"Is everyone actually doing it?" Most substance use and abuse (ATOD / drug prevention) lessons focus on the dangers of the drugs themselves, but what about the dangers of misinformation? This lesson uses real data dashboards to show students the true landscape of teen substance use, and how different it is from what they assume.
 
This lesson is all about drug use perception vs. reality, walking students through the key risk factors of substance use, misuse, and abuse. Students don't just hear the facts, they physically represent the stats in a visual, movement-based opening activity that gets them out of their seats. From there, the lesson flows into group discussions, think-pair-shares, and a group research activity using the Monitoring the Future data dashboard. Perfect as the first lesson in your ATOD unit!
 
What's Included:
24 editable Google Slides
3-page worksheet — PDF & Google Docs/Slides (fully editable)
Clear teacher instructions with an NHES-aligned lesson plan
 
Best for: high school or upper middle school health
 
NHES Standards Alignment:
NHES 2.12.3 — Analyze how peers influence healthy and unhealthy behaviors
NHES 2.12.4 — Evaluate how the school and community can affect personal health practices and behaviors
NHES 3.12.1 — Evaluate the validity of health information, products, and services
NHES 5.12.5 — Predict the potential short-term and long-term impact of each alternative on self and others