Grades k through 5
In the early grades prevention programming emphasizes affective
learning and life skills development. There is particular focus
on healthy individuation in the group–the ability to "say
no" to peers with some degree of comfort and to choose good
friends. There is also stress on development of self-esteem, particularly
in the form of taking care of our bodies. Of course, the activities
are age appropriate including creating posters, coloring (e.g.
lungs on a mock human body as they become darker with smoking
more cigarettes) and doing skits. As at all grade levels, prevention
content is best absorbed as the students are actively involved
in the learning process.
Following are examples of evidence based prevention strategies
and instructional activities for k through 5 curriculum. These
examples will assist you in producing a curriculum infusion lesson
plan for your class. They were developed by students participating
in the project.
To download a k-12
lesson plan worksheet click here.
Grade Level: Kindergarten
Evidence Based Prevention Strategies: Promoting
Pro-Social Norms and Life Skills Training
- Familiarize children with personal risks of drug use.
- Teach refusal skills.
- Emphasize importance of taking care of our bodies.
- Stress the importance of taking care of our loved ones (encouraging them to avoid drugs)
- Include age appropriate videos and books about alcohol,
tobacco and other drugs.
- Role-play how to say no to peer pressure.
- Color pictures of lungs to show effects of tobacco use.
- Color pictures of livers to show effects of alcohol.
- Children will discuss what drugs are including the difference between good drugs (prescriptions people need) and harmful drugs "Discussion on the subject is key. The teacher must be available to speak to students individually if they wish or in the whole class discussion. Openness is very important to have between teacher and students."
Grade Level: First Grade
Evidence Based Prevention Strategies: Promoting
Pro-Social Norms and Life Skills Training
- Building self esteem, taking care of your body
- Choosing friends/a social environment that supports the
well being of self and others (good friends would not encourage
you to put harmful substances in your body
- Identifying physical harm brought by alcohol, tobacco and other drugs
- Prevention activities can be included in a range of subject
areas: science (effects on the body), music (creating a song about
prevention), art (drawing, making posters)
- Role playing situations of good and bad friendship, including
refusal skills where drug use is suggested.
- Group discussions
- Lists of traits of good and bad friendship
- Visual aids
Grade Level: Second or Third Grade
Evidence Based Prevention Strategy: Increasing
Perception of Personal Risk
- Children would learn personal risks of harm from drugs
and practice peer resistance
Instructional Activities:
- Children would be presented with opportunities for writing
and acting out skits that demonstrate how to say no to drugs
- Books would be read to children on how to say no and about
how drugs negatively affect the body
- Students and teacher will discuss what they know about
drugs, ways to say no and why (drugs) are dangerous.
- Plastic lungs would be brought into the class to show
damage from smoking
- Age appropriate videos could be shown
- Activities would be directed "to different learning styles, encouraging different types of students to participate."
Grade Level: Third Grade
Evidence Based Prevention Strategy: Increasing
Perception of Personal Risk
- Focus on the physical damage caused by alcohol, tobacco and other drugs
- The content would fit either health or English ("where
we could read a story about alcohol and drug abuse")
- "I would show videos and pictures that would depict
the effects alcohol, drugs and smoking have on the human body."
- "I would have my students draw pictures of people
who are on drugs or alcohol. I might have (them) make a list of
the negative effects alcohol and drugs have on your body."
- Stress would be on discussion groups. Third graders like to participate. Care would be taken to present the material in an interesting way that does not frighten the students.
Grade Level: Fourth and Fifth Grade
Evidence Based Prevention Strategy: Increasing
Perception of Personal Risk and Life Skills Training
- Address the physical dangers of alcohol, tobacco and other
drugs, emphasizing personal risk and harm
- Address peer pressure and encourage healthy choices
- "I would design prevention curriculum for a health
class or look for teachable moments across the curriculum"
- A health class would include "accurate information
on the impact of alcohol, tobacco and drugs–the seriousness
of how it affects you"–correcting misperceptions of
risk.
- An atmosphere of safety would be fostered "so these
issues can be discussed, especially how peer pressure affects
individuals"
- In art classes posters could be created.
- "In math (prevention could be incorporated when figuring
percentages creating charts, or other story problems
- Current events would also be followed for teachable moments.
- In literature there would be discussion of drug related
situations from stories that were read.
- Students can be actively involved, creating their own
anti-drug messages through group projects. They can be divided
into groups and asked to design "and act out a TV commercial
encouraging kids not to smoke, drink or do drugs."
- Speakers might be invited who can effectively motivate kids to resist negative peer pressure.
Additional Resources for K-5 Curriculum Development
Prevention First (http://www.prevention.org)
has a Chicago (720 N. Franklin, Suite 500) and a Springfield (2800
Montvale Drive) library of educational materials that includes
many examples of prevention lessons designed for K-5 classes.
Go to the resources
section of our website for additional links to educational and
instructional design resources.
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