a script, costumes, and props, students assume the roles of employer and prospective employees. Two of the job candidates should exhibit some signs of substance use (e.g., chain smoking, acting very lethargic or wired). After observing the interviews, the class votes on who should be hired for the job. Discuss the criteria used to make the judgment.

Variation: Introduce the concept of preemployment drug screening, and discuss how drug testing might impact one’s ability to gain employment.

 

·        DEPENDENCY IS AN ILLNESS - Emphasize that chemical dependency is a treatable illness that can affect the entire family. Tell students that family members, who are often called codependent, can be helped just as the chemically dependent person can be helped. Ask students to bring to class a favorite food, such as a candy bar or cupcake. Students place the favorite item on their desk within reach; however, they cannot, under any circumstances, touch or eat the item. At the end of the day, collect the treats. Students share their feelings about the experience and respond to the following questions: “Did the treat cause you to become distracted from your work? Did you think about the treat when you left the room? Did you try to sneak a taste or smell of the item when you thought no one was watching?” Relate the feelings to those of a chemically dependent person and the potential impact of chemical dependency on the individual and his/her family.

Variation: Each student identifies a food frequently available to them whenever they want it, one they really enjoy eating almost every day (e.g., popcorn, ice cream, nachos). Each student completes a contract not to eat that food for one week. Students report their progress and at the end of the week share what they experienced while trying to abstain from eating their favorite snack. Discuss the differences between “needs” and “wants” and relate each to dependency. Important points include the need for behavior change, a personal commitment to change, and the strength of the desire for the food or substance.

 

·        DEPENDENCY TIMELINE - Extend a string along the chalkboard to simulate a time line. Attach signs to the string illustrating the progression of chemical dependency (learning/experimentation, social use, harmful use, and dependency). Post each sign and discuss the significance of the action or behavior. Place the symptoms from the four categories of chemical use progression on cards and distribute randomly to students. Students line up in the correct sequence to represent the stages of dependency. Engage students in a discussion of where the behaviors are placed on the continuum and direct students to move to the correct place. Discuss the symptoms of each stage. After summarizing the activity, each student writes a brief journal entry describing what he/she learned.

 

·        FAMILY BALANCE - In preparation for this activity, create a mobile (or use an existing one) and label the extensions of the mobile with the names of family members (e.g., mom, dad, son). Use the mobile to represent the family constellation. Family members have roles in the family system, and their roles— or behaviors— keep the family mobile in place. Brainstorm the roles and responsibilities of family members. Explain that the needs of the family are met through these roles and responsibilities, such as paying the rent, cooking, or doing homework. Then ask the class: “What might cause a family member to change their role? What will this do to the mobile?” The teacher may add a weight to one side of the mobile or shift the balance in some way to demonstrate the point. Then ask the class: “What can other family members do to restore the balance?” Again redistribute the mobile to make the
point obvious to the students. Ask students: “Is it always possible to maintain the balance?” Add weights or redistribute the mobile. Finally, explain to the class that a family can remain out of balance. When this happens, family members functions may change. That’s why some families are called dysfunctional families, they cannot restore the healthy functions or roles and continue to be off-balance in spite of shifting responsibilities. Ask students where families might go for help, and list their suggestions on the chalkboard. Students develop a list of community resources for families that need help and publish the list in a school newsletter.

 

·        BEING A PEER HELPER - Introduce this activity by asking: “How many times has someone asked you for advice?” Explain that sometimes the problem may be a simple one to solve or maybe the person just needs someone to be a good listener. Sometimes people may have really serious problems. In order to help someone, people need to be prepared. Organize the class into pairs and distribute a situation card to each pair (see examples below). Pairs discuss the situation and both team members practice a response to the problem. Keep students on target with questions such as: “What kinds of things can you do to help a person who has a simple problem? How do you know when a problem is more serious, requiring expert help? Where could you send that person for help?” After students have had sufficient time to practice each part, volunteers share their role-plays. Students complete the activity with a journal entry entitled “When a Friend Needs Help.”

SAMPLE SITUATIONS: PEER HELPERS
-        Someone discloses that his/her parents are getting a divorce.
-        Someone discloses that his/her parent was arrested.
-        Someone discloses that his/her brother is in the hospital after a drunk driving accident.
-        Someone discloses that he/she tried smoking marijuana.
-        Someone discloses that he/she has started drinking beer everyday after school.

 

·        TREATMENT - Divide the class into small groups and have each group investigate the cost of healthcare for individuals seeking treatment for ATOD problems. Be sure students consider the loss of work hours, the cost of health benefits, and other factors for both the employee and the employer. With the assistance of the SAC or school nurse, invite representatives from employee assistance programs, community service agencies, hospitals, and intervention programs to act as resources for the student projects. Each group presents its findings to the class.