Unit 5A: Keeping healthy Section 9: Drugs, tobacco, alcohol and health
Objectives
Children should learn:
that substances like tobacco, alcohol and other drugs can affect the way the body functions and these effects can be harmful
that medicines are also drugs and also affect the way the body functions but the effects are usually beneficial though there may be side effects
that medicines can be harmful if they are not taken according to instructions
Activities
Outcomes
Children:
Review what children know and understand from the previous key stage unit 'Health and growth' (Unit 2A). Explain the definition of a drug as any substance which changes our physical or mental state and talk with children about possible side effects. Encourage children to think about why we take medicines even though there may be unpleasant side effects. Use secondary sources eg video, CD-ROM, leaflets to illustrate effects of tobacco, alcohol or other drugs. Ask children to make posters to inform other children of the effects of drugs, alcohol and tobacco.
include in their poster appropriate information about the effects of drugs, tobacco or alcohol
Points to note
Teachers will be aware of the need to be sensitive to individual children and to the circumstances of their families in relation to this area of work.
A DTP program could be used to produce the poster.
SAFETY - Tar is carcinogenic. Demonstrations of 'smoking machines' which produce tar are not suitable for most primary classrooms.
This unit is divided into sections. Each section contains a sequence of
activities with related objectives and outcomes. You can view this unit by
moving through the sections or print/download the whole unit.
