Martha R. Staeheli
The objectives outlined above aren't easily covered in an entire class, let alone a unit. They are the work of a lifetime of education. Perhaps, then, it is more useful to think of a unit as a stone in a wall that is mortared with the educational objectives of literacy, communication, critical thinking, and understanding of place in the world. This unit is designed only as one piece of that wall.
The work of this unit consists mainly of discussion around the five Unit Questions, and it is these questions that form the bulk of the work around the larger Unit Objectives. As seen below in the three sample lesson plans and supplementary activities, this work will be done primarily through: 1) Class discussion; 2) Watching films; 3) Analytical writing; and 4) Group presentation.
Class Discussion
The issues discussed in this unit can become easily mired in our own preconceptions, value systems, biases, and reasoning. The class will usually generate more, and better ideas, together than individual students might on their own. Class discussion allows for the sharing of these ideas in such a way that, if done correctly, everyone's ideas and opinions will be heard and students will be exposed to ideas they wouldn't have otherwise considered. It is often during discussion that students will begin to open up their minds to possibility of the "other" and begin to examine the issues from another's point of view. In order for this unit to be successful, students must begin to question their own thought processes. Another student in the class, asking questions, challenging assumptions, and wondering "well, but why", can sometimes best introduce this concept.
Watching Films
Because this unit has a focus of the role of cigarettes in films, some class time will need to be devoted to watching movies and learning to discuss them, analyze them, and question them. Often, movies are seen as a classroom babysitter. This topic requires that film-watching be an active process, with allowances for stopping the film to discuss, students asking questions, analyses of particular scenes, and taking notes and writing down ideas during the film. The movies required for this unit can be easily found in a local video store, and some may be in the school or local library. It is rarely necessary to show the entirety of a movie to understand and analyze the presence of cigarettes in the film. Some films, such as
The Insider
lend themselves to being watched in entirety. (See Resource List for possible films). As always with movies, it is important to preview the film for appropriateness and check with administrators and/or parents when questions arise.
Analytical Writing
Analytical writing provides students with an opportunity to think critically about the films they've seen, demonstrate what they learn, and practice communicating their ideas effectively to others. It also provides teachers with an opportunity for assessment of students' work. It is important in this unit for students to practice the thought processes involved in writing: sorting out thoughts, constructing logical writing, learning writing structures and research techniques, and committing to a point of view.
Group Presentation
Working in groups is often challenging for students (and most adults), but it relies on several important skills: cooperation, dividing up tasks, sharing ideas, etc. Group work can expose students to new ideas and new ways of working through questions and problems that arise. Particularly for a topic such as smoking, it is important for students to share their ideas with others, to shed light on their questions and dilemmas, and to generate effective ideas for limiting teen smoking.
A Note about Classroom Activities
The topic of tobacco raises a lot of complex issues for kids and parents. It is often the subject of charged debate and passionate feelings. When presenting a unit to encourage kids not to smoke, there are several factors that should be kept in mind.
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1. Telling students that they're "bad" or "dumb" for smoking is never a good idea. Shame is not an effective deterrent for risky behavior.
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2. Smoking remains a legal behavior. Denouncing smokers can lead to parental alienation and can set up conflicts for the children or friends of smokers.
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3. Using threatening language about the long-term consequences of smoking (e.g. "You will die a horrible death if you do this. . .) is usually ineffective and can lead to the alienation of the student.
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4. Beware of sending mixed messages if you, yourself, are a smoker. It's never a good idea to engage in unhealthy behaviors in front of your students, as you're a powerful role model. Talking about your own experiences, when appropriate, may help students understand some of the complexities of this issue.
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5. Giving students time and space to generate their own ideas about smoking, learn about the risks, and make conscientious decisions is the safest course for a teacher. Remember, you're giving them the tools they need to make good decisions in their own lives.
Classroom Activity #1: Media Awareness and Literacy
Overview
We are all exposed to media constantly, in the form of TV, movies, ads, books, magazines, and radio. Because we are so inundated, it is sometimes difficult to think critically and reflectively about what we see and hear. This lesson is designed to increase students' awareness of and critical thinking about elements of media, particularly in advertising and movies. Students will be asked to examine print media and movies to determine the methods and messages used.
Goals
At the end of this lesson, students should:
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1. Think critically about the messages and methods advertisers, particularly tobacco companies, use in order to sell their products.
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2. Analyze the use of cigarettes in movies.
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3. Reflect on how we make decisions and what causes people to engage in risky behaviors like smoking.
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4. Demonstrate increased media literacy.
Duration
This project is flexible in terms of its timing. It can range from around 2-4 class periods.
Materials Needed
· Butcher Paper
· Colored Markers
· Worksheets
· Old Magazines
· TV Commercials
Procedures
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1. Several days before you begin, ask students to bring in old magazines.
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2. Generate a list of five open-ended and provocative questions about the media and write them on the top of five big pieces of butcher paper. Examples of questions might be:
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a. What is "media"? What is "propaganda"? How can you tell the difference?
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b. Should media be allowed to portray things that are unhealthy for us?
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c. Who should decide how and by whom media is controlled?
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d. Do you ever make decisions based on what you see in the media? Explain.
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e. What are the qualities of a media celebrity you most want to emulate?
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3. Students should write their responses directly on the paper in colored markers. After everyone has finished, you can review students' responses to the questions as a class discussion. Encourage students to talk openly about their Students can choose one or two questions to expand upon for homework.
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4. Using the attached worksheet, ask students to take notes on ten TV commercials and to look through their magazines and find examples of: cigarette ads, ads students feel are effective, and ads students feel are not effective. Students and teacher can collect magazines. The teacher can collect several advertisements recorded off of the TV to ensure the quality and range s/he's looking for.
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5. As a class, fill in one or more of the worksheets, in order to model the activity and to draw students' attention to key elements of the advertising.
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6. After completing the worksheet, ask students to work in groups of around four students. Students should share the ads they've collected. As a group, students should generate a comprehensive list addressing the following questions:
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a. What do your ads have in common? How are they different?
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b. Do similar products use similar advertising methods?
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c. What kinds of people are used in the ads?
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d. What kinds of claims do the advertisers make? How do you know if these claims are true or false?
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e. Who might be susceptible to believing which ads?
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f. What are the three most important things to look for when you look at TV or magazine advertisements?
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7. Student groups should post their lists on the walls to keep as a reference as you move through the unit. As a class, discuss each group's findings.
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Evaluation
Students should be evaluated on the following:
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1. Their completion of the five butcher paper questions (and two extra writing expansions.)
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2. The quality and completeness of their media literacy worksheets.
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3. Their participation in group work.
Worksheet and Supplementary Materials:
Student Handout #1: Media Literacy and Awareness
Directions: As you examine TV and magazine advertisements, answer the questions below. You may use as many sheets as you like, but you must have examined a total of ten advertisements, and they must include examples of: cigarette ads, ads you feel are effective, and ones you feel aren't effective.
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Advertisement # _____
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Form of Media:_____________
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1. Describe the advertisement. What does it look like? What people and objects appear in the ad? How is the ad organized?
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2. What is the name of the product being advertised? Have you heard of this product before?
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3. Who makes this product?
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4. What does the product do? How do you know?
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5. How does the advertiser get the message across? What methods are being used?
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6. Is this an effective advertisement? Why or why not?
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7. Would you consider buying this product? How much influence does this particular advertisement have on your desire for the product?
Classroom Activity #2: Tobacco Moot Court
Overview
This lesson is designed to encourage flexible and critical thinking as students take on opinions they do not necessarily agree with and to construct clear and logical supports for those opinions. Students will be assigned roles, representing "Big Tobacco" or "Consumers" to an appellate court.
Goals
At the end of this lesson, students should:
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1. Have gained more insight and information into the "players" in the tobacco debate.
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2. Organize their oral presentations and arguments in a clear, complete, and logical manner to effectively communicate their ideas.
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3. Engage effectively in group work.
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4. Build on research and literacy skills in preparing for debate.
Duration
Time should be allocated for: reviewing the assignment, library research, team debate preparation, practice, and debate performance. The duration of this project will vary depending on the demands of the classroom. The moot trial preparation should take 1-2 class periods. The court hearing should take one day. The judges final, written decision can be due the next day or presented immediately.
This project can take from 3-6 class periods.
Materials Needed
• Case outline and background
• Access to library materials
• Worksheets describing the moot court process
Procedures
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1. Distribute the background sketch of the case provided. Discuss the issues presented in the case, as well as the facts of the case.
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2. Divide the class into groups: attorneys for petitioner, attorneys for respondent, justices, and court observers.
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3. Distribute handout on how to conduct a moot court. Discuss the content, insuring that they understand the process involved in this activity. Tell the students that this will be an appellate court, or a court that does not hear new evidence but reviews decisions that have already been handed down by lower courts. An example of an appellate court (most of the time) is the Supreme Court.
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4. Distribute copies of statements released into the media representing each side. Assign pro and ante groups for the issue. Distribute also a copy of a relevant Supreme Court decision.
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5. Students should have time to research their positions in the library. Have them look through current periodicals, essays on the subject, legal documents, and books written on juvenile issues and law.
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6. Students can prepare their positions by writing down arguments, practicing who will make what arguments, and anticipating their opponents' responses.
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7. Instruct the justices to review the cases.
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8. Conduct the moot court hearings. Students who are neither justices nor attorneys can prepare interviews and news reports for the presentation and preparation portion of the assessment.
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9. After the cases have been argued, allow time for the justices to deliberate and prepare a decision. Have one justice write the majority opinion and one write a dissenting opinion (if any).
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10. Students should evaluate the process using the form below.
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11. Debrief the activity by having a class discussion in which you may ask:
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• How were the decisions made?
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• What kinds of people make the decisions?
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* Who sits on the judicial review or the Supreme Court?
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• How might the positions of the justices affect the decision?
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* How might that decision affect the life of an American teen-ager?
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• How "fair" is this process?
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* Where might there be problems?
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* What might work? Would any other process work better?
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• Are all opinions represented in this kind of process?
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• What might the possible outcomes be depending on what the justices decided?
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• Who will be affected by the decision?
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• What are the possible outcomes in "real life"?
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12. Have students write a 1-2 page paper in which they explain the decision that they would make had they been one of the justices. They should use the evidence that they've collected from their research, as well as vivid examples. They should also include their opinions about the effectiveness of the trial procedure based on the form below.
Evaluation
Students will be evaluated on:
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• The quality of their participation and preparation for the court.
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• The thoughtfulness of their evaluations
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• The effectiveness and thoughtfulness of their written responses.
Worksheets and Supplementary Materials
Student Handout #1: The Case Description and Supreme Court Decisions
The Case Description (from composite cases)
Thomas Fairwether, from Seattle, Washington has been a smoker for the last fifty years. He began smoking at the age of 12 and has tried to quit many times, without success. Now, at the age of 62, Mr. Fairwether is facing many medical problems. He has had his larynx removed, due to cancer. He has emphysema that continues to worsen. He has had bouts with colon cancer and stomach cancer. His doctors, and available medical evidence, believe that all of his medical problems are due to his smoking. Unfortunately, Mr. Fairwether is not able to quit smoking, due to the addictive nature of cigarettes. Mr. Fairwether has taken the maker of his cigarettes, Tobacco, Inc., to court in order to finance the medical treatments that his insurance will no longer cover, as well as pain and suffering for Mr. Fairwether and his family. The lower court has determined that Tobacco, Inc. is liable for damages in the amount of 10 million dollars to compensate Mr. Fairwether for medical expenses and suffering. Tobacco, Inc. has appealed this ruling to your court because they feel Mr. Fairwether is responsible for his own behavior leading to his medical problems and because they feel this ruling will prompt every smoker to sue tobacco companies.
Your Task
Regardless of your role in this moot court, there are many questions you need to know in order to represent your client, decide the case, or judge the participants. As a class, decide what kind of information you need to know. As a team, repeat the process.
What does Thomas Fairwether want?
What does Tobacco, Inc. want?
Question 1:
Question 2:
Question 3:
Question 4:
Question 5:
Student Handout #2: Conducting a Moot Court
For the purposes of this exercise, we will be conducting a moot appellate court. In an appellate court, no witnesses are used and no new evidence may be presented. The attorneys for both sides will present their oral arguments before the judges.
The court will consist of a panel of justices. One will be a Chief Justice. There will be a team of attorneys for the petition and one for the respondent. The remainder of the class can be observers or reporters for the TV station or local newspapers.
Roles and Responsibilities
At any time the judges may question the attorneys about the case. The Chief Justice will maintain the order of the court, extend the time limit for attorneys if requested, set down the rules of the court, and assign judges to write the majority and dissenting opinions. Judges may express their opinion about the case; they may also try to convince the other judges to side with them.
The attorneys must try to defend their side. The petitioner's attorney should show why the client's treatment was in error, and how that treatment violated the Constitution or state statute. Previous court decisions may be used to back up presentation.
Respondent's attorneys must try to present arguments that best represent their client's position. Previous court decisions may be used to back up presentation. Both sides should discuss the facts o f the case.
The rest of the class will take notes and turn in a new article or interview with role players.
Preparation
Each team of attorneys will be given time to prepare their cases. They should research all material dealing with the case.
Each side of the case (petitioner and respondent) will have 20 minutes to present their arguments; 10 minutes can then be used for rebuttal and debate. It will go as follows
20 minutes: Petitioners must present their cases using the case outline provided, their research, and their formal arguments. Every attorney on the team must present.
10 minutes: The respondents may rebut any of the petitioners' arguments, to which the petitioners may respond.
20 minutes: Respondents must present their cases.
10 minutes. The petitioners may rebut any of the respondents arguments, to which the respondents may respond.
The Justices will ask any final questions and the deliberate.
Justices will present their response and decision.
The judges will then meet and deliberate on the case. This may be done in private or in front of the class. If the deliberation is in front of the class, the judges will be the only ones allowed to speak.
After the deliberation the Chief Justice will give the opinion. The Chief Justice will assign justices to write a majority and minority opinion which will be read the to class later.
Student Handout #3: The Evaluation Form
1. Who would your decision have been in favor of?
2. Which team had the best presentation? Why?
3. Which team had the best delivery? Why?
4. Which team had the most convincing arguments? Why?
5. Which team had the best rationale?
6. Which team seems to have done the most research? How could you tell?
7. Which team reacted best to the judges' questioning?
8. Did the quality or effectiveness of the presentations affect your opinion on the decision?
9. Do you agree with the judges' decisions? Did their written majority decision convince you? Was it reasonable? Why or why not?
Classroom Activity #3: Developing an Anti-Smoking Campaign
Overview
As students learn about the dangers of smoking, they should be thinking about effective ways to stop kids from beginning to smoke. This lesson will give them a chance to think creatively about anti-smoking campaigns and to compile their ideas into a gallery display.
Goals
At the end of this lesson, students should:
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1. Think creatively about effective communication; how to get a message across, what works and doesn't.
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2. Be critical of their own ideas about smoking and decision-making, values, and goals.
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3. Understand their personal power in making decisions.
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4. Write a clear and effective analytic essay.
Duration
This project will last approximately 3 class periods.
Materials Needed
Materials will vary by group.
Procedures
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1. Based on what students have learned during the course of this unit, the class should brainstorm ideas about what students feel will be the most effective way to deter kids from smoking.
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2. Students should be divided into groups of around four. Their assignment is this: As a group, determine what you believe to be the most effective medium for transmitting an anti-smoking message (magazine ad, TV ad, public service announcement, poster, TV show, movie, etc.) Create a "mock-up" of a presentation designed to do this. There will be a tremendous range in the kinds of projects students will produce. The guidelines for this project are described below.
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3. Individually, students should also be working on an essay designed to explain their ideas. This essay is outlined and described below.
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4. Students should present their projects to the class.
Evaluation
Evaluation for this project will be based on the following: (rubrics for this evaluation are included below):
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• Effectiveness and quality of the group project.
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• Effectiveness of group process.
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• Quality and thoughtfulness of the essay.
Student Handout #1: The Group Project
Imagine that you've been put in charge of creating a campaign to prevent kids from smoking. What would be the most effective way to accomplish that? Conversely, what won't work? As you begin to think about communicating your message, please keep the following in mind:
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• Think about the audience you're targeting for this project? Who are they? What do they care about? What makes them pay attention?
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• As a group, decide on the most effective medium for your message.
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• What is your message? How can you make it short and to the point, attention grabbing, and effective?
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• What elements need to be included in your presentation? Do you want a famous spokes-person? A "real" person? Abstract ideas or concrete facts?
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• What will your campaign look like or sound like? How will you know it's effective?
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• How do you want to present these ideas to the class?
You will be given a group grade for your presentation, which will be graded as follows:
Group Members: _________________________________________________________
Title of Campaign:________________________________________________________
Your project will be graded independently of your presentation, comprising 25% of your grade. The presentation of your campaign is worth 25% of your grade for this project. For each criterion, you will be awarded up to five points. The points are given as follows:
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5 points= Excellent Work
4 points= Good Work
3 points= Average
2 points= Needs Improvement
1 point= Little Effort Shown
0 points= No Effort/Not Gradable
(chart available in print form)
Student Handout #2: The Writing Assignment
You've had a chance to think about the issues involved in the tobacco industry, in smoking, and in the role tobacco plays in our media. Now, your assignment it to write an essay describing your own thoughts and opinions on this subject. You may write an essay on any topic we've discussed during this unit, as long as you check with me first. Below, I've provided a couple of topics and questions to get you started:
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• Who's right: tobacco interests or consumer groups? (think about our Moot Court)
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• Why do people use substances like tobacco, when we know how dangerous they are?
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• Who should be in charge of public health? What roles and responsibilities do schools, governments, artists, parents, individuals have in determine our behavior?
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• How can the rate of smoking be decreased?
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• How does the media affect the decisions we make?
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Below, I have provided an outline of how to approach writing an essay. While this may seem elementary, it will help you anticipate what I'm looking for in this essay. The topic for this essay has already been assigned to you. You now have to determine how to incorporate your ideas into the outline I've given you.
An essay is a form of writing usually broken down into three, four, five, or more paragraphs that express your opinion about a given subject. You must always choose a thesis or theme (main idea) and then prove it through examples. For this essay, you should use at least five quotes to support your ideas. An essay should always include an introductory paragraph and a concluding paragraph. A complete paragraph should include at least five to ten sentences. Use a thesaurus so that you do not repeat the same words too often.
Remember that this is only a structure for your ideas- you don't need to, nor should you, feel bound by it. While essays need structure, they also need your own new ideas and explorations. (Incidentally this outline is a good guide for almost any kind of writing or essay!)
Introduction Paragraph
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• Provide a brief, specific description of the subject. Keep in mind that the reader does not know the subject matter.
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• State your thesis (what you will prove) clearly and in an interesting way.
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* The thesis statement tells the reader what the essay will be about, and what point you, the author, will be making. You know what the essay will be about. That was your topic. Now you must look at your outline or diagram and decide what point you will be making. What do the main ideas and supporting ideas that you listed say about your topic?
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* Your thesis statement will have two parts.
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• The first part states the topic.
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• Tobacco
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• The media
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• The government
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• The second part states the point of the essay.
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• Is a dangerous product
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• has no effect on our decisions
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• should stay out of our lives
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Body Paragraphs
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• Start by writing down one of your main ideas, in sentence form.
If your main idea is "personal responsibility" you might say this:
We all should take personal responsibility for behaviors like smoking.
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• Next, write down each of your supporting points for that main idea.
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* Supporting Point: Government can't legislate morality
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• In the space under each point, write down some elaboration for that point.
Elaboration can be further description or explanation or discussion.
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* Elaboration: Though laws may be in place to keep people from smoking, people will continue to act in whatever way they see fit. All we can do is hold people accountable for their own actions.
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• If you wish, include a summary sentence for each paragraph. This is not generally needed, however, and such sentences have a tendency to sound stilted, so be cautious about using them.
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Last Paragraph
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• Restate your thesis statement (topic sentence) in a new way.
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• As a closing to your conclusion, relate your thesis to the present or future, or to your own life now.
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Last Notes and Reminders: We will be doing some work with peer-editing and revision, so be prepared to re-write this essay several times. Please type the final version of your essay. Use Times New Roman or Arial 12-point font and double-space it.
This will be due on:_____________________________________________
Supplementary Classroom Activities:
Obviously, it is impossible to outline all of the possible activities that might accompany a curricular unit. Below are some ideas for activities that might be used in conjunction with the larger projects described above.
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1. Brain Storms: These give students the chance to think out loud and to express their opinions. Beginning with something provocative will usually get the class started on a good class discussion
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2. Cigarette Addiction Interviews: Students can interview family members, friends, etc. about their experiences with cigarette addiction. This can be in the context of their personal battle or the battle of someone they've known well.
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3. Guest Speaker: Having a "real" person come to class to discus his/her battle with tobacco can be an effective illustration of how difficult this addiction is. Contact your local hospital, cardio-pulmonary clinic, or speech clinic to determine if speakers are available for this purpose.
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4. Journaling: Have students keep a journal of how many times and in how many ways they see cigarettes during the course of a week or two. Draw their attention to the tobacco presence in our society: on TV, in commercials, in books and magazines, in public.
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5. Watching Films in Class: If time and circumstances permit, this can be an invaluable demonstration for students of how to examine films critically for their use of tobacco products. Students can record the number or times cigarettes, dchewing tobacco, or cigars are used and by whom.
Resources for Teachers and Students
Online Resources
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• Action on Smoking and Health (ASH)
http://ash.org
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• Center for Media Literacy
www.medialit.org
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• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Division of Adolescent and School Health
www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dash
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• Office on Smoking and Health
www.cdc.gov/tobacco
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• Entertainment Industries Council
www.eiconline.org
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• UCSF, Tobacco Control Archives
www.library.ucsf.edu/tobacco/
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• Media Education Foundation
www.mediaed.org
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• Screen Actors Guild
www.sag.com
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• SLAM! Records
www.members.tripod.com/slammusic
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• Thumbs Up! Thumbs Down! Project at American Lung Association of Sacramento, CA
www.alaset.org
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• The Center for Disease Control
www.cdc.gov
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• Smoke Screeners
www.fablevision.com/smokescreeners/
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• The Surgeon General's Report on Mental Health-1999
www.mentalhealth.org/specials/surgeongeneralreport
Books to Read for Teachers
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Smoking in adolescence: images and identities
, by Barbara Lloyd
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Controlling legal addictions
, a symposium of The Eugenics Society of London
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Smoking and Society: toward a more balance assessment
, edited by Robert D. Tollison.
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Cigarette smoking among teen-agers and young women
, by the National Cancer Institute
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Arrested Development; pop culture and the erosion of adulthood
, by Andrew Calcutt
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The Smoking Book
, by Lesley Stern
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No Smoking
, by Robert Goodin
Movies (for Teachers to Preview)
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• James Bond films
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Casablanca
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• LA Confidential
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• Metropolitan
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• Grand Hotel
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• The Godfather
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• Rebel without a Cause
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• Grease
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• Apocalypse Now
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• The Thin Red Line
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• Smoke
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• The Usual Suspects
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• The Insider
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• Traffic
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• Bridget Jones
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• Leaving Las Vegas
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• Meet the Parents
