How was it used?

This lesson about substance misuse was taught to a Year 10 class and follows on from the alcohol lesson the pupils received in Year 8.  

PC Mudie began the lesson by connecting the pupils learning  and reminding them of that earlier lesson.

This was the opening lesson given by the All Wales School Liaison Police Officer PC Emma Mudie.  A full lesson plan can be found on the SchoolBeat.org site together with follow up activities to be completed by the teachers.  

The initial activity involved ranking 10 consequences of drug taking in order of importance.  These were – addiction, poor health, effects on family, loss of freedom, loss of friends, self esteem, criminal record, money, job prospects and reputation.

This got the pupils discussing the ideas in pairs.  They were then asked to share their top two consequences with the rest of the class.  PC Mudie kept a record of their answers on the whiteboard and the pupils could see the trend in their ideas.  This was left on the board to be returned to during the plenary session.

Pupils were then told – as they have been in previous lessons – that a drug is a substance which changes the way your mind and body works.  The repetition of the same statement provided opportunity for the pupil to reflect back to earlier lessons and connect their thinking.

PC Mudie then discussed stimulants, depressants and hallucinogens with the children.  This prompted pupil led discussion about mushrooms and allowed opportunity for any misconceptions to be corrected.

PC Mudie then put up slides detailing the price of diffferent drugs available on the street and the purity levels.  The danger of taking such drugs (especially without clear knowledge about with what they have been mixed or their strength) was discussed.  This was highlighted with a sequence of pictures showing how drug taking altered the appearance and rapidly ‘aged’ a drug user.

Next the pupils looked at drugs and the law.  They were informed about the penalties for different classes of drugs for possessing, supplying and manufacturing.  This led on to a video of a youth of similar age to the pupils who was arrested for possession of cannabis.  The video demonstrated the situation leading up to the arrest, what happened during the arrest and subsequent police investigations and the consequences of the boy’s actions.  The pupils could identify with the teenagers in the video and PC Mudie’s questioning about how older people often stereotype teenagers prompted closer empathy.

The plenary session related the video back to the initial ranking activity and a discussion about which of the consequences in that activity were suffered by the boy who was arrested.

Impact and Outcomes

The lesson has clear links to the PSE Framework 2008 and adopts a range of teaching styles to encourage developing thinking and communication skills.  The lesson is differentiated and inclusive.  By the end of the lesson pupils were able to  understand the legal process and consequences of the boy in the video’s actions regarding substance misuse. They were able to understand that the decisions they make all have consequences.  They demonstrated such understanding during the plenary session.  Initially the pupils thought that the major impacts of drug taking would be addiction, poor health and effects on family but following the video they were able to understand the wider consequences.The ranking activity provided good opportunity to think, pair, share ideas.  

Learner Feedback

Pupils felt confident within the lesson and were able to ask PC Mudie questions at relevant points to clarify their understandings of certain issues.  It is evident that PC Mudie has developed a good relationship with the pupils and has progressed their understanding of the subject through lessons from Foundation Phase upwards.

Other Resources

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

The pupils identify closely with their peers.  When watching video footage, the most impact will be gained from using actors of a similar age and social background.  This video was filmed in the local area, so some of the scenes would also have been familiar to the pupils.