Be aware, not dependent!

Subject: Social studies
Summary: Students present constructive ways in which the following risk situations can be addressed: smoking/alcohol intoxication/drug use which occurs either as influence from the family, or peer pressure, bravado and curiosity or as a means to explain a difficult situation in school results (failing exams, dropping out etc).
Activity length: Duration is 45 minutes.
Objectives:
  • Students give examples of possible causes of drug consumption (or alcohol/tobacco) among teenagers.
  • Students bring arguments in favor of their choices in the given situations, learn how to ask questions and find weak points in someone’s arguments.
  • Students convince peers that his arguments are stronger.
Preparation:

Teacher prepares a Power Point presentation on the lesson theme, consisting of:

  • What drugs are;
  • Risks of drug consumption;
  • Types of drugs;
  • Effects of drug abuse and use;
  • Ethnobotanical substances;
  • How to be aware of the risk of the “White Death”
Description:

Part 1: Teacher writes the following spidergram (see additional notes) on a flipchart.

The students must mention all the details connected to the given words: a word, a phrase, a short sentence. (possible choices: addiction/dependence, recklessness, illusion, pain, sickness, death, family…).

The teacher completes the poster with all the students’ ideas and the announces the lesson theme: the reasons that determine why some people to consume drugs.

Part 2: Teacher presents the prepared presentation focusing on the issue: Why is prevention important in drug use?

Part 3: The teacher splits the students in groups of 4 or 5, according to the class arrangement and if they can move according to the number of students in class. In groups of 4 or 5, students are asked to pick 3 causes which, to them are the most important, by negotiating and then choose a representative of the group to present the ideas in front of the class and in a dialogue with the others. They discuss and negotiate the most important causes/reasons.

Students look for arguments, giving details of concrete situations they know from reading the press or from other people’s experiences. Answers are noted.

(Possible answers: lack of information, parental role models, curiosity, peer pressure (the group of friends they have), school issues, family issues, (the lack/absence of one or both parents, the parents’ lack of interest towards their children, just for fun, boasting etc.).

Part 4: Each group receives a flip chart paper where they write sentences about drug consumption; they must find positive aspects about the situation, solutions on how to overcome the situation. (See additional notes).

Each group will present its solutions by the voice of their representative. The teacher will evaluate originality, the way of presentation and the power to convince the representatives of the other groups; at the same time, after the presentation of the solutions, the other groups have the chance of addressing questions to verify the applicability of the chosen solutions.

Assessment:

The teacher will have a grid/table with the name of student, his ability of debating, pluses and minuses, depending on what he wants to demand from the students and will give advice in an encouraging manner to improve students’ speech and negotiation with the others.

Additional notes:

GROUP 1:

Many young people start smoking because their parents smoke. They could drink because they see how dad crosses the line in this respect.

If we do not want to be like them there are many ways to do this. Here are some examples of good things to do:

 

GROUP 2:

Many teens start smoking or drinking alcohol because this is a way in which you can have fun with your friends.

Here is how you can have fun with your friends, without smoking or drinking alcohol:

 

GROUP 3:

Most often a friend is the one who convinces you that no harm will be done if you smoke and if you don’t the others will consider you a coward. In fact, such a person is not your friend.

This is how a true friend behaves:

 

GROUP 4:

Curiosity is a natural urge to find out/see/try/know new things, events, phenomena. Curiosity is a good thing, out of curiosity we discover the world, we learn new things. It is good to be curios, but some of us are curious about cigarettes, drugs or alcohol.

Here are some good things that we could do/know/find out of pure curiosity:

 

GROUP 5:

On many occasions various problems can make people appeal to the illusion of drug use. For students, such problems might be:

Poor school results

A subject which they have flunked/failed

A broken friendship, etc.

Here is how we could really deal with these problems:

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