ProCon
Prescription Drug Ads
Bayer Pharmaceuticals sold heroin as a cough medicine in the 1900s ... who knew? Scholars discover this, and other interesting facts, when they use the resource to prepare for a class discussion or debate. They browse videos, readers'...
Museum of the Moving Image
Playing on Emotions: Focus on Political Ads Featuring Children
Political ads are designed to play on viewers' emotions. The focus of this resource is on ads that feature children, either to establish the candidate as family friendly, or to create fear for children in the minds of viewers. Groups...
Curated OER
Full Circle Advertising: A Look at Teen Alcohol Use and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
High schoolers analyze ads and learn about the effects of alcohol. Note that the PowerPoint mentioned in the procedure is not included, so you will need to prepare your own presentation. After the lecture, segue into fetal alcohol...
US National Library of Medicine
Drug Use and Abuse: Past and Present
Pick your poison: tobacco, alcohol, opiates, cocaine, or marijuana. An online exhibition launches a research project that asks groups to select one of the five drugs and gather information on how the use of the drug and the regulations...
PBS
Stories of Painkiller Addiction: Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness Campaign
The I-STOP law was designed to regulate the distribution and tracking of prescription drugs. After reading an article about its signing and implementation, middle and high schoolers work together to come up with their own ideas for an...
Curated OER
The Other Drug War
Students examine the concepts of media literacy and how they apply to prescription drug advertising. They watch and discuss the Frontline video, "The Other Drug War," complete a worksheet, and answer questions regarding magazine drug...
Curated OER
Good Drugs, Bad Drugs
Add a science experiment on medicine and drugs to your health lesson. After reading a paragraph on the difference between helpful and harmful drugs, kids choose which pictures of bottles they could find at a pharmacy. The last activity...
Curated OER
Bush Plans Hit on Drug Use
Students explore the topic of drug abuse. In this health journalism lesson, students read the USA Today article titled "Bush Plans Hit on Drub Abuse," respond to discussion questions regarding the article, and complete an activity based...
Curated OER
Anti-drug Shock Tactics
Students evaluate the effectiveness of 'shock tactics' to discourage drug abuse. They view a video about the death of a 21-year-old heroin addict. In small groups they discuss the video and complete comment sheet.
Curated OER
This Is Your Brain on Pot
Students explore the causes and effects of marijuana addiction and research how THC affects different areas of the brain. They synthesize their knowledge by creating print advertisements that inform teenagers about the physiologic danger...
Curated OER
All the King's Men Theme of Drugs and Alcohol
In this literary analysis worksheet, students respond to 4 short answer and essay questions based on themes of Drugs and Alcohol in All the King's Men. Students also debate the validity of two thesis statements about the text.
The New York Times
Investigating the Heroin and Prescription Opioid Epidemic
How bad is the opioid crisis in America? Has it gotten worse in the last few decades? Why? High schoolers delve into these questions with a thorough and thoughtful lesson from The New York Times on heroin prescription opioids. Starting...
Nemours KidsHealth
Alcohol: Grades 9-12
Two activities ask high schoolers to consider the role of alcohol culture in their lives. First, groups analyze the types of appeals used in newspaper ads for alcoholic drinks and compare those images with what they have observed....
Curated OER
Taking a Closer Look (Critical Viewing)
Students explore persuasive writing in advertisements. In this advertisements lesson, students evaluate tobacco advertisements for persuasion techniques. Students then create a counter advertisement against smoking.
PBS
Stories of Painkiller Addiction: The Brain on Autopilot
For some people, the force of addiction can be as biologically compelling as the drive for food or water. High schoolers watch a video segment about Ryan, a recovering addict, and learn more about how opioids and other drugs can affect...
Scholastic
Analyzing Media Messages
Telling young people to just say no can be difficult in a world that inundates them with messages to just say yes. A lesson on media messages encourages teenagers to analyze song lyrics and advertisements that mention drugs and/or...
Curated OER
The Other Drug War
Students develop critical thinking skills as they construct arguments for one of the three debates described in the lesson on "The Other Drug War."
Curated OER
Parents are unawareof Ecstasy risk:Anti-drug Education
Learners read an article on parents unawareness of Ecstasy use. In this current events lesson, students infer issues related to teen drug use and parent prevention and engage in a class discussion. Learners give a quiz related to Ecstasy...
Curated OER
Presidential Election 2004: Analyzing the Attack Ads
Students view and text the text of presidential election advertisements in 2004. Using the ads, they analyze them and check the validity of the statements made. They answer discuss questions for each ad and share them with the class.
US Surgeon General
Get the Facts on E-Cigarettes
Imagine these flavors: chocolate, candy, menthol. What age group do you imagine is the target audience of an advertising campaign that features a product with these flavors? Find out the facts about vaping with a resource that provides...
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Current Cigarette Smoking Among Adults Infographic
Adult cigarette smoking has decreased in recent years, but it is still the number one cause of preventable disease and death in America. An infographic breaks cigarette smoking down by education level, geographical region, gender, race,...
Curated OER
Getting Under Your Skin
Pupils design advertisements that promote and explain the science of new transdermal drug therapies to the general public.
Curated OER
Be True To You
Middle schoolers investigate the concept of stereotyping and how it done in our society. They use the example of a drug dealer and how one is identified using characteristics of stereotyping. They watch a commercial about drug use and...
Curated OER
The Best Birthday Present Ever
Students view a PBS "In the Mix" video about smoking and identify cigarette ingredients, the physical effects of smoking and techniques used in tobacco advertising. They compose a letter persuading someone to quit smoking.