Anti-Drug Campaign Research Module

Teacher Resources

Anti-Drug Campaign
Research Process	Directions to Students
Scenario	The "Just Say No to Drugs" slogan and the DARE campaign have been around for many years, and yet more teens than ever use illegal drugs. These statistics strongly suggest that teens tend to turn a deaf ear to adults telling them about substance abuse. How could you make a difference by helping your peers avoid drug use via education? Besides facts and figures about substance abuse, what other information would have an impact on drug usage by students in your school? Since research shows that peer groups have the most influence on individuals, you have been asked by the Principal of your school to participate in an anti-drug campaign that teens will listen to. Use information that you and your friends would consider important enough to consider not using drugs.
Task and Product	Your group will research a specific drug or substance abused by teens and prepare a 1 minute public service announcement to be delivered over the school's intercom or a video PSA. You will also create a poster to be displayed in the hall. The poster should summarizing your announcement and be a reminder to the student body of your message about drug and substance abuse.
Assessments	Your grade will be based on the following: Group work. Everyone will have a role and be expected to contribute to the task and product. Public Service Announcement Essay Reflection - Brief Response Scoring tool Poster Two quiz questions based on your oral presentation. Think of what is most important for your audience to remember.
Question	Essential Question: What is the immediate and long term impact of drugs on an individual, family and community? Questions to jump-start your thinking: How do drugs impact the body and mind? How do drugs affect an individual's ability to make decisions? How do drugs affect the behavior of an individual within his family and community? What are the stages of chemical dependency and how does one break the cycle? How can you make a difference on the decisions of others? How influential are current laws and policies concerning substance abuse? How do the drug laws of other states and countries differ from ours, and what are the implications of those differences? What are your own questions?
Gather and Sort	Gather information from a variety of sources. Sort your findings using a graphic organizer or note cards. Remember to cite your references. Check the MLA guidelines and examples for citing resources; however, your school may use a different format. To avoid risking plagiarism, properly paraphrase and quote in your writing.
Organize	Analyze your research notes to determine the immediate and long term impact of drugs on an individual, family and community. Synthesize your findings by creating your public service announcement, poster, and 2 quiz questions for your class presentation. What new insights have emerged about substance abuse? Which facts are the most compelling and would have the greatest impact on the students in your school? Develop two quiz questions based on your presentation. Evaluate the effectiveness of your research for the task. Have you gathered sufficient details about your topic? Are your details organized in the right categories or sub-topics to make sense for your audience?
Conclusion	Presentation Before you give your public service announcement over the school's intercom, have a run-through in your classroom before your classmates. Use a public service announcement rubric to get feedback from your classmates. At the end of your presentation, have the class answer two quiz questions, prepared in advance, based on your presentation. Reflection Based on the information you learned from classmates during their presentations, write an essay that includes factual information about a drug, the consequences of drug-taking behaviors, and one's personal responsibility regarding the drug.