How was it used?
The unit was for a Year 8 class. The aim of the lesson “Alcohol Double Trouble?” was to be aware of the consequences and risks of alcohol use or misuse
This was the opening lesson given by the All Wales School Liaison Police Officer PC Emma Mudie and a full lesson plan can be found on the SchoolBeat.org site together with follow up activities to be completed by the teachers.
These are summarised in AlcoholDoubleTrouble_TeachingGuidance.doc and full lesson plans are available on the SchoolBeat site.
.Key words related to alcohol were displayed at the front of the class. The lesson followed the following format:
In small groups pupils were given sets of cards to sort into ‘safe’/ ‘unsafe’ practices and a set of statements to sort into ‘agree’/’disagree’ in relation to drinking alcohol. Choices were then discussed as a whole class. (Examples: drinking on a empty stomach, leaving a drink unattended, going home with friends, drinking a soft drink between alcoholic drinks.)
Are parties only good if there is alcohol? Do most teenagers binge drink? Etc.
Examples – ‘wrecked’, ‘smashed’ etc. What pictures would these words conjure up if talking about a car / house etc.? Why would we apply such destructive adjectives to ourselves?
Eg. Chemical name for alcohol, what it does to your brain, how it makes you act / react (Mad/Glad/Sad)
Slides and videos (eg. people sleeping on a railway line, car smashes, liver disease, people vomiting etc.)
Pupils asked to order a set of pictures showing portions of different alcoholic drinks from the one that pupils think will have the most influence if they were to drink it to the one that will have the least. Pupils came to the front and held a card each. Rest of class told them how to stand. In fact, each picture showed just 1 unit of alcohol. The exercise demonstrated that there is a perception that some drinks are more alcoholic than others but 1 unit is 1 unit, in whatever form and a unit of alcopops is no less potent that a unit of vodka. Pupils were then informed about safe limits for men and women.
Statistics relating to alcohol and crime
Videos of stories of human tragedy relating to alcohol abuse e.g. death of a son.
Impact and Outcomes
This lesson has been clearly linked to the PSE Framework 2008.
It addressed all styles of learning –visual, auditory and kinaesthetic – and had a particular focus on thinking and communication skills. The first activity really engaged the pupils in a positive way and they remained involved in the lesson throughout. The use of video clips and photos demonstrating their peers and parents having problems with the misuse of alcohol impacted emotionally on the students and there was a clear identification with them. This left a strong impression and the pupils were heard discussing the videos as the lesson finished and they left the room. The lesson encouraged the pupils to reflect upon their own drinking behaviour and that of others. It provided opportunity for the pupils to communicate confidently their own opinions and views and to reflect upon the opinions of others in relation to statements, photographs, facts and video footage. The format of the lesson being a mix of teaching and learning styles was inclusive and pupils’ motivation for learning was observably high. The lesson challenged perceptions and introduced facts about alcohol that may not have been previously considered by the pupils. By the end of the lesson pupils had gained knowledge of alcohol use in their community and beyond. They had been shown how to make decisions and choices effectively and how to be disciplined and take responsibility for actions and decisions.
Learner Feedback
Pupils wanted to continue to discuss the visual resources outside of their allotted time.
Other Resources
This lesson was an introduction to a unit on alcohol for KS4. Further follow up lesson plans are found on www.SchoolBeat.org together with a range of printable resources.
Links to a range of resources linked to alcohol on the NGfL Cymru site that may support this lesson are listed below.
Lesson Learnt
Although this lesson was used with a Year 10 class, the format of the lesson could equally well be applied to much younger or older children. The focus was thinking skills and whereas the content may not be appropriate, the teaching techniques used ie. small group discussion, whole class discussion, sorting activities, use of video clips, ordering activities could be applied to other subjects.
