Educating Students about Drug Use and Mental Health - Grade 3: Expectation 1

Grade 3 Overview

Expectation 1

2

3

Specific Learning Expectation

Define the term "drug" and identify a variety of legal and illegal drugs.

Background for Information

Overall learning expectations regarding substance use and abuse for Grades 1 and 2 include:

• Grade 1: Recognize commonly used medicines and household products.
• Grade 2: Describe the effects on the body of appropriate and inappropriate uses of medicines.

As well, a decision-making model called "LOOK, THINK, DECIDE, ACT" (used with permission from the "Making Decisions Program" (1999), Alcohol-Drug Education Service, Vancouver, B.C.) was introduced which is continued in this grade. Students used this model to look for the safest choice about the use of medicines, household products, and possible healthy alternatives.

For a complete discussion of the previous program, including overall and specific learning expectations, see Grades 1 and 2: Lesson Planning Process - Overview & Expectations.

Hot Tips for Teachers

In this lesson, teachers will introduce the definition of a "psychoactive drug", which includes medicines (as discussed in Grades 1 and 2).

However, the discussion will expand to include other substances and to begin the discussion about whether certain drugs should be legal or not.

The definition of a "psychoactive drug" is a commonly accepted one:

A "psychoactive drug" is a substance, other than food, which, when taken into the body, changes the way a person thinks, acts or feels.

Legality of a substance is based on many things:

• concerns about the side effects of the drug
• how political will shapes social/public policy
• international drug policies
• concern about age and stage of development when use is initiated

Alcohol legislation is a good example of how laws have changed regarding the drug's use without the drug changing. Alcohol use was illegal in the United States in the early part of this century, because of concerns about the problems associated with its use and because of a strong social and religious movement to have it removed. Prohibition ended because there was another public outcry when the harms that resulted from making it illegal seemed worse than legalizing it and controlling its sale. However, it was made illegal for young people under the age of 19 in Ontario, 18 in Quebec and 21 in other places. Many young people contravene this law and are seldom punished, unless they harm someone while under the influence. The punishment for that type of harm, particularly as it relates to drinking and driving, is quite severe and has recently been increasing.

For Grade 3 students, it is enough to say that lawmakers make laws about the use of substances, with help from doctors and others, because they are concerned about public safety.

There is an age limit for using nicotine and alcohol because it is known that both these substances have stronger negative side effects on younger, developing bodies.

For specific information about nicotine, caffeine and alcohol and their effects on the body see the glossary. Generally, nicotine and caffeine both fall into the stimulant category, while alcohol is considered a depressant, both categories referring to the drug's effects on the central nervous system.

For those who have used these substances over a long time, the reaction may seem quite different. They may feel that a cigarette calms them down and a drink of alcohol perks them up. In reality, the substance continues to affect the central nervous system according to the category in which the drug is found.

Related Expectations

It is expected that the previous lesson plans and learning about medicine will feed into the examples of legal drugs discussed in this lesson. It is also expected that the idea of safety rules regarding medicine use, and what goes into decision-making for healthy alternatives, will be a natural bridge to discussing safety and decision-making for other drug use.

Teaching/Learning Strategies

1. Ask students to brainstorm: "What is a drug?" and write the semantic map/web on the board, or
   Write "DRUG" in centre of board with circle around it. Ask for information about "drugs" from students, drawing short lines out from the circle and adding words that come from students.
   
2. Talk about the "prickly" topic of drugs, or the "porcupine" of drugs, dispelling some of the myths that may have come up, e.g.,
   
   Myth: "All drugs are bad."
   Fact: "Medicines are drugs and many people need these drugs to keep well."
   Myth: "Drugs mean death."
   Fact: "Doctors need drugs to save peoples' lives."
   
3. Post the definition of "drug" from the section above ("Hot Tips for Teachers").
   
4. Write the word "Change" on the board. Remind students of the changes that medicines can create in the body. Also remind them that these changes can be helpful or harmful, depending on the way the medicine is taken, etc. 

Changes Exercise

• Ask students to find the pulse in their neck.
• Ask the students to note the strength and feel of their pulse.
• Lead the students in running on the spot for one full minute.
• Ask students to find their pulse again.
• Ask students to talk about the "change" in their pulse.
• This change happens automatically as soon as they start the activity.
  Automatic changes like this also happen when they take drugs.

Brainstorm a list of "drugs," including medicines (prescription and non-prescription), caffeine (in coffee, tea, chocolate, colas and some over-the-counter medicines such as cold preparations and headache pills), nicotine (in cigarettes) and alcohol. Students may mention the product (e.g., cigarettes) and the teacher will need to point out the "drug" (e.g., nicotine).

Discuss how nicotine, caffeine and alcohol change the way we think, act or feel (See "Hot Tips for Teachers" above for specific effects).

How do we know which drugs are OK to take?

Brainstorm a list including legal status and discuss the meaning of this (see "Hot Tips for Teachers").

Remind students of the safety rules for medicine that they learned in Grades 1 and 2.

Activity:

1. Visit a pharmacy

2. Set up a pharmacy in the classroom

Students can copy lists of legal and illegal drugs and decide whether or not they should be sold in the pharmacy

Assessments of Learning

1. Participation in brainstorm and discussion

2. Participation in "Change" exercise

3. Ability to link medicine as an example of a legal drug, but still with safety rules for use

Rubric for Levels of Assessment
 

Level 1: Needs assistance to understand the definition of a drug. Level 2: Shows some understanding of the definition of a drug and the difference between legal and illegal drugs with several errors or omissions. Level 3: Able to define the term "drug," with most of the required concepts relating medicines and safer use to this definition, as well as the difference between legal and illegal drugs. Level 4: Shows understanding of the definition of drug, which includes an understanding of the related concepts of legal and illegal drugs and the way in which medicines and safer use of medicines fits in with this definition.

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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