Project Based Learning Unit/Lesson Plan

Project Idea:

Students will use learning content and materials in the Health Education (HE) class to create and
present the Drug Use and Abuse Reference Guide project. The project will provide the
knowledge, skills, and behavior students need to prevent health risks and promote personal
health and wellness. The project will also help students to understand the real-life dangers of
drug use and abuse in the 21st century. The Drug Use and Abuse Reference Guide project
requires students to apply the essential communication, problem-solving, critical thinking,
research, and technology skills they need in education and the future.

Content Standards:

National Health Education Standards

Standard 7: “Students will demonstrate the ability to practice health-enhancing behaviors and
avoid or reduce health risks” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019, para. 1).

Performance Indicators:

- 7.12.1 – “Analyze the role of individual responsibility for enhancing health” (Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, 2019, para. 6).
- 7.12.2 – “Demonstrate a variety of healthy practices and behaviors that will maintain or
improve the health of self and others” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019,
para. 6).

ISTE Standard for Students (http://www.iste.org/standards/standards/for-students-2016)

Standard 1: Empowered Learner – “Students leverage technology to take an active role in

choosing, achieving, and demonstrating competency in their learning goals, informed by the
learning sciences” (ISTE, 2016, para. 1).

Indicators:

- 1C: “Students use technology to seek feedback that informs and improves their practice
and to demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways” (ISTE, 2016, para. 1).
 Objective(s) for lesson (at least one HOTS objective): Student will be able to:

- Identify the dangers of drug use and abuse in the 21st century.
- Use emerging technology to create an infographic.
- Create a reference guide to identify the dangers of drug use and abuse that combines new
ideas and information.

Tool(s):

- Desktop
- “What is Substance Use and Abuse, Teen” video (Elsevier Clinical Solutions, 2020)
- “What are the Dangers of Drug Abuse” article (John, 2018)
- Google Search
- Wizer.me – Drug Use and Abuse Reference Guide – Group Planning Activity (Link:
https://app.wizer.me/preview/UZOL65)
- Kahoot! – Drug Use and Abuse Quiz - (Link: https://create.kahoot.it/v2/share/drug-use-
and-abuse-quiz/a30a2d1d-7114-4286-906e-bf888a1b9c7d)
- Electronic Health Binder - Evernote (www.evernote.com)

Teacher Directed Activities:

- Students will watch the “What is Substance Use and Abuse, Teen” video (Elsevier
Clinical Solutions, 2020), and the teacher will give a short lecture after the video to
provide the background knowledge students need to identify the dangers of drug use and
abuse, understand how drug use and abuse impact students’ health and wellness, and
identify strategies to prevent drug use and abuse in the 21st century. Students will be
required to take notes.
- The teacher will use a Question and Answer (Q&A) activity that requires students to
answer the following questions using their electronic journal in Evernote after watching
the video: 1) What are the dangers of drug use and abuse in the 21st century? 2) Explain
how drug use and abuse can negatively impact students’ health. 3) Identify one strategy
to help students prevent drug use and abuse.
- The teacher will share the “What are the Dangers of Drug Abuse” article (John, 2018)
using students’ electronic health binder in Evernote. Students will be required to read the
article and take notes.

Student Directed Activities:

- Students will work in groups of four to complete the Drug Use and Abuse Reference
Guide – Group Planning Activity in Wizer.me (Link:
 https://app.wizer.me/preview/UZOL65). This activity will prepare students for the Drug
Use and Abuse Reference Guide project.
- Students will work individually to complete the Drug Use and Abuse Quiz in Kahoot!
(Link:https://create.kahoot.it/v2/share/drug-use-and-abuse-quiz/a30a2d1d-7114-4286-
906e-bf888a1b9c7d). This is a formative assessment that would be given in the middle of
the “Drug Use, Abuse, and Your Health” lesson. The assessment would allow the teacher
to identify students who are struggling and break them into smaller groups for re-
teaching. It also provides an opportunity to improve instruction to meet students’ learning
needs.
- Students will write a journal entry in their electronic health binder in Evernote to reflect
on what they learned about drug use and abuse, what dangers students face when they use
and abuse drugs in the 21st century, and what strategies students can use to prevent drug
use and abuse.

Performance Based Assessment (what is a performance based assessment)

The Drug Use and Abuse Reference Guide project is designed to provide the knowledge, skills,
and behavior students need to prevent health risks and achieve health and wellness. The project
will provide the framework for making healthy decisions as students navigate real-life challenges
that contribute or lead to drug use and addiction in the 21st century. This project provides
knowledge and skills to set students on the path to lifelong learning, health, and wellness.

Students will work individually to create an infographic that identifies the dangers of drug use
and abuse. Each student will be required to present their infographic in a synchronized session
using a Skype Group Video Conference (i.e., with the shared-screen option) in the classroom.
The teacher will invite Ruben Baler, Ph.D, a Health Scientist at the National Institute on Drug
Abuse, to participate in the synchronized session. Mr. Baler is a Subject Matter Expert (SME)
who specializes in the “neurobiology of drug use and addiction; effects of drug use on the body
and the brain; and monitoring the future survey of teen drug use…” (National Institute on Drug
Abuse, 2020, para. 3). Mr. Baler will answer students’ questions, share his expertise on the
dangers of drug use and abuse and how it impacts teens’ health, and provide brief feedback on
students’ infographics during the synchronized session. Each student must create an infographic
with the following requirements:

- Identify three real-life dangers of drug use and abuse for students in the 21st century.
- Explain how each danger negatively impacts students’ health.
- Use three images in the infographic.
- Ask Mr. Baler one question about the dangers of drug use and abuse for teens at the end
of the infographic. For example, students might ask “How do you think the increase in
addiction to prescription drugs will impact teens and their health in the future?”
- Cite sources in APA style.
The project requires students to apply essential 21st century critical thinking, communication,
problem-solving, research, and technology skills. Students’ projects must be creative and
original. This is a summative assessment that will occur at the end of the “Drug Use, Abuse, and
Your Health” lesson. The summative assessment would allow the teacher to formally evaluate
student learning, skill acquisition, and academic achievement (Lumen, n.d.).

Tools for Students:

- Students have the option to use one of the following tools to create their website:
Piktochart (https://www.piktochart.com/) or Visme (https://www.visme.com/)

- Laptop

- Internet access

- Google Search

- Class notes

- “What are the Dangers of Drug Abuse” article (John, 2018)

- “What is Substance Use and Abuse, Teen” video (Elsevier Clinical Solutions, 2020)

- Drug Use and Abuse Reference Guide - Group Planning Activity (with the teacher’s feedback)

- APA Style 7th Edition Fact Sheet

- Skype 2020

- Skype access information for the group video conference

- “How to Use Skype: Beginner’s Guide” video (Howfinity, 2019)

- “How to Share Your Screen on Skype 2020: Quick & Easy Tutorial” video (Essetino Artists,
2020)

Tools for the SME

- Laptop or Desktop

- Internet access
- Google Search

- Skype 2020

- Skype access information for the group video conference

- “How to Use Skype: Beginner’s Guide” video (Howfinity, 2019)

- Contact information (i.e., email address) for the Health Education teacher to discuss any
connection problems or issues

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019, May 29). Standard 7. Retrieved
from https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/sher/standards/7.htm

Elsevier Clinical Solutions. (2020, May 11). What is substance use and abuse, teen [Video file].
Retrieved from https://youtu.be/P-ZAhDTivIM

Essetino Artists. (2020, March 28). How to share your screen on Skype 2020: Quick & easy
tutorial [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/fdq_Ue5awE0

Howfinity. (2019, May 8). How to use Skype: Beginner’s guide [Video file]. Retrieved from

https://youtu.be/NRcb3uB3Jac

International Society for Technology in Education. (2016). ISTE standards for

students. Retrieved from https://www.iste.org/standards/for-students

John, A. (2018, November 28). What are the dangers of drug abuse? Retrieved from
https://healthfully.com/103960-longterm-effects-meth.html

Lumen. (n.d.). Summative assessment. Retrieved from

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/educationx92x1/chapter/summative-assessment/

National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2020, February 6). Meet our subject area experts. Retrieved
from https://www.drugabuse.gov/news-events/meet-our-subject-area-experts