Grades 9 through 12
High school courses listed below are in the areas of history,
world civilization, social studies/ psychology, algebra, biology,
English and health. These classes address different levels of
students: freshman, sophomore, junior and senior. They rely on
three main strategies for fostering prevention: 1) Building pro-social
norms 2) enabling students to correct their misperception of norms
3) and increasing students’ perception of personal risk.
In covering prevention content all of these courses are rich in
their proposed active student learning strategies, such as group
discussion and group project assignments. While most of the courses
plan to infuse prevention over the term of the course, some are
presented in a concentrated block.
Following are examples of evidence based prevention strategies
and instructional activities for high school curriculum. These
examples will assist you in producing a curriculum infusion lesson
plan for your class. They were developed by students or suggested
as possible approaches by faculty at the participating colleges
of education.
To download a k-12
lesson plan worksheet click here.
Grade Level: Freshman
Subject: Algebra
Evidence Based Prevention Strategies: Correcting Misperceptions
of Norms and Increasing Perception of Personal Risk
- Provide projects demonstrating that students misperceive
(exaggerate) the extent of use by peers
- Incorporate class activities that demonstrate the risk
of personal harm from alcohol, tobacco and other drugs Instructional
Strategies/Active Student Learning
Instructional Activities:
- Have students do informal interviews of peers asking their
perceptions of the extent of alcohol, tobacco and other drug use
by classmates. Compare interview results with data on youth use
of substances, writing off myth that "everyone" is doing
drugs
- Have students prepare graphs and tables on perception
of drug use versus the reality Compute blood alcohol levels and
graph effects of different levels of alcohol by body weight and
gender
- Assign group research projects on harm done by alcohol,
tobacco and other drug use among youth and have students do graphs
and develop statistics on their findings
- Ask students to present their group research findings
orally
- Teach substance abuse and prevention in a concentrated
block of time and then make references throughout the course
Grades: 9th to 12th
Subject: Computer Science
School: Academy for Scholastic Achievement (ASA)
Teacher: Dr. Joseph Kim
Overview of the Class: Students learned to create and format tables applying Microsoft Office Word. The tables they constructed compared national data on student attitudes towards drugs to the attitudes of ASA students reported in a survey completed at the school. After constructing the tables students discussed the results which indicated that, compared to national averages, ASA students were less disapproving of marijuana and alcohol and more disapproving of cocaine and heroin.
Prevention Strategies Utilized (and how): Misperception of Norms: Students appeared to underestimate the negative attitudes of their age group nationally towards marijuana and alcohol. Correcting this misperception can lead to increased skepticism about use of these drugs. Increasing Perception of Personal Risk: The results reported in the tables are the basis for discussion of the damage that cocaine and heroin have done in the West Garfield Park Community where ASA is located. The ASA students very negative attitudes towards use of heroin and cocaine almost certainly reflects their understanding of the damage use of these drugs has brought to the community. The more permissive attitudes of ASA students towards marijuana and alcohol can lead to research and discussion of the damage associated with heavy use of these drugs.
Next Steps: Students may do research on the negative effects of heavy use of alcohol and marijuana. Their findings may be put on tables that they format. The students may use the tables they have created for prevention presentations in their own class, to other classes at ASA and in community settings.
Grades: 9-12
Subject: Integrated Math II
School: Academy for Scholastic Achievement (ASA)
Teacher: Shakiru Nasiru
Overview of the Class: This class is a continuation of Integrated Math I. The content includes pre-algebra, data analysis, algebra and geometry. Students estimated the percentage of teenagers nationally who use marijuana and alcohol and compared their estimates to national data on use of these drugs provided by the Monitoring the Future Survey. Students constructed bar graphs on the percentage of teens nationally using marijuana and alcohol and line graphs indicating trends in use. Students were asked to search the internet for an article on the effects of marijuana and alcohol on teenagers, summarize the article, read the summary in class and distribute it to peers.
Prevention Strategies Utilized (and how): Misperception of Norms: Students appeared to overestimate the use of marijuana and alcohol by teens nationally. They also may have mistaken estimates of national trends: the data they graphed indicates that teen use is declining. Increasing Perception of Personal Risk: The internet research on the effects of marijuana and alcohol on teens provides information on the risks these drugs present.
Next Steps: Students may convert the information they have gathered on the risks of marijuana and alcohol to graphs. They may use the graphs constructed in the class for presentations in other classes at the Academy for Scholastic Achievement as well as to middle school classes in the community
Grades: 10th to 12th
Subject: Math
School: Academy for Scholastic Achievement (ASA)
Teacher: Mrs. Mary Wilburn
Overview of the Class: This was a class consisting of students enrolled in the first semester of mathematics. As a broad based goal students were challenged to use mathematics to communicate, solve problems, and to connect mathematical concepts to the world around them and the solution to real world problems. Students took a critical look at national surveys and data on adolescent abuse of alcohol and tobacco. They used that data to create and format tables, graphs and charts applying Microsoft Office Word. Students used these tables and graphs to analyze the perceived harmfulness of alcohol and tobacco use and to generate predictions of future trends.
Prevention Strategies Utilized (and how): Correcting misconceptions about teenage substance abuse by analyzing national surveys and school based surveys. The students constructed tables that compared national data on student attitudes towards drugs to the attitudes of ASA students which were reported in a survey completed at school. After constructing the tables students discussed the results which indicated that, compared to national averages, ASA students were less disapproving of marijuana and alcohol and more disapproving of cocaine and heroin.
Next Steps: Students may do research on the negative effects of substance abuse and the risks and consequences associated with the use of alcohol and marijuana. Students may take a critical look at how peer pressure contributes to risky behavior. By engaging students in this activity they will be able to consider the damaging affect that these drugs can have on their lives. Their findings may be put on tables or graphs that they format. The students may use the tables and graphs they have created for prevention presentations in their own class, to other classes at ASA and in community settings.
Grade Level: Freshman or Sophomore
Subject: World Civilization/History
Evidence Based Prevention Strategies: Promoting Pro-Social Norms
- Present the fact that all of the major world’s past
and present civilizations have dealt with drug and alcohol dependency.
- Show the students that historically they neither are doing
something novel or radical.
- Show the students that all cultures basically have used
the same excuses for drug use.
- Show that all cultures have found drugs to be costly if
not disastrous, and that all have worked to stop drug problems
- Evaluate the effectiveness of drug abuse prevention by
various cultures.
Instructional Strategies/Active Student Learning:
- Emphasize prevention of dependency by healthy students
via assigning appropriate readings, papers and case studies.
- Discuss why various cultures have found drug dependency
disastrous.
- Involve students by asking them to investigate and present
their findings and data on dependency related issues.
- Emphasize researching materials for each culture.
- Spread prevention materials/exercises over the semester.
Grade Level: Sophomore
Subject: Biology
Evidence Based Prevention Strategies: Correcting Misperceptions
of Norms and Increasing Perception of Personal Risk
- Students will become aware of the dangers of alcohol abuse
by studying fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and fetal alcohol effects
(FAE).
- Students will study other damaging physiological effects
of alcohol.
- Class will become aware of widespread misperception (exaggeration)
of normative use of alcohol in society and among high school students.
Instructional Activities:
- Students will study how alcohol produces FAE and FAS
- Class will learn physical characteristics of FAE and FAS
children
- Students will study effects of alcohol on body organs
- Class will study differing effects of alcohol on the male
and female body
- Data would be presented by teacher on misperception of
extent of drinking among youth and young adults
- In small groups students will be assigned the topic: what
pressures are there for women to drink and, based on the findings
in this class, how would you try to convince young women not to
abuse alcohol
Grade Level: High School
Subject: Social Studies/Psychology
This course promotes social skills that enable the development
of a strong self-image that is expected to lead to positive life
decisions. Also, the course aims at building academic skills that
allow individuals the potential of developing into contributing
members of society.
Evidence Based Prevention Strategies: Promoting Pro-Social Norms
and Increasing Perception of Personal Risk
- Focus on the relationship between community deterioration,
crime and substance abuse. Provide statistical information on
financial losses to communities and businesses with regard to
this relationship.
- Correct misperceptions of risks of harm to a community
and society from use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs.
- Raise awareness of the dangers of drug use and the benefits
of positive behavior.
Instructional Activities:
- Assign research project asking students to collect data
on the evidence of the deterioration in the community caused by
drug, alcohol and tobacco use.
- Ask students to interview a government official and find
out about pending legislation.
- Arrange for a field trip to a prison and/or a criminal
court related to substance abuse.
- Discuss features and aspects of healthy vs. unhealthy
lifestyles.
- Assign students a calculation exercise to figure out the
financial cost of substance abuse for a community in dollar amount.
- Have students collect newspapers articles related to the
use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs.
- Include a number of films and videos on the topic.
- Spread the coverage over the course, making as many thematic
connections as possible
Grade Level: High School
Subject: World History (Up to 20th Century) & U.S. History
(Prohibition)
Evidence Based Prevention Strategy: Increasing
Perception of Personal Risk
- Present a historical review of the substance abuse in
different eras, such as 1960s-1970s (Vietnam era and marijuana
use), 1980s ("all about me" era and cocaine use), 1990s
(gangs’ era and "designer drugs" and "crystal"
and date rape).
- Correct misperceptions of risks associated with substance
abuse by showing statistics and data related to the harms caused
by dependency.
Instructional Activities:
- Assign readings of diaries and personal accounts of alcoholics
and drug addicts.
- Show films and movies and use literature on the issues
involved.
- Give extra credit for completing an assignment on substance
dependency prevention.
- Make projects and activities interesting and interactive
- Bring in guest speakers with expertise on drug use in
different historic periods
- Spread the coverage over the course.
Grade Level: High School
Subject: English Composition
Evidence Based Prevention Strategies: Correcting Misperceptions
of Norms and Increasing Perception of Personal Risk
- Students will learn the dangers of alcohol, tobacco and
other drugs
- Students will write persuasive essays, indicating the
arguments that they would make in a social marketing campaign
to prevent abuse of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs by their
classmates
Instructional Activities:
- Have class discuss the reasons for substance use by high
school students
- Survey class on their perceptions of the extent of substance
use by their classmates and provide accurate data on actual extent
of use, pointing out the misperception of use (exaggeration)
- Divide class into small groups to examine possible dangers
of particular drugs (e.g. one group will focus on alcohol, another
on marijuana, a third on tobacco etc.)
- Have groups brainstorm resistance they would receive to
arguments directed at high school students to stop their use/abuse
of drugs; have them brainstorm counterarguments
- Have group brainstorm themes of a social marketing campaign
to stop use/abuse of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs with each
group member writing a persuasive essay on an aspect of the campaign
- Ask groups to present their findings to the class and
receive feedback.
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