ND Curriculum Initiative

Subject & Standards

Needs Assessment/Rational

In completing an analysis of need for this instructional unit, I identified several gaps between what students now know and what students need to know. 1. In analyzing 2003 data from the ND Health Department, 35% of the students in ND in grades 9-12 are current smokers and 13% use smokeless tobacco.  2. Annually more than 860 deaths occur from smoking in ND.  3. Statistics from the Tobacco Free Kids Organization report that there are 15,600 kids now under 18 and alive in ND who will ultimately die prematurely from smoking.  4. In 2003, 20%- 50% of adult North Dakotans report being smokers and 58% attempted to quit. That means that more than half of ND smokers have TRIED to quit smoking but this addiction is hard to overcome.
In 2002, Governor Hoeven launched the Healthy ND Initiative. The goal is to improve the health of every citizen in the state by inspiring people to choose healthy behaviors. Tobacco usage is 1 of the 8 target areas being addressed.  In this time of No Child Left Behind Act focus, it is imperative that our students be healthy in order to do well on the standardized tests and not get left behind. The ND Quitline has been established and various tobacco cessation programs are being offered. The Cavalier County Tobacco Coalition has been formed to work specifically in this area. Because of these alarming statistics and state and local emphasis, my unit will cover Standard 9 Health Maintenance Practice ,Benchmark 9.1.1: Identify behaviors that promote health and wellness, prevention of disease and injury (Health Behaviors) and Benchmark 9.1.3: Identify safety practices as related to high risk behaviors (Health Behaviors).
Based on informal assessments, some students think just a little tobacco won’t hurt them. They pretend to know the consequences. My students were given a 15 question pretest regarding tobacco use, effects, and addictive properties. The result was a 58% average. The gap between what the students know and what they need to know is evident!  So to bridge this gap, and share with others, I will design the unit to align with Standard 11 Information Technology Application Benchmark 11.1.3: Process data from various sources to reach conclusions (Communication Technology) and Benchmark 11.1.4 : Plan, prepare, and deliver a presentation (Communication Technology).
This unit of instruction would allow me to use some teaching and learning strategies that will motivate and engage the students. By having the students involved in sharing with younger students, they will be learning in a real world setting.

Understandings & Goals

Enduring Understanding: I want my students to understand why they should make a wise and healthy choice when it comes to tobacco usage so addiction doesn’t happen to them.
Goal(s): 1. The students will become well informed on the consequences of tobacco use and realize that addiction CAN happen to them.

Questions Answered

Essential questions: 1. Why use a certain kind of tobacco?  2. How does tobacco affect my body? 3. Why would I become addicted?
Objectives:1. Given the topic to research, the students will work in pairs and research at least 2 types of tobacco and 6-10 effects of usage. 2. Given a listing of local restaurants, the students will conduct a survey on smoke free facilities and produce a graphic chart with 100% accuracy.  3. Given at least 4 media samples, the students will debate the influences and evaluate the accuracy as measured by a checklist previously completed.  4. Given the research data, the students will prepare a powerpoint presentation that illustrates facts and clarity in the A or B category as indicated by a rubric. 5. Given the opportunity to work in a group, the students will create a brochure or poster to share with a younger child that demonstrates age appropriate information as determined by the elementary instructor.

Assessment

What quiz and test items (e.g. simple content-focused questions that require a single, best answer) will provide evidence of understanding?
A traditional quiz will be used for tobacco facts with short answers and matching.
What academic prompts (e.g. open-ended questions or problems that require students to think critically and then to prepare a response / product / performance) will provide evidence of understanding?
1. Daily prompts of open-ended questions will be given by the instructor such as, “If you were explaining this to a 7 or 8 year old child you would reword it to say what?”  2. Students will debate on the pros and cons of tobacco advertising information and its influence.
What performance tasks and projects (e.g. complex challenges that are authentic, mirror the real world and require a performance or product) will you include that will provide evidence of student understanding?
1. Students will use information obtained from researching and the local survey to create and present a powerpoint presentation. 2.  A brochure or poster will be created at an age appropriate level by the students for distribution to younger students.
What other evidence (e.g. observations, work samples, dialogues, student self-assessment) of understanding will you collect?
1. A student developed checklist will be used to assess the tobacco ads. 2. A rubric for the powerpoint presentation will be used that is designed by the students. 3. Ongoing classroom observation will be conducted by the instructor/facilitator. 4. Students will write in self reflection journals to assess personal learning and younger student response. Instructors of the younger students will assess if the student brochure or poster is credible and age appropriate with the use of a rubric.

Instructional Strategies

Inquiry-based learning will be used to involve the students in investigating effects of tobacco on the body. 1. Open-ended questions such as: Limited lung capacity due to tars and smoke result in _________?    This will lead the students to discovery of addictive qualities.            2. Investigation of smoking in local restaurants will have the students gather, record and discuss what is happening locally. 3. Through the problem investigation process, the students will also gather and record information, and debate influences and accuracy of tobacco advertising in media. 4. Project based learning will also be utilized to compile the student findings in powerpoint presentations following a student designed rubric. 5. A final real world context would tie together the information, demonstrate cooperative learning when working in a group, and show deeper understanding by rewording to a younger age level shown through a brochure or poster product presented and explained to the child.