Key Learnings for Prevention of Substance Abuse

KEY LEARNINGS: (Benchmarks)	PERFORMANCE ACTIVITIES: (Examples)
1. Knows how to recognize harmful substances such as tobacco;	1. Students make an anti-smoking poster which explains a reason for not smoking. (Decision Making)
2. Knows proper first aid responses (i.e. 911, poison control);	2. Students develop a skit demonstrating the procedure for calling 911. (Decision Making)
3. Differentiates between the use and misuse of prescription and nonprescription drugs.	3. Students sort containers (empty) by prescription and nonprescription drugs and discuss the appropriate use of each. (Comparison)

KEY LEARNINGS: (Benchmarks)	PERFORMANCE ACTIVITIES: (Examples)
1. Knows the influences that promote alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use (e.g. peer pressure, peer and adult modeling, advertising, availability, cost);	1. Students analyze marketing and advertising techniques and the influence they have on alcohol and tobacco use. (Analyzing Perspectives)
2. Recognizes high-risk substance abuse situations that pose an immediate threat to oneself or one’s friends or family as well as how and where to obtain help (e.g. drunk and drugged driving, violent arguments);	2. Students name situations that put you at risk and discuss how to protect themselves and where to obtain help. (Constructing Support)
3. Knows ways to avoid, recognize, and respond to negative social influences and pressures to use alcohol. tobacco, or other drugs (e.g. refusal skills, self-control).	3. Students create their own commercial that will demonstrate ways to avoid, recognize and respond to pressure to use drugs. (Problem Solving)

Level 3: Grades 6-8

KEY LEARNINGS: (Benchmarks)	PERFORMANCE ACTIVITIES: (Examples)
1. Knows conditions that may put people at higher risk for substance abuse problems (e.g. heredity, substance abuse in family, low frustration tolerance);	1. Students understand the choices and consequences related to substance abuse. (Decision Making)
2. Knows factors involved in the development of a drug dependency and the early, observable signs and symptoms (e.g. tolerance level, loss of control, denial);	2. Students identify and explain the pattern of drug dependence among the various types of substance abuse. (Abstraction)
3. Knows the short- and long- term consequences of the use of tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs (e.g. shortness of breath, cirrhosis, lung cancer, low self-esteem, apathy, crime, domestic violence);	3. Students research the effects of substance abuse on famous athletes or media stars. (Investigation)
4. Knows public policy approaches to substance abuse control and prevention (e.g. pricing and taxation, warning labels, regulations of advertising, restrictions at sporting events);	4. Students debate the seemingly contractions between government pressure to limit smoking and drinking with government dependency on taxes raised from these sources. (Analyzing Perspectives)
5. Knows community resources that are available to assist people with alcohol, tobacco, and other drug problems.	5. Students develop a concise and user friendly handout of local community resources to assist people with substance abuse problems. (Investigation)

Level 4: Grades 9-12

KEY LEARNINGS: (Benchmarks)	PERFORMANCE ACTIVITIES: (Examples)
1. Knows the short- and long-term effects associated with the use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs on reproduction, pregnancy, and the health of children;	1. N/A
2. Knows how the abuse of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs often plays a role in dangerous behavior and can have adverse consequences on the community (e.g. house fires, car crashes, domestic violence, date rape, transmission of diseases);	2. Students develop a product to show the effects of drugs on society in terms of cost, personal loss, etc. (Invention)
3. Understands that alcohol, tobacco, and other drug dependencies are treatable diseases/conditions.	3. Students conduct a survey on substance abuse to ascertain if public attitudes are in sync with current research. (Investigation)