Educating Students about Drug Use and Mental Health - Grade 2: Expectation 1

Grade 2 Overview

Expectation 1

2

3

Specific Learning Expectation

Describe the difference between prescription and non-prescription medicines.

Background for Information

Grade 1: Recognize commonly used medicines and household products.
In Grade 1, students may also have been introduced to the concepts of wellness, hazardous products and when and how medicines should be used with rules for safety. The decision-making model of "LOOK, THINK, DECIDE, ACT" (used wiith permission from the "Making Decisions Program" (1999) Alcohol-Drug Education Service, Vancouver B.C.) may also have been introduced, with students looking at situations to determine the safest choice when confronted with potentially harmful situations regarding substances. For a review of these lesson plans, see "Grade 1: Lesson Planning Process - Overview & Expectations".

Hot Tips for Teachers

Prescription medicines are those taken only:

• when a doctor or dentist orders (prescribes) them
• for a specific reason
• for a specific person
• when a specially-trained person, called a pharmacist, prepares them.

Non-prescription medicines are products that are displayed in supermarkets, department stores or drug stores which treat certain conditions.

• Anyone can buy non-prescription medicines.
• You do not have to see a doctor first.
• They are also called "over-the-counter" medicines, because you take them off the shelf and pay at the checkout-counter.

Teaching/Learning Strategies

1. Ask students if they have ever heard the word "medicines." Tell the class that the next few health classes are going to be spent talking about medicines.

2. Brainstorm with the children a list of medicines they may have learned about before or have heard about. The list should include:

• cough syrup
• asthma inhaler
• insulin bottle/syringe
• Tylenol
• nose drops
• ointment tube
• vitamins

3. Introduce the concepts of prescription and non-prescription medicine. Discuss why people use medicines. Ensure the following list is included:

• to help our bodies to do things they can't do on their own (e.g., insulin)
• help us feel better when we are sick (e.g., Tylenol for fever)
• help us stay well (e.g., vitamins)

Ask the children: Where do we go to get medicine? Should include:

• drug store or pharmacy (other terminology may be related to cultural issues (e.g., "chemist" in British system, herbal medicine provider in China)
• doctor

4. Activity:

Handout a list of the differences between prescription and non-prescription medicines (see "Hot Tips for Teachers").

Using the list the children have brainstormed, have the students decide which medicines are prescription and which are non-prescription. Break the students up into small groups and ask each group to come up with one reason why they have placed the medicines in either the prescription or the non-prescription category.

Assessments of Learning

1. Review and discussion of the concept of medicines

2. Brainstorming a list of medicines

3. Discussion of differences between prescription and non-prescription medicines

4. Having students complete the sheet on their own indicating which medicine on the brainstorming list is prescription and which is non-prescription

5. In small groups, contributing to a discussion of what makes medicines prescription or non-prescription. Teacher observes level of participation and ability to explain the differences

Rubric for Levels of Assessment
 

Level 1: Needs assistance to understand the definition of "medicine" and the difference between prescription and non-prescription medicines. Communicates poorly, making many errors or omissions, rarely uses appropriate terminology. Level 2: Shows some understanding of the definition of medicine and the difference between prescription and non-prescription medicines with several errors or omissions. Communicates with some clarity, sometimes using appropriate terminology, making some errors or omissions. Level 3: Shows understanding of what a medicine is and the concept of the difference between prescription and non-prescription medicine and can communicate that concept, usually using appropriate terminology, with few minor errors. Level 4: Shows understanding of what a medicine is and the difference between prescription and non-prescription medicines, and can communicate this information clearly and precisely, making no errors, using appropriate and varied terminology.

 Additional Resources

There are some additional resources listed at the end of this document. You may also check with your local school board, public health office or call the central information numbers at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health:

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