Theme: Say No to Drugs This unit includes four days of teaching, participating in school-wide activities, and completing worksheets as well as activities. Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Students will be introduced to Say No to Drugs Month. They will have discussions about peer pressure and how to say no to peer pressure. Next, after participating in Say No to Drugs Spirit Rally and listening to Glendale Policy Department explain how they find drugs and catch people carrying drugs using police dogs, students will be focusing on new vocabulary words and complete a puzzle in groups of two. They will share their answers at the end of the lesson. They will be given red ribbons to be instruction to tie them to school fence promising they will stay above influence and say no to drugs. Students will be also signing a pledge promising to say no to drugs, stay healthy, in control of themselves, and only take medicine from a parent or trusted adult. Review vocabulary words. During a direct instruction followed by a small group discussion, the teacher will explain the positive impact of saying no to drugs and negative effects of drugs on people’s health. Next, the teacher will connect the main concept explaining how drugs affect their health as well as their ability to stay in control of themselves. Students will be given a worksheet to list the negative effects of drugs on health and positive impact of saying no to drugs. They will use bullet points as well as complete sentences to state their ideas and complete the worksheet. The final lesson will have a few habits of mind built into the context. The teacher will explain to students that not only questioning is a reading strategy, but it is also a great strategy to use on a daily basis when we are faced with new challenges and situations. When they’re asked to do something they’re not familiar with, they should always stop and ask themselves why! Next, the teacher will also explain that students should try to use their background knowledge to be able to better solve their daily problems and make the right decision: saying no to drugs. At the end, students will draw a picture representing a situation in which they’re offered drugs. They will explain using pictures and words how they would say no to drugs using the skills they learned about. Background Information: Why did we choose this topic for lesson study?
Learning Activities And Teacher Questions Expected Student Reactions Teacher Support Points of Evaluation Opening activity In order to activate prior knowledge, ask students to discuss the Spirit Rally and explain what the police officers instructed them to do. Ask students to list the negative effects of health on drugs and positive effects of saying no to drugs. In order to motivate students, let them know that today they will be drawing a situation/challenge they might be faced with. Explain that they will draw a picture showing how they will say no to drugs, and which verbal and or communication skills they will use to say no. Direct Instruction Introduce today’s new concept and explain that facing a new situation is just like reading a new story; they may run into new people and new challenges, and they have to use their background knowledge of the subject to make appropriate decisions. Students will share their answers with the class and discuss what they learned during Spirit Rally. Students will use their background knowledge and refer to their notes to state the positive and negative effects. Students will comment on the activity and let the teacher know if they have any questions. Students will watch the teacher and think about how they can use their background knowledge to make certain decisions. Give simple step-by-step instructions and make sure all students, including English language learners, know what is expected of them. Provide students with the worksheets they completed yesterday and have them use their notes to remind themselves of the positive and negative effects. Answer students’ questions and make sure they know what is expected of them. Repeat the new vocabulary words students learned before and make sure you have pictures available to better explain the concept to English Language Learners and non-English speakers. Listen to students’ responses and ask questions for comprehension and understanding. Make a note of students’ responses as informal assessment. As students give you their answers, make sure they’re on the right track and are familiar with the effects. Make a note of their answers and give appropriate feedback. As you ask questions about the project, make sure students’ responses are appropriate. Students should be aware of how to complete the project before they begin working on it. Ask questions for comprehension and understanding and make a note of students’ responses. Based on students’ answers, rephrase and focus on certain words or concepts if necessary.