Educating Students about Drug Use and Mental Health - Grade 7: Expectation 2

Grade 7 Overview

Expectation 1

2

3

4

Specific Learning Expectation

Identify and categorize drugs as stimulants, depressants, and hallucinogens.

Hot Tips for Teachers

Students can begin to expand the definition of a drug used in earlier grades by adding the following information:

"A psychoactive drug is any substance, other than food, which, when ingested, inhaled, absorbed or injected, changes the way the mind or body functions. Any drug changes the way a person thinks, acts or feels." (Reprinted with permission from Tuning Into Health: Alcohol and Other Drug Decisions (1986), Manitoba Alcoholism Foundation, Winnipeg, MB.)

In the glossary, you will find definitions for stimulants, depressants and hallucinogens. Generally, substances that fall into these classifications act on the central nervous system either by speeding it up (stimulants), slowing it down (depressants), or changing the way the external environment is perceived (hallucinogens). Students were introduced to these classifications in Grades 4 to 6.

Classifying or categorizing substances gives an easy but limited view of the drug's actual effect on the body. The active ingredient in the substance, the person's own chemical makeup, the setting in which the drug is taken, and what the person expects from the drug all play a part in a person's response to a drug.

Teaching/Learning Strategies

1. Review with students: definition of a drug, definition of stimulants, depressants, hallucinogens.

2. Distribute worksheets on stimulants, hallucinogens, depressants and marijuana to students individually or in small groups. Worksheet information can be gathered from school library, CAMH fact sheets or the local public health office. Have the students work on these and then have them present their findings to the class.

Drug Effects Worksheets

Cannabis (Marijuana):

Active ingredient: ______________________________________

Other components: ____________________________________

Description (plant, pill, liquid, cream, etc?): _________________

Slang names: _________________________________________

How it enters the body: _________________________________

Effects on central nervous system: _______________________

Medical use: __________________________________________

Stimulants:

Drugs found in this category: ____________________________

Description (plant, pill, liquid, cream, etc.): _________________

Slang names: _________________________________________

How it enters the body: _________________________________

Effects: ______________________________________________

Medical use: __________________________________________

Depressants:

Drugs: _______________________________________________

Description (plant, pill, liquid, cream, etc.): ________________

Slang names: _________________________________________

How it enters the body: ________________________________

Effects on the central nervous system: ___________________

Medical use: __________________________________________

Hallucinogens:

Drugs: _______________________________________________

Description (plant, pill, liquid, cream, etc.): ________________

Slang names: _________________________________________

How it enters the body: ________________________________

Effects on the central nervous system: ___________________

Medical use: __________________________________________

Once students have researched or heard about these categories, play the game "Categories: Understanding Drug Types", (adapted from the Center for Applied Research in Education, 1993).

Categories Game: Understanding Drug Types

Concept/Description:

Different substances produce different effects on the body systems.

Objectives:

To have students identify which types of drugs produce certain effects.

Materials:

• Index Cards
• Tape
• Substance Sheet (see below)
• Chalkboard
  

Directions:

• Write each substance listed on the “Substance List” onto the index cards (one substance per card). Draw columns on the chalkboard for cannabis, hallucinogens, stimulants, depressants.
• Divide the class into groups of three or four students and give each group some of the cards.
• Have each group, in turn, tape a card to the chalkboard under the category to which they think it belongs.
• Award one point for each correct answer. If a substance is placed on the board in the wrong category, the next group may elect to correct the answer for one point and then put up their card for an additional point. If the group that corrects the answer is also wrong, it loses its turn and may not put a card up until the next round.
• The team with the most points is the winner.
• You may want to add the current street names of drugs to the list. This will not be an exhaustive list and students may want to explore why some substances (e.g., steroids) don't appear in this game.

Substance List

 

Stimulants	Depressants	Hallucinogens	Cannabis
caffeine	wine	LSD	marijuana
dexedrine	beer	mushrooms	hashish
cocaine	whiskey	PCP	hash oil
crack	sleeping pills	peyote	chronic
nicotine	tranquillizers	ecstasy	ganja
diet pills	glue	ketamine	sensimilla
	gasoline		hydro
	heroin		homegrown

 

Assessments for Learning

1. Participation in discussion of the definition of a drug and categories

2. Worksheets on stimulants, depressants, hallucinogens and marijuana

3. Playing the "Categories" game

Rubric for Levels of Assessment
 

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