Beyond Benign
Packed Up Properties
Determine physical properties of potential packaging materials. Continuing from previous lessons in the series, the resource asks groups to identify physical properties of the substances. They test for conductivity, solubility, water...
Beyond Benign
In Your Bathroom
How toxic is your shampoo? The 20th instructional activity of the chemistry series of 24 examines the ingredients in common shampoos. Learners tally the number of toxic ingredients and create graphical representations to communicate...
Beyond Benign
Product Test
It's the moment of truth. Previous lessons in the 24-part series had scholars design and develop shampoo formulas using chemical concepts. The 18th lesson asks them to test the function of their shampoos. To do this, they calculate the...
Beyond Benign
SLS Toxicology Test
Ingredients in your shampoo are toxic enough to kill plants. The 16th installment of the series of 24 tests the toxicity level of various concentrations of SLS, a chemical found in nearly all shampoo. Learners prepare percent solutions...
Beyond Benign
PPM
The 15th lesson in the series of 24 helps your classes understand the ppm (part per million) unit of measure. First, scholars experiment with food coloring to determine concentrations before applying their findings to calculate...
Beyond Benign
In a Lather
Time to come clean! Scholars continue preparing the shampoo they created in the previous two lessons. The purpose of this stage is to calculate the perfect amount of additive to make the shampoo lather.
National Library of Medicine
Your Environment, Your Health: The Great Debate—Bottled Water vs. Tap Water in Our School
Should bottled water be sold in schools, or should they only provide tap water? The summative unit in the six-part series encourages scholars debating this topic. The lessons teach how to build an argument, how to gain background...
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...
Nemours KidsHealth
Drugs: Grades 6-8
What happens to your body when you use drugs? What do you do if your friend wants you to start using? Learn about the signs of addiction and the ways to withstand peer pressure with two classroom activities. After storyboarding the...
Discovery Education
Is Our Community Influenced by the Opioid Epidemic?
Opioid abuse is becoming a national crisis, but combating the influence of opioids requires examining the ways it affects individual communities. A thorough teacher guide provides step-by-step instructions about implementing an...
National Association of School Nurses
Learn to Be Smart and Safe with Medicine
Begin educating young people on how to be smart and safe with medicine. Use a set of workbook pages to explore what symptoms are, uses for medications, how to read prescription and over-the-counter medicine labels, and who to trust when...
PBS
Stories of Painkiller Addiction: Commitment to Recovery
Recovery from substance addiction is an ongoing process. The final lesson plan in a series about painkiller abuse and addiction prompts learners to research various recovery options before writing a short story about a character who is...
PBS
Stories of Painkiller Addiction: Decisions and Consequences
Teach young learners that most drug addictions end in one of three outcomes: treatment, jail, or death. After watching a short video segment on the consequences of drug abuse, class members discuss what they viewed and consider what...
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...
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...
PBS
Stories of Painkiller Addiction: Contemplating Nature vs. Nurture
Does having an addict in your family make it more likely to become one yourself? Explore the genetic risk factors, as well as the prominent environmental influences, for substance addiction in a lesson that encourages awareness and open...
National Association of School Nurses
Learn to Be Smart and Safe with Medicine
The stated purpose of a school tool kit is to help schools implement teen prescription drug abuse awareness programs. The kit includes actions that groups can take in the school, with parents, and in the community at large.
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...
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...
Discovery Education
The Science of Addiction: The Story of Teens
Users of Discovery Education's interactive on the biology of addiction examine common misconceptions about opioids and learn about the factors that cause addiction. Additionally, they listen to the stories of three teens and their...
National Association of School Nurses
Be Safe and Smart with Medicine
Start youngsters off on the right track when it comes to medicine awareness. Learners becomes familiar with the right and wrong ways to use medicines and even find out where the school nurses office is. They also identify safe people to...
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, groups create a social...
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...
Scholastic
Opioids and the Overdose Epidemic
Learn about the opioid and overdose epidemic in America with an article that explains what opioids are, how they are used, and how they are abused. Learners discover the death rates associated with opioid overdoses and other factors that...