Educating Students about Drug Use and Mental Health - Grade 5: Expectation 3

Grade 5 Overview

Expectation 1

2

3

Specific Learning Expectation

• Demonstrate resistance techniques (e.g., avoidance, walking away) and assertive skills (e.g., saying no) to deal with peer pressure in situations concerning substance use and abuse.
• Demonstrate a variety of refusal and assertive skills.

Background Information

Students identified resistance skills in Grade 4. These included:

• broken record (saying the same thing over and over)
• reversing the pressure ("Why are you teasing me?")
• making an excuse
• walking away
• saying "No" clearly, suggesting another activity

Hot Tips for Teachers

In this lesson, students will be examining responses which can be considered assertive, aggressive and passive. It is important to facilitate a discussion concerning the choice to "walk away". Sometimes this is seen as passive and sometimes as assertive and the students will need to determine the difference.

Teaching/Learning Strategies

1. Review resistance skills introduced in Grade 4.

2. Brainstorm a list and write on the chalkboard.

3. Discuss assertive, aggressive and passive behaviour.

4. Activity:

In the following scenario, ask students to identify what is assertive, what is aggressive and what is passive behaviour.

Joey and his friends are planning to enjoy a day at the beach. Just as they set up their towels and cooler, some older kids come along and tell them to take off because they want this spot.

Fred, Joey's best friend, puts his head down and starts to pick up his things to move.

Mary, Joey's sister, says, "No way, you jerks. No one is pushing us around. I'll show you who's boss." and starts to make motions as if she'd like to fight.

Joey doesn't want to leave but he doesn't want to fight either. He says to the older boys, "You know what, we were here first and we don't want to change places now." He looks at the older kids but doesn't threaten them. He is clear about what he thinks is right.

Discuss:

Who showed aggressive behaviour?

Who showed passive behaviour?

Who showed assertive behaviour?

What could be the reaction to aggressive behaviour?

What could be the reaction to passive behaviour?

What does aggressive behaviour look like? Ask for a volunteer.

What does passive behaviour look like? Ask for a volunteer.

What does assertive behaviour look like? Ask for a volunteer.

Look at the list originally written on the chalkboard. Are these resistance skills examples of assertive behaviour? Why? Why not? Put a star beside the most assertive responses.

In small groups, complete the "What Could I Say" worksheet (Courtesy of American Health Foundation: Know Your Body - School Health Education Program (1996), published by Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, Dubuque, Iowa. Phone 1-800-228-0810).

What Could I Say?  

Read the following situations. Using the list on the chalkboard, describe what you could say and then role-play your responses to see if you were right.

Your friends know that your parents are at work until 6:00 p.m. A couple of them have come over to listen to your new CD. When you offer them a juice box, they notice beer in the fridge and say, "Let's have a beer." What could you say?

______________________________________________
______________________________________________
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You are new in the school and get asked to the "cool crowd's" lunch in the park. It becomes evident that you were supposed to bring some "coolers" (fruit-flavoured alcohol drinks). You know that coolers have alcohol. Your new friends want to know why you didn't bring any. What could you say?

______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________

Have students write a paragraph in their journals/logs about a time when they believe they were assertive in their reaction to a problem situation.

Assessments of Learning

1. Review of previous information about resistance skills

2. Participation in brainstorming a list of resistance skills

3. Participation in discussion about assertive behaviour

4. Observation of small group work

5. Completion of work sheets on "What Could I Say?"

6. Journal/log

Rubric for Levels of Assessment
 

Level 1: Needs assistance to understand the concepts of assertiveness skills, decision-making and factors that influence decisions. Participates actively only with constant encouragement, applies few of the required skills. Communicates poorly, with many errors, rarely using appropriate terminology. Level 2: Shows understanding of some of the concepts with several minor errors. Participates actively, needing only occasional encouragement; applies some of the required skills. Communicates with some clarity, sometimes using appropriate terminology. Level 3: Shows understanding of most of the required concepts, with only a few errors, requires no encouragement to participate, applies most of the required skills. Communicates clearly and precisely, making few errors, and usually uses appropriate terminology. Level 4: Shows understanding of all or most of the concepts. Participates actively, encourages others to do so as well and applies all of the skills. Communicates clearly and precisely, using appropriate and varied language.

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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