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...
Nemours KidsHealth
Drugs: Grades 9-12
What do drugs do to the body and to the mind? What are the dangers of using drugs? How can teens respond to the pressure to use drugs? After reading a series of articles related to drug use and abuse, class members prepare a skit to...
Curated OER
Dangers of drugs, lying
Learners read articles and write an essay about three college students who wanted to see what it felt like to get high. Learners discuss legal and ethical questions of illegal drug use, and stealing medication from someone else. Students...
ProCon
Drug Use in Sports
The ancient Greeks used performance enhancing drugs, such as opium juice, when they participated in the original Olympic Games. Pupils research a website with debate topics to decide if athletes' use of such drugs in modern sports is...
Curated OER
Just Say No to Drugs
Students explore the dangers of drugs, drug awareness and abuse and different types of drugs. They demonstrate reading comprehension sills including inference, literal meaning and critical analysis.
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.
Scholastic
Straight Talk on Prescription Drugs
Young scholars discover how doctors custom fit prescription drugs to patients. For this health science instructional activity, students explain the risks associated with drug abuse. They discuss common myths about prescription drugs.
Scholastic
Drug Abuse and Impairment
Young scholars discuss the consequences of abusing drugs. In this drug awareness instructional activity, students complete a worksheet to find out how much they know about the danger of drugs. They suggest ways to avoid this situation.
Curated OER
The House That Drugs Built
Students evaluate the effects of drug use on behavior, appearance and the ability to contribute to society. In this drug education lesson plan students analyze the relationship between drug use and injury, violence and criminal activity.
Curated OER
Fighting Fire with Fire
Students explore the effects of drugs and drug treatment programs in the science or health classroom.
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...
National Endowment for the Humanities
“Read All About It”: Primary Source Reading in “Chronicling America”
Can investigative journalism become too sensationalistic and accusatory, or is it vital for the survival of a democracy? Middle schoolers analyze primary source documents from early 20th-century newspapers as well as Theodore Roosevelt's...
Curated OER
Reading Comprehension Worksheet: Plants
In this reading comprehension about plants worksheet, students study an informative text about the medicinal use of plants. Students answer 4 short answer questions.
Scholastic
Prescription Pain Medication: What You Need to Know
The national epidemic of opioid addiction is making its way into high school populations. Educate the students in your class about the ways prescription opioids can both block pain and deliver large amounts of dopamine that make it very...
Curated OER
Drugs Info
Fifth graders understand the effects of substance abuse and then in pairs, they use a KWL chart to assess their prior knowledge of drugs; healthy and unhealthy. Then as a whole group, 5th graders provide feedback and are introduced to...
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...
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Electronic Cigarettes: What's the Bottom Line?
A five-page infographic unveils the ins and outs of e-cigarettes. Numerous bullet points and pictures detail what e-cigarettes are, the ingredients found inside, and the health effects of using them.
Scholastic
Marijuana: Breaking Down the Buzz
There are a lot of myths surrounding marijuana. Read a passage that clarifies the dangers of teens smoking marijuana, its harmful effects on the development of the brain, and the possible correlation of cigarette smoking to marijuana...
Scholastic
Marijuana: Perception of Harm vs. Use
Many teenagers don't believe that marijuana is harmful, but if they do, it affects whether they use it or not. Analyze the relationship between what high school seniors believe about marijuana and their tendency to use it with a reading...
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
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.