Submitted by: Jody Conrad
Endorsed by: Dr. Don E. Descy
Mankato State University
Date: May 13, 1997
Grade Level: 4-6
Substance use is often addressed in the upper elementary grades. This topic can be extremely difficult to present. To help students understand the difference between substance use, abuse, and misuse, this lesson provides students with an opportunity to role play a variety of situations. The students can provide personal reactions to realistic situations.
The students will understand the difference between substance use, misuse, and abuse.
The student will list, on the chalkboard, two reasons why people use, misuse, and abuse drugs. The student will, in a group of four, role play a situation which relates to drug abuse or misuse. The students will list, on a sheet of white roll paper, the characteristics which differentiate drug abuse from misuse.
This activity can be used at the beginning or at the end of a substance unit. The type of role play situations used during this lesson may depend on the maturity of the students. An important reminder is the audience commentary. The student audience may only respond with personal reactions or positive comments.
Students will be able to:
1. Differentiate between substance abuse and misuse.
2. Identify the factors which influence substance use, misuse, and abuse.
Overhead-definitions of substance use, misuse, and abuse
Role play situations, one per group of four students
1 large sheet of white roll paper
A. Ask the students what pop, aspirin, antiperspirant, coffee, and wine have in common.
B. Write these responses on the board.
A. Discuss with the students why they chose to answer the introductory question the way they did.
B. Using the overhead of definitions, define and discuss drug abuse. After present this definition, ask the students to provide some examples.
C. Define and discuss misuse. Ask the students to provide some examples. If no one wants to participate, initiate the discussion with an example.
D. Using letters, divide the students into groups of four. Each group is responsible for one role play situation. Randomly pass out one role play situation to each group. Give the students 5-7 minutes to prepare an informal presentation.
A. The teacher will demonstrate a variety of role play ideas. This demonstration will include vocabulary review and presentation expectations.
The students will briefly rehearse the role play situations. Offer assistance as needed. If group member can not decide on a presentation approach, designate roles or offer suggestions.
A. Each group will role play the provided situation. This role play will include a a brief summary on the presentation choice.
B. The students will comment on the presentation choice or offer personal situations.
A. Ask the students to describe the difference between drug abuse and misuse. Write these differences on a sheet of white role paper.
B. Ask the students to write their own definition of the word "drugs"
C. Ask the students to compare this definition to the definition before the unit was presented, "Why did the definition change?"
CLN Substance Abuse Theme Page
http://www.cln.org/themes/substance_abuse.html
Drug Related Street Terms & Slang Words
http://www.addictions.org/slang.htm
ERIC Clearinghouse on Teaching and Teacher Education--
Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance Division
http://www.ericsp.org/hprdtoc.html