Drug Free Schools Middle School: Grade 6 through Grade 8 Content Areas 1. Includes knowledge of the characteristics and chemical nature of specific drugs and drug interactions, including but not limited to, alcohol, marijuana, tobacco, cocaine, crack and other drugs. 2. Describes the physiology of drug effects on the circulatory, respiratory, nervous, reproductive, and immune systems. 3. Creates an awareness of the stages of drug addiction and the lack of predictably from one person to another. 4. Discusses how heredity and other factors impact a person's susceptibility to addiction. 5. Incorporates an awareness of the short-term and long-term effects of drugs on appearance and physical, mental and social functioning. 6. Creates an understanding of how using drugs affects activities requiring motor coordination, such as operating motor vehicles or playing sports. 7. Examines the issues of the drug problem faced by society, the tactics society has adopted to fight the problem, and the responsibilities individual citizens have in overcoming this problem on the local level. 8. Identifies the relationship between drug use and HIV and AIDS. 9. Includes knowledge of local, State, and Federal laws and school policies regarding drug use. 10. Identifies local resources which assist the community in eliminating drug problems. 11. Teaches assertiveness and peer resistance skills. 12. Teaches decision making and critical thinking. 13. Encourages youth to become involved in school and community-related activities. 69
ALCOHOL AND MOTOR COORDINATION COMPREHENSIVE SCIENCE II (2002070) COMPREHENSIVE SCIENCE OBJECTIVES: 7 - I - A - 1. Identify each step of the scientific method: state the problem, perform library research; form a hypothesis; perform an experiment; make observations, collect, record and interpret data; and draw conclusions. 7 - I - A - 5. Using specified information from a discrepant event; organize a table, create a graph, and analyze and interpret quantitative and qualitative data to form conclusions. (Should be accomplished both with and without a computer). 7 - I - A - 6. Solve the problem through interpretation and analysis of data and select appropriate alternatives to make inferences based upon information gathered in a problem-solving situation. 7 - VII - A - 8. Describe the physiology of drugs' effects on the circulatory, respiratory, nervous, reproductive, and immune systems. 7 - VII - A - 9. Explain how using drugs affects activities (differently in various people) requiring motor coordination such as operating motor vehicles or playing sports. SUBSTANCE EDUCATION OBJECTIVES: To explain and create an understanding of how using drugs affects activities requiring motor coordination, such as operating motor vehicles or playing sports. VOCABULARY: Motor coordination MATERIALS: 2 unsharpened pencils, bag of dried beans, small cup or container and paper plate for every pair of students, watch with second hand or timer. Handouts: ALCOHOL: MORE or LESS or EQUAL ACTIVITY SHEETS TAKE HOME ACTIVITY SHEET ASSESSMENT: 1. Class discussion of Handouts 2. Take home assignment 70
PROCEDURE: Ask students to raise their hands if they enjoy watching or participating in some type of sports activity. Encourage them to share the names of their favorite sports. List the names of the types of sports they enjoy the most on the blackboard. Ask students to suggest the kinds of physical skills needed in order to perform the sport (jumping, running, kicking, hitting, catching, throwing). Tell the students that the ability to perform in sports is related to the physical health of their bodies. If they eat a balanced diet and get enough rest, they will be able to try to practice the skills needed to perform their favorite sport. Explain that even 1 to 2 drinks of alcohol have an effect on the part of the brain that controls the muscle coordination that they need to perform their best in sports. Write the information on the board. Distribute Handout #1 and discuss the information with the students so that they understand that any beverage with alcohol in it can have the same effect. Tell them that some people say that it is better to drink beer than hard liquor, but they all contain the same amount of alcohol. Tell them that they are going to perform an experiment in order to better understand how just 1 to 2 drinks of alcohol will affect their motor coordination. Explain that they are all going to be asked to practice the performance of a new skill that requires motor coordination. Mention that most new skills that require motor coordination improve with practice. Distribute the Activity Sheets, Handouts #2, #3 and #4. Ask them to read the problem and formulate an hypothesis. Example: Consuming one to two drinks of alcohol will effect an individual's ability to learn a new skill. Tell the students that in this experiment they will see how the number of times they practice a new skill affects their performance, as well as, the effects that "drinking" has on the acquisition of the same skill. Show students how to hold their 2 pencils "chopstick" style. Place one pencil between the first joint of the thumb and first joint of the middle finger. Hold the second pencil between the tips of the thumb and index finger. Holding the first pencil still, move the second pencil up and down by flexing the index finger making sure that the ends of both pencils are even with each other. Tell students to practice this "new" coordination skill until they are comfortable. DO NOT LET THEM PICK UP ANYTHING YET. Tell students that when you give the signal, they will have 30 seconds to use their "chopsticks" to pick up (one at a time) as many dried beans as possible and place 71
CLOSURE: them in the cup on the paper plate. They will repeat this five times (someone with a watch with a second hand can be the timer). Tell students to perform the experiment and record their data on the data Table. (Handout #3) Ask them if their coordination skill increased with each attempt. Tell them that in the next trial they will attempt to simulate the feeling of having one or two drinks of alcohol by standing in one spot and turning around quickly ten times. DO NOT LET ANY STUDENTS DO THIS WHO HAVE PROBLEMS WITH THEIR HEART OR DIZZINESS/BALANCE. BE SURE THE AREA THEY DO THIS IN IS CLEAR OF OBSTACLES. Ask them to predict what effect this will have on their newly acquired skill. Explain that as soon as they have spun around ten times, they will sit down and have the same amount of time to try to pick up the dried beans with the "chopsticks." Using Handout #4, have students make a bar graph of each of their trials comparing before and after by using different patterns or color bars. Ask them to describe the results shown on their graph. Was there any difference before and after the "alcohol" spinning? Ask students to conclude what affects an alcoholic "drink" has on weakening or improving their new skill by answering the questions on Handout #4. Tell students that this is a simulation of the effects of only one or two drinks. Increasing the quantity of alcohol intake also reduces reaction time and can greatly affect one's abilities to practice the new skills needed to become a successful athlete. CLOSURE: (CONTINUED) Ask students to write a paragraph describing how they would feel if a member of their team showed up for a game under the influence of alcohol or drugs that would affect his/her ability to compete. TELL STUDENTS: The use of illicit drugs and/or alcohol is wrong and harmful. If you or anyone you know has a problem with drugs, contact your TRUST specialist or school counselor. 72
HANDOUT #1 ALCOHOL: MORE or LESS or EQUAL? WINE BEER HARD LIQUOR 5 oz. GLASS = 12 oz. CAN = 1.25-1.5 oz. SHOT CONTAINS CONTAINS CONTAINS 0.5 oz. alcohol = 0.5 oz. alcohol = 0.5 oz. alcohol (8-14%) (4-5%) (40-50%) 73
ACTIVITY HANDOUT #2 ALCOHOL AND MOTOR COORDINATION PROBLEM: What are the effects of 1-2 drinks containing 0.5 ounces each of alcohol on the ability to learn a new skill? HYPOTHESIS: MATERIALS: (For each pair of students) 2 unsharpened pencils or chopsticks, small cup, paper plate, dried beans. PROCEDURE: 1. Watch your teacher demonstrate how to hold the pencils in your hand so that they are like a pair of chopsticks. 2. Place the dried beans and a small empty cup on a paper plate. 3. When the timing person gives the signal, use your "chopsticks" to pick up, one at a time, as many dried beans as possible and place them in the small cup sitting on the paper plate. 4. Stop when the timer indicates that 30 seconds has passed. 5. Count the number of dried beans in the cup and record on your data table in the before "drinks" column. 6. Repeat 5 times and record results on data table. Average the results. 7. In order to simulate the effects of 1-2 drinks, stand in an area that is clear of obstacles (DO NOT DO THIS PART IF YOU CANNOT PARTICIPATE IN P.E., HAVE HEART PROBLEMS OR DIZZY SPELLS). Turn around as many times as possible in 10 seconds. 8. Immediately sit down and repeat the activity with the beans after a "drink." Record the results on the data table. 9. Use the graph given to make a bar graph of your data. Be sure to use a different pattern or color when you chart your before "drink" and your after "drink." 74
HANDOUT #3 DATA TABLE TRIAL (30 seconds each) NUMBER OF BEANS PICKED UP BEFORE "DRINKS" AFTER "DRINKS" 1 2 3 4 5 average 75
HANDOUT #4 GRAPH: ALCOHOL AND MOTOR COORDINATION 20 18 16 14 NUMBER OF BEANS 12 10 8 6 4 2 1 2 3 4 5 avg TRIALS (30 seconds) DATA INTERPRETATION: Describe what the graph shows about your skill as you went from one trial to the next before a "drink." After a "drink"? DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. What effect did practice have on your ability to learn a new skill? 2. What was the effect of the spinning around to simulate 1-2 drinks of alcohol on learning the new skill? CONCLUSION: Explain how your data supported or did not support your hypothesis? TAKE HOME ACTIVITY DIRECTIONS: Look through the newspaper and magazines for articles that describe what effect abusing drugs had on the performance/team/life of an athlete. When you find the articles, read them and complete the following information. 76
POSSIBLE SOURCES: Daily newspaper - Sports Section Sports Illustrated Newsweek - Sports Section Time - Sports Section U.S. News and World Report - Sports Section Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature - (See drugs, specific name of drug, sports, etc.) NAME OF SOURCE DATE NAME OF ATHLETE SPORT NAME OF TEAM OR COMPETITION EFFECT OF DRUG ABUSE ON PERFORMANCE/TEAM PERSONAL LIFE NAME OF SOURCE DATE NAME OF ATHLETE SPORT NAME OF TEAM OR COMPETITION EFFECT OF DRUG ABUSE ON PERFORMANCE/TEAM PERSONAL LIFE NAME OF SOURCE DATE NAME OF ATHLETE SPORT NAME OF TEAM OR COMPETITION EFFECT OF DRUG ABUSE ON PERFORMANCE/TEAM PERSONAL LIFE 77
TEACHER RESOURCE M-DCPS FILM LIBRARY TITLE LEVEL TIME ALCOHOL USE AND ATHLETES 6-12 40 ANABOLIC STEROID USE AND ATHLETES 5-12 10 COCAINE AND THE STUDENT ATHLETE 6-12 38 COCAINE USE AND ATHLETES 5-12 10 DOWNFALL: SPORTS AND DRUGS 6-12 29 BENNY AND THE ROIDS 6-12 28 STEROIDS: SHORTCUT TO MAKE BELIEVE DRUGS 78