I. Summary:
For grades 3-7. Students will need to make health decisions related to their health habits. Smoking is a habit that often begins in early adolescence. According to the CDC, smoking is the number one cause of lung disorders and contributes to the onset of many diseases.

II. Objectives:

• Students will be able to evaluate the health hazards of tobacco and tobacco smoke.
• Students will be able to explain how choosing not to smoke is the number one prevention against many diseases and death.
• Students will be able to practice using skills to refuse cigarettes.
• Students will describe the short-term and long-term effects of tobacco and nicotine on the body.
• Students will be able to evaluate the chemicals used in cigarettes and predict the harm they can cause.
• Students will be able to determine when they feel peer pressure and how to deal with related feelings.
• Students will explain the motives behind peer pressure and why young people defer to it.

III. Materials Needed:

• Computer with Internet access, preferably with ReadMedia pre-installed for viewing video clips.
• What I Know About Smoking Worksheet
• Scavenger Hunt Worksheet

IV. Procedure:

1. Show students the animated public service announcements from the PBS Kids Web site Its My Life. These PSA's were created by students in an effort to educate their peers on tobacco prevention.
   URL: /pbskids2008/itsmylife/video

2. After viewing these clips, go to the PBS Kids Web site Don't Buy It and have students view the public announcements developed by the Phillip Morris Tobacco Company.
   URL: http://pbskids.org/dontbuyit/advertisingtricks/whatsinanad_philipmorris.html

3. After showing students the clips as an anticipatory set to a unit on smoking, introduce students to the objectives of the unit. The roadmap for the unit will include:
   
   • Evaluating the short and long term effects of smoking.
   • The impact of smoking on overall health.
   • How smoking is harmful.
   • The impact of smoking on society and the individual choices one has to make related to smoking.
   • The unit will culminate in the students creating a public service announcement or completing another type of active learning activity.

4. Drawing on their prior knowledge about smoking and cigarettes, have students work in Think-Pair-Share partners and complete the What I Know About Smoking Worksheet. Review the worksheet with the class and evaluate what they already know about smoking.

5. Go to the It's My Life Web site section titled "Smoking". Print out each page of this section (8 total) and distribute to the Think-Pair-Share partners. Instruct partners to complete the Scavenger Hunt Worksheet.
   URL: /pbskids2008/itsmylife/body/smoking/index.html

6. Review the scavenger hunt results with the class.

7. In partners, have students discuss what they would do for a tobacco education Public Service Announcement of their own. Have students share their ideas with the class.

8. Distribute the It's My Life Journal page titled "Smoking." Have students individually self-reflect and complete.
   URL: /pbskids2008/itsmylife/journal/smoking_journal.html

9. As a culmination to the smoking unit, provide students with a list of projects to choose from such as those found on the "What You Can Do" page of the It's My Life "Smoking" section.
   URL: /pbskids2008/itsmylife/body/smoking/article7.html

   These projects include:
   

   • Create a public service announcement.
   • Create an anti-smoking flipbook animation.
   • Organize a Kick Buts day.
   • Create a tobacco-free pledge.
   • Survey how many restaurants in the area are smoke-free.
   • Write a letter to an anti-smoking organization, requesting ways to get involved in their campaign.
   • Design a slogan and anti-smoking logo for a T-shirt.
   • Organize an anti-smoking club.
   • Hold an anti-smoking campaign poster contest.

V. Classroom Assessment

The Scavenger Hunt Worksheet can be graded and assessed. A culminating project can also be used to assess student knowledge.

VI. Extensions and Adaptations

1. Invite a local doctor to discuss the effects of smoking on health.

2. Show students cigarette magazine advertisements and discuss the marketing techniques used to glamorize smoking. Then visit the Smoke-Free Action Network Web site at http://www.smokefreeair.org, and evaluate the letter-writing campaigns to various magazines and companies.

3. Order the SLAM video from the CDC at http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/slam.htm, which was "developed to help young people be more aware of the power and pervasiveness of cigarette advertising and to help them explore ways to resist the influences of the tobacco industry."

4. Have the class take the It's My Life "Bonko's Body Quiz" before studying the unit on smoking. Retake the quiz again at the end and compare results. Have students write additional questions for the quiz.
   URL: /pbskids2008/itsmylife/games/smoking.html

5. Distribute the It's My Life "Discussion questions for kids to bring up with adults" sheet, and have students use the questions to hold a conversation with an adult or parent to discuss smoking.
   URL: /pbskids2008/itsmylife/body/smoking/print_discussion_qs.html

6. Visit the It's My Life Great Books about Smoking page. Take time to read aloud one of the books related to smoking.
   URL: /pbskids2008/itsmylife/body/smoking/print_books.html

7. Have students create fictional stories related to staying tobacco-free and read them to other classes.

8. Draw a picture of a cigarette and all of the chemicals found inside.

9. Have students participate in the online polls about smoking on the It's My Life Web site and write about how they felt in relation to the reported statistics. The polls can be found on each page of the "Smoking" section.

10. Have students role-play situations where they may be confronted with being offered tobacco products.

VII. Relevant National Standards

Standard 1: Students will comprehend concepts related to health promotion and disease prevention.

• Students will recognize health problems caused by smoking.
• Students can explain why choosing not to smoke is disease prevention.

Standard 2: Students will demonstrate the ability to access valid health information and health-promoting products and services.

• Students can describe valid health information related to tobacco and smoking.
• Students can explain how to combat the lore of smoking advertisements .

Standard 3: Students will demonstrate the ability to practice health-enhancing behaviors and reduce health risks.

• Students can identify responsible and harmful behaviors, develop health-enhancing strategies, and manage stress.

Standard 4: Students will analyze the influence of culture, media, technology, and other factors on health.

• Students can describe what peer pressure is and ways to use refusal skills.

Standard 5: Students will demonstrate the ability to use interpersonal communication skills to enhance health.

• Students practice refusal skills.

Standard 6: Students will demonstrate the ability to use goal-setting and decision-making skills to enhance health.

• Students can set goals related to good health habits including choosing not to use tobacco products.

Standard 7: Students will demonstrate the ability to advocate for personal, family, and community health.

• Students can identify community resources related to quitting smoking and anti - smoking campaigns, accurately communicate health information related to smoking, and working cooperatively to promote health.

About the Author:
Donna DeTommaso-Kleinert is an elementary physical education teacher in the North Penn School District in Lansdale, Pennsylvania. She has been a learning coordinator and an elementary and middle school health and physical education teacher, and is presently completing graduate work in Kinesiology in the areas of curriculum and instruction at Temple University.