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Educators
Integrating Anti-Drug Education into General Curriculum
Note to teachers: Delivering the anti-drug message is an important role of any educator. It can also be an effective
way of teaching general subjects, including: reading, writing, mathematics, science, health and consumer science. We have developed these lessons to assist you in your classroom, as extensions of your school
curriculum.
Newspaper In Education is an international program offered by most major newspapers. NIE programs offer either free newspapers (sponsored by companies, grants or individual donations) or low-cost newspapers for classroom use. In addition NIE programs offer teacher workshops and seminars, games and contests and specialized newspaper supplements for teachers and students. For information on an NIE program near you please contact nie@timesnews.com.
NIE Anti-Drug Curriculum for your classroom:
Drinking and Driving
Substance Abuse and Teen Pregnancy
Substance Abuse and Crime
Illicit Drugs
Dangers of Gateway Drugs
Substance Abuse and Your Health
Activity 1:
Drugs are often in the news - drug abuse, drug dealing and more.
As a class, search the newspaper for several days for stories that involve drugs. Separate the stories you find into categories under the headings, "Local", "National", "International". Which type of story is most common in your newspaper? Why do you think that is the case?
Activity 2:
Many students
say they receive messages from advertising and the media that encourage them to smoke or use alcohol.
Others say that since Americans are protected by the right of free speech, they should have the right to advertise their product - even to teens and children. As a class, stage a debate. Have one group of students argue free speech. Have the other group debate the importance of health issues.
Activity 3:
Interview your
school principal about your school's drug policy.
Present your findings to your classmates. Conduct a group discussion and compile a list of recommendations for your principal. Research other drug policies (businesses, sports teams etc.) to see how yours compares.
Activity 4:
Not all teens
use drugs or participate in criminal behavior.
In fact, most do not. Have students locate positive stories about teens in the newspaper, on the Internet, or local television news. Collect positive stories for one week. Then ask students to locate negative stories about teens from the same sources. Conduct a class discussion about how teens are portrayed by the media. Have students write letters to the editor of your newspaper describing their findings.
Activity 5:
Often the
comics portray real-life situations.
Using your newspaper's comics section, cut out any comic strips that demonstrate personal relationships. Compare the differences between comics that represent poor relationships with those that demonstrate positive relationships. Further, discuss how family and personal relationships may affect a teen's decision to drink or use drugs.
Activity 6:
Some teens
think they have nothing in common with their parents.
Ask students to find something interesting in your newspaper that their parents may also find interesting. Have students take the article, advertisement, photo etc. home to their parents for a discussion. Students should write about the dialogue they had with their parents about the item.
Activity 7:
The White
House Office on National Drug Control Policy oversees a National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign.
Have students design their own local media campaign. Break the class up into sections. Assign one group the responsibility of designing storyboards depicting a persuasive anti-drug television commercial. Have another group design a newspaper advertisement and a third group design a radio public service announcement. Have students discuss what they want the viewer/reader to get out of their advertisement.
Activity 8:
The health
affects of smoking, drugs and alcohol are numerous. Create a bulletin board that depicts the human body.
Each week of the school-year, have students research one particular part of the body (organs, nerves, muscles) and how that body part is affected by cigarettes, specific drugs and alcohol. Chart the results on the class' bulletin board. At the end of the school year, invite local health officials to your classroom to view your research results.
Activity 9:
Students often
look to positive role models to shape their life.
Have students find a story in your newspaper about their role model. This may be a local person, a national leader or a sports hero. Ask students why this person is a positive role model. Encourage students to research what the role model's "Anti-Drug" may be (the thing the role model focuses on instead of drugs). Write a letter to this individual stating why they are your role model and thanking them for being inspirational.
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