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

Grade 2 Overview

Expectation 1

2

3

Specific Learning Expectation

Outline the safe use of medicines (e.g., the need for an adult to supervise the administration of medicines, taking proper dosage).

Hot Tips for Teachers

In this class, you will introduce the concept that sometimes medicines can be harmful, for the following reasons:

prescribed for someone else

• not the correct amount (too little or too much)
• taken for too short or too long a time
• too old/out-of-date
• antagonistic or stronger when used with another kind of medicine you are already taking
• taken in a different way than prescribed (e.g., crushed tablets when supposed to be swallowed whole)
• prescribed for some other condition
• exposed to sunlight, heat/cold or other environmental concerns
• side effects (e.g., cold and cough medicines may make you sleepy)
• allergic reaction
• related to means of ingestion (e.g., by injection)

Related Expectations

Describe the effects on the body of appropriate and inappropriate uses of medicines (see overall expectation).

Teaching/Learning Strategies

"Be Wise With Medicines" (Adapted with permission from Tuning Into Health: Alcohol and Other Drug Decisions (1986), Alcoholism Foundation of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB)

1. Review the use of medicines for different reasons (Grade 2 - Lesson 1: "Why People Use Medicines").

2. Introduce the idea that sometimes medicine can be harmful because it contains drugs which can cause problems if taken incorrectly. Use the example of an allergic reaction to penicillin.

3. Put up a list of safety rules about taking medicines (see below):

1. Never take anyone's medicine.

2. Never take more than one medicine at a time unless under a doctor's direction.

3. Take medicine only in the way your doctor tells you to (e.g., at the same time every day).

4. Use the medicine only when it is needed.

5. Children should only take medicine when it is given by a "trusted" adult (define "trusted" according to previous lessons).

6. Keep medicine out of the reach of small children.

7. Never use medicine that is old.

8. Old medicine (check expiry date) should be returned to the Pharmacy and not flushed down the toilet, or thrown in the garbage.

9. Always make sure you can read the directions on the medicine bottle (good light, understand symbols).

10. Know if you are allergic to any medicine and tell your doctor or caregiver.

Discuss these safety rules with the class. Does anyone have a personal example about medicine causing rather than helping a problem?

Prepare a bulletin board with "Safety Rules for Medicines".

Divide the class into 10 groups. Assign each group one of the 10 safety rules for the use of medicines. Ask each group to illustrate the rule by cutting and pasting appropriate pictures from magazines, or drawing and colouring their own ideas.

Post completed drawings on the bulletin board.

Assessments of Learning

1. Discussion from review of why medicines are used

2. Discussion of what might go wrong if the safety rules about taking medicines are not followed (Picture to accompany one of the safety rules)

3. Observation of small group work

Rubric for Levels of Assessment
 

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