Standards Alignment
- TEKS.115.26.17C primary
identify examples of who, when, where, and how to get help related to unsafe situations regarding the use and misuse of alcohol; tobacco; drugs, including prescription drugs; and other substances.
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Lesson Overview
This lesson helps Grade 6 students identify who to ask for help, when to seek help, where to find help, and how to get help in unsafe situations involving the use or misuse of alcohol, tobacco, drugs, including prescription drugs. Students will learn to recognize unsafe situations and understand appropriate responses to protect themselves and others.
Learning Objectives
- Identify examples of who can provide help in unsafe situations involving alcohol, tobacco, drugs, including prescription drugs.
- Describe when it is important to seek help related to the misuse of these substances.
- Explain where help can be found in the community or school.
- Demonstrate how to get help safely and effectively in unsafe situations involving substance misuse.
Success Criteria
- Students can name trusted adults or professionals to ask for help.
- Students can explain situations when help should be sought.
- Students can identify places or services where help is available.
- Students can role-play asking for help in a safe and respectful way.
Prerequisite Knowledge
Students should understand basic concepts of safety and know what alcohol, tobacco, and drugs are, including that misuse can cause unsafe situations.
Key Vocabulary
- Alcohol
- Tobacco
- Drugs
- Prescription drugs
- Unsafe situation
- Help
- Trusted adult
- Emergency
- Treatment
- Misuse
Materials and Resources
- Scenario cards describing unsafe situations involving substance misuse
- List of local resources such as school counselor, nurse, police, poison control center
- Role-play prompt cards
- Whiteboard or chart paper for brainstorming
Teacher Preparation
- Prepare scenario cards illustrating unsafe situations with alcohol, tobacco, and drugs.
- Gather contact information for local help resources to share with students.
- Plan role-play activities to practice seeking help.
- Review TEKS.115.26.17C to align lesson content with standards.
Detailed Lesson Notes
Understanding Unsafe Situations
Unsafe situations related to alcohol, tobacco, and drugs occur when someone uses or misuses these substances in ways that can harm themselves or others. Examples include someone drinking alcohol underage, taking prescription drugs not prescribed to them, or being offered tobacco at school. Recognizing these situations is the first step to getting help.
Who Can Help?
Trusted adults such as parents, teachers, school counselors, nurses, or family doctors are people students can turn to for help. Other helpers include emergency responders like police officers or medical professionals. Friends can also support by encouraging seeking help but should not be the only source.
When to Seek Help
Students should seek help immediately if they or someone else is in danger, such as feeling sick after taking drugs, witnessing someone driving under the influence, or being pressured to use substances. Waiting or ignoring the problem can make situations worse.
Where to Get Help
Help can be found at school (counselors, nurses), at home (parents, guardians), or in the community (health clinics, hotlines, emergency services). Knowing these places and contacts ahead of time helps students act quickly.
How to Get Help
Students should know how to communicate clearly and calmly when asking for help. This includes stating what the problem is, where it is happening, and who is involved. Role-playing these conversations builds confidence. In emergencies, calling 911 or poison control is important.
Worked Examples
Worked Example 1
Scenario
In a scenario where a friend is feeling sick after taking someone else's prescription medicine, who should you ask for help, when, where, and how?
Explanation
The friend is in an unsafe situation because taking prescription medicine not prescribed to them can be dangerous. The best person to ask for help is a trusted adult such as a parent or school nurse. Help should be sought immediately because the friend is feeling sick, which could be an emergency. The location to get help could be at school (nurse) or at home (parent). To get help, calmly explain what happened and that your friend is feeling sick and needs medical attention.
Answer Guide
Ask a trusted adult like a parent or school nurse immediately. Go to the nurse's office or call a parent. Say clearly, 'My friend took medicine not prescribed to them and is feeling sick. We need help right away.'
Engage
Teacher Activity
Introduce the topic by asking students if they know what to do if they see someone using alcohol or drugs unsafely. Share a brief story about a student who notices a friend in an unsafe situation involving prescription drugs.
Student Activity
Students share their ideas about who they would ask for help and why. They listen to the story and think about what the student in the story should do.
Explanation
This activity activates prior knowledge and sets the context for learning about seeking help in unsafe situations.
Examples
- Students mention trusted adults like parents or teachers.
- Students recognize urgency in unsafe situations.
- Students express concern for safety.
Explore
Teacher Activity
Present several scenario cards describing unsafe situations involving alcohol, tobacco, or drugs. Guide students to identify who could help, when to get help, where to find help, and how to ask for help in each scenario.
Student Activity
In small groups, students discuss each scenario and write down their answers for who, when, where, and how to get help.
Explanation
This exploration helps students apply concepts to realistic situations and practice critical thinking about seeking help.
Examples
- Students identify appropriate helpers such as school nurse or parent.
- Students distinguish between emergencies and non-emergencies.
- Students suggest realistic locations for help.
- Students create clear ways to ask for help.
Explain
Teacher Activity
Explain the importance of trusted adults and emergency services. Share local resources and contact information. Model how to ask for help using clear, calm language.
Student Activity
Students listen and take notes on who to ask for help and how to communicate effectively. They practice repeating the phrases modeled by the teacher.
Explanation
Direct instruction clarifies expectations and provides students with concrete examples and language to use.
Examples
- Students list trusted adults.
- Students repeat clear, calm requests for help.
- Students understand the role of communication in safety.
Elaborate
Teacher Activity
Lead role-play activities where students practice asking for help in different unsafe situations. Provide feedback on communication and decision-making.
Student Activity
Students take turns role-playing both the person needing help and the helper. They use scenario prompts and practice clear communication.
Explanation
Role-playing builds students’ confidence and skills in real-life applications of seeking help.
Examples
- Students demonstrate respectful communication.
- Students show understanding of when and how to seek help.
- Students reflect on their role-play experience.
Evaluate
Teacher Activity
Ask students to write or explain an example of who, when, where, and how to get help in a given unsafe situation involving substance misuse.
Student Activity
Students complete an exit ticket or short quiz describing help-seeking steps for a scenario provided by the teacher.
Explanation
This assessment checks students’ understanding and ability to apply the lesson’s key concepts.
Examples
- Students provide accurate and complete answers.
- Students demonstrate understanding of help-seeking in unsafe situations.
Classroom Activity
In small groups, students discuss each scenario and write down their answers for who, when, where, and how to get help.
Guided Practice
Guided Practice 1
Prompt
Who can you ask for help in unsafe situations involving alcohol or drugs?
Teacher Answer Guide
Trusted adults such as parents, teachers, school counselors, nurses, or emergency responders.
Guided Practice 2
Prompt
When should you seek help for unsafe substance use?
Teacher Answer Guide
Immediately when someone is in danger, feeling sick, or pressured to use substances.
Guided Practice 3
Prompt
Where can you find help?
Teacher Answer Guide
At school (nurse, counselor), at home (parents), or community resources (clinics, hotlines).
Guided Practice 4
Prompt
How should you ask for help?
Teacher Answer Guide
Calmly and clearly explain the problem, location, and who is involved.
Independent Practice
- Foundational: Name one trusted adult you could ask for help if you saw someone using alcohol unsafely.
- Developing: Describe a situation when you should ask for help related to tobacco use.
- Application: Where can you go at school to get help if you see someone misusing prescription drugs?
- Analysis: Explain how you would ask for help if you found a friend who had taken drugs and was not feeling well.
- Challenge: Analyze why it is important to know who, when, where, and how to get help before you are in an unsafe situation involving drugs or alcohol.
Independent Practice Teacher Answer Key
- 1. A trusted adult could be a parent, teacher, or school counselor.
- 2. If someone is smoking tobacco at school or offering it to you, you should ask for help because it is unsafe and against school rules.
- 3. You can go to the school nurse or talk to a school counselor to get help.
- 4. I would calmly tell a trusted adult what happened, where we are, and that my friend is feeling sick and needs help immediately.
- 5. Knowing who, when, where, and how to get help ahead of time helps you act quickly and safely in emergencies, prevents harm, and ensures you can protect yourself and others effectively.
Guiding Questions
- Who can you trust to help you if you see unsafe use of alcohol or drugs?
- When is it important to get help?
- Where can you find help at school or in your community?
- How can you ask for help clearly and safely?
Common Misconceptions
- Only adults can get help, but peers can support by encouraging seeking help.
- You should wait to see if a problem gets better before asking for help, but immediate help is important in unsafe situations.
- Help is only available at school, but community resources and emergency services are also available.
Differentiation
Support and Intervention
Provide sentence starters for asking for help. Use visual aids showing trusted adults and help locations. Allow students to practice in pairs before role-playing with the class.
English-Language Learner Support
Use simple, clear language and repeat key vocabulary. Use pictures or icons to represent who to ask for help. Provide bilingual resources if available.
Advanced and Extension
Have students research local community resources for substance misuse help. Encourage students to create posters about seeking help to share with peers. Challenge students to write a short story about a character seeking help in an unsafe situation.
Assessment
- Observe students during role-play to check communication skills.
- Ask questions during group discussions about scenarios.
- Review students' written responses on exit tickets.
- Write who you would ask for help if you saw someone using tobacco unsafely.
- Explain when it is important to get help for drug misuse.
- Name one place you can go to get help at school.
- Describe how you would ask for help in an unsafe situation.
- Create a brochure that explains who, when, where, and how to get help related to substance misuse.
- Present a skit demonstrating seeking help in an unsafe situation involving alcohol or drugs.
Answer Guide
- Who can you ask for help in unsafe situations involving alcohol or drugs?
Answer: Trusted adults such as parents, teachers, school counselors, nurses, or emergency responders. - When should you seek help for unsafe substance use?
Answer: Immediately when someone is in danger, feeling sick, or pressured to use substances. - Where can you find help?
Answer: At school (nurse, counselor), at home (parents), or community resources (clinics, hotlines). - How should you ask for help?
Answer: Calmly and clearly explain the problem, location, and who is involved.
Real-Life Application
Encourage students to talk with their parents or guardians about trusted adults and places to get help if they ever face unsafe situations involving alcohol, tobacco, or drugs.
Homework or Home Connection
- Encourage students to talk with their parents or guardians about trusted adults and places to get help if they ever face unsafe situations involving alcohol, tobacco, or drugs.
Lesson Summary
Students learned to identify who to ask for help, when to seek help, where to find help, and how to communicate effectively in unsafe situations involving alcohol, tobacco, and drugs. They practiced applying these skills through discussion and role-play to prepare for real-life situations.
Teacher Notes
Use the exact standards alignment and retrieved-source provenance stored with this enrichment.