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Grades: grades-5-6

ACTIVITY 7: Saying “No” to Tobacco & Nicotine

For Teachers / Grades 5 & 6 / Activity 7

ACTIVITY 7: Saying “No” to Tobacco & Nicotine

For Teachers / Grades 5 & 6 / Activity 7

SAYING "NO" TO TOBACCO & NICOTINE

Saying "no" to friends who are pressuring you can be hard to do. How you respond to them depends on the situation and what feels right-or wrong-to you. Deciding what to say can be even more difficult if you feel you are on the spot or everyone is watching. Practicing what to say can help you think about how you might say "no" in different situations.

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ACTIVITY 6: Saying “No”

For Teachers / Grades 5 & 6 / Activity 6

ACTIVITY 6: Saying “No”

For Teachers / Grades 5 & 6 / Activity 6

SAYING NO

You've been reading about how friends can influence our decisions and the way we think. Sometimes this can be a good thing, but sometimes it causes us to make the wrong choices.

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ACTIVITY 5: What Would You Do?

For Teachers / Grades 5 & 6 / Activity 5

ACTIVITY 5: What Would You Do?

For Teachers / Grades 5 & 6 / Activity 5

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

What influences your decisions? Maybe it's what's important to you. Maybe it's your family, the law, or knowing what's right and wrong. Then there are your firends. Peer pressure can have a big influence on decisions made by people of all ages. Friends can pressure you to do something positive, like volunteer work. Or, they can pressure you to do something negative, like smoke. When your friends push you to do something by challenging, encouraging, teasing, or nagging you, that's peer pressure.

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ACTIVITY 4: Thinking About Your friends

For Teachers / Grades 5 & 6 / Activity 4

ACTIVITY 4: Thinking About Your friends

For Teachers / Grades 5 & 6 / Activity 4

THINKING ABOUT YOUR FRIENDS

Have you ever thought about why your friends are your friends? Many times our friends can be quite similar to ourselves. But sometimes the saying, "opposites attract," applies as well. This is an activity that will help you think about who you choose as friends and why.

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ACTIVITY 3: Tobacco & Nicotine - Using It Is Unhealthy!

For Teachers / Grades 5 & 6 / Activity 3

ACTIVITY 3: Tobacco & Nicotine - Using It Is Unhealthy!

For Teachers / Grades 5 & 6 / Activity 3

TOBACCO & NICOTINE -
USING IT IS UNHEALTHY!

When making a decision, you have to think about the risks and consequences before you act. For example, if you think about cheating on a test because you didn't study, what are some of the possible consequences or risks involved?

You could get caught. You could fail or get detention. Your parents might even ground you.

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ACTIVITY 1: Tobacco Survey

For Teachers / Grades 5 & 6 / Activity 1 / Survey

ACTIVITY 1: Tobacco Survey

For Teachers / Grades 5 & 6 / Activity 1 / Survey

SURVEY COMPLETE!

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ACTIVITY 2: Tobacco & Nicotine Use–The Health Consequences

For Teachers / Grades 5 & 6 / Activity 2 / Tobacco & Nicotine Use–The Health Consequences

ACTIVITY 2: Tobacco & Nicotine Use–The Health Consequences

For Teachers / Grades 5 & 6 / Activity 2 / Tobacco & Nicotine Use–The Health Consequences

TOBACCO & NICOTINE USE -
THE HEALTH CONSEQUENCES

You've probably heard that using tobacco and nicotine is unhealthy. This activity outlines many of the health consequences of smoking cigarettes and using nicotine products like vapes and smokeless tobacco.

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ACTIVITY 1: Take a Tobacco and Nicotine Survey

For Teachers / Grades 5 & 6 / Activity 1 / Survey

ACTIVITY 1: Take a Tobacco and Nicotine Survey

For Teachers / Grades 5 & 6 / Activity 1 / Survey

This survey asks you questions about tobacco and nicotine products, including cigarettes, vapes, smokeless tobacco and nicotine pouches. Maybe you don't know much about tobacco or nicotine products, or maybe you know someone who uses it? Just answer based on what you think. Answer as honestly as you can. If you do not want to answer a question, you can skip it. This survey is anonymous!

Part 1

1
Have you ever tried cigarette smoking, even one or two puffs?
2
Have you ever tried an e-cigarette or vape?
3
Have you ever used chewing tobacco, snuff, or dip?
4
How many of your four closest friends smoke cigarettes?
5
How many of your four closest friends use vapes or another product like chewing tobacco, snuff or dip?
6
If one of your best friends offered you a cigarette, vape or other tobacco or nicotine product, would you try it?
7
Do you think it is safe to smoke or use vapes or other tobacco or nicotine products for only a year or two, as long as you quit after that?

Part 2

1
Do you think most middle school students smoke?
2
Do you think most middle school students use vapes?
3
4
Have you ever felt pressured to use tobacco or nicotine?
5
6
Do you think there are health consequences with using tobacco and nicotine?
7
8
Do you think it's easy or difficult for people to quit using tobacco or nicotine?
9
10
How do you feel about hanging out with young people who use tobacco or nicotine?
11

If you need to print this page, click "Print" before you click "Submit." Then, close the print window and click "Submit" to send your anonymous responses and see a final question.

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ACTIVITY 8: Decision Making

For Teachers / Grades 5 & 6 / Activity 8

ACTIVITY 8: Decision Making

For Teachers / Grades 5 & 6 / Activity 8

How I Am (Intrapersonal Skills)

This section has students look at how they act, feel, and think. Topics covered include self-esteem, social image, decision-making skills, and personal values (what is important to each student). The activities are designed to provide students with a chance to practice decision making and to empower them to make healthy choices.

SKILLS

SKILLS: Decision Making

Suggested Time Consideration

Suggested Time Consideration: 30 mins

RATIONALE

In this activity, students will be introduced to the decision-making process. While the process is described within the student activity, you can also refer to the Overview Booklet for additional information to share with your students.

GETTING STARTED

Share the digital activity link below with your students. Then, ask them to think of a decision they made recently. Encourage them to choose one of some magnitude greater than, say, what color socks to wear to school that day. Using the chart in the activity, students will evaluate how they applied the decision-making process, and how they felt about the decision they finally made.
 
Ask students to wait until everyone has written about their decision before moving on to the “You Decide!” section of the activity. This final section is designed to be presented on an interactive whiteboard, though you may choose to have students complete it individually or in small groups.

LAUNCH ACTIVITY
TALKING ABOUT IT

Ask for volunteers to share their decisions with the class before you move on to the “You Decide!” section of the activity.

WRAPPING UP

The final section of the activity, “You Decide!”, is designed to be presented on an interactive whiteboard. This portion of the activity is a branching “choices and consequences” type of exercise. Ask for individuals or small groups to come to the board and make decisions for each part of the activity. Students should go through the decision-making steps for this hypothetical situation. Note that in this activity, students may return to the beginning and start over. Tell students that this isn’t always the case in real life.

There are three things you want to emphasize here:

  1. There are health consequences for young people who use tobacco and nicotine. According to the Surgeon General, symptoms like phlegm production, coughing, and wheezing have been found in young people who smoke.2 Additionally, youth and young adults are also uniquely at risk for long-term, long-lasting effects of exposing their developing brains to nicotine. These risks include nicotine addiction, mood disorders, and permanent lowering of impulse control. Nicotine also changes the way synapses are formed, which can harm the parts of the brain that control attention and learning.9
  2. Choices are freely made, even if we feel pressure. Only we can be held responsible for our choices and their consequences.
  3. There is a rational and systematic way of looking at the decisions we make. We should not make them impulsively. The more thought we give to them, the more empowered we will feel when we make them, and the more confident we will feel about our ability to live with their consequences.

Use the supplemental “Pop Quiz” video to complement this section.

SOURCES

9 https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/e-cigarettes/youth.html.

LAUNCH ACTIVITY

GO!

Activity Resources

GRADE 5&6 OVERVIEW BOOKET
OVERVIEW BOOKLET
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ACTIVITY 7: Saying “No” To Tobacco & Nicotine

For Teachers / Grades 5 & 6 / Activity 7

ACTIVITY 7: Saying “No” To Tobacco & Nicotine

For Teachers / Grades 5 & 6 / Activity 7

How Friends Fit In (Interpersonal Skills)

In this section, students explore their relationships with others. The activities focus on peer relationships and how peer pressure, influence, and acceptance affect their lives. There are also activities on refusal skills to help equip students with strategies for saying "no".

SKILLS

SKILLS: Refusal Skills

Suggested Time Consideration

Suggested Time Consideration: 20 mins

RATIONALE

To provide students with tips for resisting peer pressure, this activity includes suggestions on how to say “no” to friends. It complements the “How to Say ‘No'” poster and demonstrates concrete examples of what adolescents might say if pressured to use tobacco or nicotine products.

GETTING STARTED

Display the “How to Say ‘No” poster (included in the “Materials” section). Review the tips with your students. Then, share the digital activity link below.

LAUNCH ACTIVITY

Read the introduction and directions together. Note that students will see the “How to Say ‘No'” poster onscreen and can click to enlarge it in a separate window. Ask students to keep the window open so they can refer back to the poster. Then, ask students to complete the activity independently.

While students are completing the activity, list the “Ways to Say ‘No'” on the board or chart paper.

TALKING ABOUT IT

Once everyone has completed the activity, bring students together for a class discussion to review the different strategies for saying “no” to negative peer pressure. Ask students:

  • Which strategies listed on the activity do you think would be easy to use if you were pressured to use tobacco or nicotine?(Tally the students’ responses next to the examples.)
  • Are there ideas that you would be more comfortable using than others? (Again, mark the answers next to your list on the board or chart paper.)
  • How else could you say “no” to friends who might pressure you to smoke or vape? What would you actually say in this situation?
  • Are some ways to say “no” better for certain situations than others? For example, if a friend asked you to lie on his behalf, would you use the same method of saying “no” as you would if a friend asked you to use tobacco or nicotine?
WRAPPING UP

Encourage students to keep this list someplace where they can refer to it periodically if they need tips for saying “no.”

HOW I AM

This section has students look at how they act, feel, and think. Topics covered include self-esteem, social image, decision-making skills, and personal values (what is important to each student). The activities are designed to provide students with a chance to practice decision making and to empower them to make healthy choices.

LAUNCH ACTIVITY

GO!

Activity Resources

HOW TO SAY "NO" SET OF TWO POSTERS
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