Educating Students about Drug Use and Mental Health - Grade 6: Expectation 3

Grade 6 Overview

Expectation 1

2

3

Specific Learning Expectation

Identify people and community agencies that support making healthy choices about substance use and abuse.

Hot Tips for Teachers

Community capacity building is a term that refers to building resilience in youth so they are supported as they make choices about health behaviour and focuses on the assets available in a community that will help this process. The developmental assets that seem to have the greatest impact on promoting positive attitudes and behaviours are:

• family support
• positive peer influence
• religious or faith community
• other adult relationships
• caring and safe neighbourhood.

With this lesson, you begin to map your community's assets, which the student can access easily by phone or drop-in visit.

It is also important to remember that for many young people, choices about health behaviour are more difficult because of the systemic issues (e.g., poverty, racism) or family issues (e.g., abuse) they live with daily.

Teaching/Learning Strategies

1. Review the effects of cannabis and other drugs on the body.

2. Review the number of influences on youth which have an impact on healthy choices.

3. Discuss what is meant by "healthy choices" and make a list. Put it on the chalkboard. The list from the "Community Helpers" worksheet should be included.

4. Discuss the people and community agencies that are available to help students make healthy choices.

5. Brainstorm a list and write it on the chalkboard (e.g., public health office).

Activity:

Break students up into small groups and ask each group to complete the following matching exercise.
 

Community Questions	Community Helpers
Want information about a certain drug?	Public health office
Want to play basketball?	Community health centre
Want to see a doctor?	Police
Want to do better in school?	YMCA
Want to learn to skateboard?	City parks and recreation office
Worried about a family member?	Provincial conservation authority or provincial parks
Want to learn how to build and fly a kite?	Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Want to take a hike?	After-school programs, Boys and Girls clubs
Want to know about drug laws?	Focus Community Projects for drug awareness
Want to get a certain book?	Public library
Want information about swimming pools in town?	Guides/Scouts
Want to take a leadership course?	Community centres
Want to complete a project on tobacco?	KIDS Help-line
Want to hear your favourite CD but have no money?	9-1-1
Wanting to talk to someone about your problems?	The Lung Association or the Canadian Cancer Society
Dealing with an emergency?	Friendship Centres (Aboriginal) and Cultural community centres
Want to learn more about your culture?	Churches, temples, mosques, synagogues
Want to learn more about your faith or religion?
Any others from your own list?

 

(Adapted from Opening Doors: A Personal and Social Skills Program (1995), Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.)

• Discuss the exercise as a large group.
  
• In pairs, students take one of the community questions and call or visit the helping agency it is linked with. (N.B. Don't give the KIDS Helpline or 911 for this part of the project!)  If it is not possible or practical to call or visit, check the yellow pages, Internet, or school library for this information.

a) Look up the agency or centre in the phone book or yellow pages, and if there are many, find the closest one to your school.

b) Write down the agency's or centre's telephone number and address.

c) Call and ask to speak to someone who can answer your question.

d) Introduce yourself, and tell them why you are calling or visiting.

e) What help can they give you?

• Discuss the results from the information search. Put names and addresses and phone numbers on a bulletin board for your classroom directory of helpers.

Assessments of Learning

1. Review of information about cannabis and other drugs and their influences on behaviour

2. Discussion and brainstorm of list of community assets

3. Small group work on matching exercise

4. Pairs information search

5. Report back top

Rubric for Levels of Assessment
 

Level 1: Needs assistance with required concepts of community helpers to support healthy choices. Participates only with constant encouragement, applying few of the required skills. Communicates poorly, rarely using appropriate terminology. Level 2: Shows understanding of some of the required concepts. 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 and actively participates, with no need for encouragement; applies most of the required skills. Communicates clearly and precisely, using appropriate terminology. Level 4: Shows understanding of all or almost all of the required concepts; actively participates and encourages other to do so as well. Communicates clearly and precisely with almost 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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