Topic: Medicine addiction, preventing addictions, addictions of the 21st century

Target group

7th‑grade students of elementary school

Core curriculum

General requirements

IV . Reasoning and applying the acquired knowledge to solving biological problems. Student:

1 . interprets information and explains causal relationships between phenomena, formulates conclusions;

Specific requirements

IV . Homeostasis. Student:

3 . analyzes the information that is included in the medication and explains why it is not necessary to take general medicines and supplements without obvious need.

General aim of education

Students discuss addictions that we are exposed to in the modern world.

Key competences

• communication in foreign languages;

• digital competence;

• learning to learn.

Criteria for success
The student will learn:

• present the negative health effects of drug addiction;

• explain why you should not take medication without it.

Methods/techniques

• expository

  • talk.

• activating

  • discussion.

• programmed

  • with computer;

  • with e‑textbook.

• practical

  • exercices concerned.

Forms of work

• individual activity;

• activity in pairs;

• activity in groups;

• collective activity.

Teaching aids

• e‑textbook;

• notebook and crayons/felt‑tip pens;

• interactive whiteboard, tablets/computers.

Lesson plan overview

Before classes

• Students get acquainted with the content of the abstract. They prepare to work on the lesson in such a way to be able to summarize the material read in their own words and solve the tasks themselves.

Introduction

• The teacher gives the topic, the goals of the lesson in a language understandable for the student, and the criteria of success.

• The teacher asks students how much time they spend in front of the computer, do they imagine holidays without access to the Internet?.

Realization

• The chosen student explains what the drug addiction is and what its symptoms are. Then the class teacher divides the class into five or six groups. Each team receives one leaflet (a drug available without a prescription or a dietary supplement). On the basis of the data contained in the leaflet, each group develops answers to the following questions:

  • Are all people free to take this medicine / dietary supplement? Who should be careful?

  • What are the side effects of taking this medicine / dietary supplement?

  • What are the consequences of the overdose of this drug / food supplement?

• Group representatives report the results of their teams' work. After the student's speech, the teacher initiates a discussion about the dangers of taking medication without consulting a doctor.

• The indicated person discusses the Internet addiction and presents its various phases. The lecturer asks volunteers to tell how much time and in what circumstances they use the Internet and mobile phones. It encourages students to express their own opinion on how to use modern technologies for many hours and to decide whether this is an addiction or a necessity related to the development of civilization.

• The teacher presents and discusses an interactive illustration on addiction prevention. Then he asks volunteers to improvise the scene in which some students encourage others to take addictive drugs. The task of students who play the persuaded people is to refuse to take the proposed substances in the most determined and cultural way.

• Students, working individually or in pairs, carry out interactive exercises to check and consolidate knowledge learned during the lesson. Selected people discuss the correct solutions for interactive exercises. The teacher completes or corrects the statements of the proteges.

Summary

• The teacher briefly presents the most important issues discussed in class. He answers the additional questions of the proteges and explains all their doubts. Students complete notes.

Homework

• Listen to the abstract recording at home. Pay attention to pronunciation, accent and intonation. Learn to pronounce the words learned during the lesson.

• Using the information in the handbook and other sources, make a map of thoughts on the causes and effects of addiction to chemicals and new technologies.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

Medicine addiction, preventing addictions, addictions of the 21st century

Easy access to pills and dietary supplements, as well as a certain trend to take them makes us use pills, e.g. painkillers, instead of trying to solve our health or life problems. Especially popular are the sedatives and sleep medicine, performance‑enhancing drugs and painkillers, syntetic vitamins and dietary supplements or products advertised as something that helps to slim down.

Taking medicine without consulting a doctor can cause damage to the stomach, kidneys and liver, as well as addiction to medicines. Addiction to taking pills is equally as serious as alcoholism or drug addiction.

An addict is a person who has the need to use stimulants, or the need to do a certain action, and that need is stronger than the consequences of the actions. Easy access to cigarettes, alcohol, medicines, drugs and designer drugs causes the number of addicts to increase every year. Addicts are usually unable to stop their addiction, because of severe, sometimes even dangerous consequences that breaking their habit might have for their health, also known as abstinence. Such people need not only medical help, but mainly psychological support. Treatment of addictions is difficult because of relapses caused by changes to the brain resulting from taking the addictive substances. This is why you should never start experimenting with addictive substances and you should consequently refuse to take any of them.

Dynamic development of technology caused new addictions to appear - addiction to the Internet, video games, mobile phone. Those addictions prevent people from properly functioning in their everyday lives.

• Stages of an addiction follow the above‑mentioned scheme – experimenting, occasional use, regular use, addiction.

• Addiction is the strong need to take a certain addictive substance in order to feel pleasure or to get rid of negative consequences of its lack.

• Taking too many medications, called addiction to medications, is mostly connected with painkillers, sedatives and sleeping pills.