This is a sponsored post
“I don’t understand why people smoke,” Emily said as we had just exited a cloud of smoke exhaled by the person in front of us. “It causes black lungs and does other bad things to your body” my middle schooler stated as she shook her head and talked about the risks of tobacco use. Clearly 7th grade health lessons from first quarter were having an impact on my middle school-aged daughter.
At age 13, Emily is part of the age group that is at the highest risk of trying tobacco. Research states that young people are most likely to try smoking for the first time between the ages of 11 and 15, or grades 6 to 10. While she’s at a critical age now, I wonder if and when there might be a time when she’s tempted to try a cigarette.
As parents, we do the best we can to raise good humans every single day. We try to impart solid values and the ability to make good decisions while raising confident kids. We try to teach life lessons and hope they will remember what we taught them when confronted with difficult choices. While we seize on teachable moments at home to have important conversations about things like smoking, our kids are curious. We hope that the things we teach them will have an impact just as much as the things they’re learning at school.
When it comes to learning about the reasons why not to engage in risky behaviors like smoking, our teachers are an instrumental part of the process since our kids split their time between home and school. Through classroom lessons, Emily’s teachers have provided her with scientific information about why smoking is hazardous to her health, explained the very personal reasons to avoid this risky behavior, and incorporated technology to enhance the curriculum.
About Right Decisions, Right Now Tobacco Education Resources
For teachers looking for interactive lessons to enhance tobacco education curriculum, Right Decisions, Right Now has free anti-smoking and anti-tobacco educational materials for teachers and schools. These materials target students in the high risk ages of 11-15 or grades 5-9. This nationally tested program incorporates a variety of materials like Smart Board activities, surveys, interpersonal skill activities and more that have been successful in significantly decreasing smoking levels in test schools among 8-9th graders and lowered anticipated tobacco use among middle schoolers.
8 Steps for Teaching Middle Schoolers Not to Smoke Using Right Decisions, Right Now Materials
1. Download the Print Kit. The Print Kit contains everything you need to start using these materials in your classroom right now.
2. Read the Overview Booklet. Found in the Print Kit, Overview Booklets serve as the curriculum guide that contains an introduction, information on tobacco use, how to use the program materials, additional information for educators, and printables such as student pledge forms and colorful posters for your classroom that contain visual reminders of the learning from the lessons.
3. Print the Educator Implementation Assessment Tool. Also found in the Print Kit, there are separate Assessment Tools for grades 5-6, 7, and 8-9. This is a checklist serves as a road map helping teachers stay on track when implementing the Right Decisions, Right Now: Be Tobacco Free program with their students.
4. Review the interactive SMART Board activities. Teachers with SMART Boards will appreciate having interactive materials that correspond to Right Decisions, Right Now to integrate into classroom curriculum that will provide an enhanced learning experience for their students.
5. Watch the videos. Right Decisions, Right Now has age appropriate videos for grades 5-6, 7, and 8-9. Visit the video page, select your grade level, and read a video summary, tips on incorporating the video into the activity, and suggested classroom discussion starters. Each video also includes points to pause and restart the video.
6. Print the Glossary. The glossary contains a list of relevant terms that students can refer to throughout the lessons.
7. Have students sign the Student Pledge. At the end of the unit, invite students to sign copies of the Student Pledge to show their support for being tobacco free.
8. Make materials available for parents. It’s important to loop parents in on the important conversations about tobacco in the classroom and Right Decisions, Right Now makes it easy thanks to a Parent/Guardian Fact Sheet and Parent Pledge that shows kids that family members support their decision to be tobacco free. Encourage parents to look at Right Decisions Right Now’s resources because they’re designed to be used by both teachers and parents!
Enter to Win 1 of 4 $500 Staples Gift Cards from Right Decisions, Right Now
Since Right Decisions, Right Now is committed to youth tobacco prevention, they want to help you make sure your students understand the risks of tobacco use and are giving away 1 of 4 $500 Staples gift cards to be used for classroom supplies during the 2017/2018 school year. To enter, just visit the classroom contest page and share how you’ll support your students’ decision to say no to tobacco use. Everyone who enters will be able to download free teaching materials and printables for classroom use.
Contest details:
Classroom contest is open to United States residents who are currently employed full- or part-time as an educator by an accredited public or private K-12 school in the United States.
- Classroom contest is open to United States residents who are currently employed full- or part-time as an educator by an accredited public or private K-12 school in the United States.
- Contest closes on June 30, 2017
- 4 randomly-drawn winners will each receive a $500 Staples gift card + a printed Cost of Smoking wall poster
This is a sponsored post written through a partnership with WeAreTeachers but all opinions are my own. Images courtesy Right Decisions, Right Now.
