National Institute on Drug Abuse
The Brain's Response to Drugs
Marijuana affects the brain differently than inhalants, which have a different effect than opioids. Elementary and middle school classes read about these drugs as well as nicotine, methamphetamine, hallucinogens, and steroids before...
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...
Scholastic
Recovery From Drug Addiction
Are there factors that put some individuals at a higher risk for drug addiction than others? Learn more about the risk factors that may make some people more susceptible to addiction, as well as protective factors that help prevent...
Curated OER
Drugs and Safety Precautions
Drugs can both help and harm depending on how they are used. Fifth graders complete a instructional activity that provides background information on prescription drugs. They read the text and then describe why medication manufacturers...
American Physiological Society
Drug the Water Flea
This is a flea. This is a flea on drugs. Any questions? Your class will have questions aplenty during an impactful experiment. Lab groups get to know Daphnia magna, the humble water flea, and study the effects of stimulants and...
Curated OER
Drugs & The Nervous System
The medicinal uses of different classes of drugs is listed on the first slide. Following slides list examples of each of the different classes. Symptoms of abuse and side effects are also listed. The format of these slides consists...
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...
Curated OER
The Nervous System and the Effects of Drugs
In this senses worksheet, students use webbed information to answer several questions. Students read about each one of the five human senses in order to demonstrate an understanding of the material.
Curated OER
The Effects of "Recreational" Drugs on the Development of Chick Embryos as a Model for Human Embryogenesis
Students conduct experiments on fertilized chicken embryos to determine the possible developmental effects that various recreational drugs (caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, and aspirin) might have on them.
Curated OER
Commercial Time. Don't Turn that Channel!
Students review information on drug abuse and types of drugs and then learn about alcohol and other drug abuse in a hands on activity. In addition, they learn about kinds of drugs and the effects of drug abuse on the body.
Curated OER
Crystal Meth
Students read and discuss an article on the devastating effects of crystal meth on a fetus development in mice. They relate this research to the possible causes of birth defects in babies whose mothers have used meth during pregnancy.
NOAA
Importance of Deep-Sea Ecosystems – What Killed the Seeds?
Most drugs used today come from nature, so the discovery of new ecosystems in the deep sea is exciting from a medical perspective. Scholars develop their own bioassay to test germination rates in seeds.
Curated OER
Drugged Out Daphnia
Students make predictions and investigate (using a microscope) the effects of nicotine, caffeine, aspirin, alcohol, and sleeping pills on cultures of fresh water Daphnia.
Curated OER
Launch Biotechnology into Your Classroom: Drug Delivery and Diffusion
Students distinguish between diffusion and osmosis and describe ways that drugs can be administered. In this diffusion lesson students research career paths and create a presentation to give to the class.
Curated OER
The Effects of Alcohol and other Teratogens: A model using Zebrafish
Students investigate the interference of various drugs on an embryo through experimentation. This is an open-ended lab to allow students to see effects of various chemicals humans choose to put in their bodies and create questions they...
Steered Straight
Marijuana Awareness
February is Marijuana Awareness Month, and a set of interdisciplinary activities can make your class aware of the social, medical, legal, and psychological effects of marijuana. With writing prompts, research opportunities, and...
Discovery Education
Our Brain and Body on Opioids
Use a presentation that explores the world of prescription opioids. Learners look at the way the brain responds to the drugs and the long terms effects opioids have on the brain and body. At the end of the lesson plan, groups create a...
Curated OER
The Effects of Drugs
In this drugs activity, students learn about how drugs act on the body, their medicinal uses, and the abuse of drugs. Students classify a list of drugs as either a stimulant or a depressant. This activity has 5 short answer and 8...
Curated OER
"Drug Abuse Brochure"
Students understand the facts about drugs and what can also impact the whole school population. In this drug information lesson students complete research on the Internet and a drug abuse crossword handout.
Curated OER
Science as a Catalyst for Life-Long Learning
Students determine the minimal inhibitory concentration and the minimal fungicidal concentration of two types of drugs used to combat fungal infection. They use several different types of in vitro techniques which are performed in the...
PBS
Stories of Painkiller Addiction: Learning About Opioids
Feeling high is not the only side effect of abusing prescription opioids. Middle and high schoolers learn more about specific painkillers, including Fentanyl, Oxycodone, and Clonazepam, as well as their common brand names and extensive...
Curated OER
Substance Use, or Abuse?
Students identify the medicinal benefits, and ill effects, of a variety of controlled substances. They determine whether or not they think hallucinogens should be researched for possible medicinal purposes.
Curated OER
Is This Really Okay for Me? A Public Health Statistical Analysis
Future public health consultants are asked in a letter to help determine if a fictitious drug is causing birth defects in a population. They perform a simulation using beans and probability calculations to come to a conclusion. Note that...
Kenan Fellows
Unit 4: The Brain
Drugs interact with the brain to alter moods, emotions, and behaviors by changing the brain's chemistry, perceptions, and interactions. The final lesson in the Pharmacology unit shows scholars experiments, has them complete four labs,...