What are Safe and Unsafe Drugs/Medicines/Objects?
October 2013
American School Counselor Association National Standard (ASCA):
Personal/Social Development:
C: Students will understand safety and survival skills.
Materials
Two paper bags.
Activity Sheet 1: Two identifying labels to staple to the paper bags
Activity Sheet 2: “Safe/Healthy or Not Safe/Not Healthy” 25 cards (included)
Tape in order to attach cards to student clothing
A large piece of paper to use as a display area for the final card sort (or bulletin board) with the
following headings written on the top of two columns “Healthy, Happy, Safe Choices” and
“Unhealthy, Unhappy, Unsafe Choices.” (paper and headings not included—use bulletin board
paper and markers to write headings.)
A stapler
Lesson Assessment:
Students will demonstrate their understanding of safe and unsafe drugs/medicines/objects by
sorting cards that have safe/healthy or unsafe/unhealthy statements/scenarios on them (20
items) into a safe paper bag and an unsafe bag.
Essential Questions: What are safe drugs/medicines/substances/situations? What are unsafe
drugs/medicines/substances/situations? How do I keep myself safe and healthy?
Engagement (Hook): Show students two paper bags with the two identifying labels on them.
One bag has a picture of a healthy/happy/safe child, and the other bag has a picture of an
unhealthy/unhappy/unsafe child. Ask the students what is different about the two pictures?
Instructor Procedures:
1. Counselor: “Students, I wonder if you could help me figure out what might be making the child in this picture
unhappy, unhealthy or unsafe? (Counselor shows the students the bags with the picture of the hurt child.)
2. Counselor: “I was thinking about what might be making this child unhappy or unhealthy or unsafe and I came up with some guesses. I wrote them on these cards. The problem is I got them mixed up with the cards that I wrote explaining why the boy in the other picture looks happy, healthy and safe. Can you help me sort
them out?”
3. Counselor: “Okay, the first one says (read first card). Which boy do you think would feel this way? Is this a
safe/healthy choice or an unsafe/unhealthy choice? (Student volunteer places the card in the correct sack.)
4. Counselor proceeds by reading all the cards following the procedure in step 3.
5. When all cards have been sorted, Counselor takes the cards out of the two sacks and puts them into one sack and asks each student to reach into the sack without looking and select a card.
6. Counselor: “First we decided together how to sort the cards into the sacks and now we will see if each of you can decide for yourself where the card should go. Please stand one at a time and I will read your card so that you can decide which end of the room your card/you should go to and then you can walk to that side of the room and stand there so that we can see your card. One side of the room is for safe/healthy/happy choices and the other side of the room is for unsafe/unhealthy/unhappy choices. If you need help deciding you can ask
someone in the class to help you decide.” Variation: Use two ropes or strings to create two circles on the floor for two areas to sort students.
7. After students have completed the game, the counselor helps students to tape or glue them on the bulletin board or large piece of paper on the wall under either the heading “Healthy, Happy, Safe Choices” or a heading that reads “Unhealthy, Unhappy, Unsafe Choices.”
8. Counselor may close the lesson by asking the students to echo the safe/healthy/happy choice cards as
he/she reads them.
Taken from: http://www.missouricareereducation.org/doc/guidelsn/PS3-GrK-Unit1-Lesson2.pdf
Personal/Social Development:
C: Students will understand safety and survival skills.
Materials
Two paper bags.
Activity Sheet 1: Two identifying labels to staple to the paper bags
Activity Sheet 2: “Safe/Healthy or Not Safe/Not Healthy” 25 cards (included)
Tape in order to attach cards to student clothing
A large piece of paper to use as a display area for the final card sort (or bulletin board) with the
following headings written on the top of two columns “Healthy, Happy, Safe Choices” and
“Unhealthy, Unhappy, Unsafe Choices.” (paper and headings not included—use bulletin board
paper and markers to write headings.)
A stapler
Lesson Assessment:
Students will demonstrate their understanding of safe and unsafe drugs/medicines/objects by
sorting cards that have safe/healthy or unsafe/unhealthy statements/scenarios on them (20
items) into a safe paper bag and an unsafe bag.
Essential Questions: What are safe drugs/medicines/substances/situations? What are unsafe
drugs/medicines/substances/situations? How do I keep myself safe and healthy?
Engagement (Hook): Show students two paper bags with the two identifying labels on them.
One bag has a picture of a healthy/happy/safe child, and the other bag has a picture of an
unhealthy/unhappy/unsafe child. Ask the students what is different about the two pictures?
Instructor Procedures:
1. Counselor: “Students, I wonder if you could help me figure out what might be making the child in this picture
unhappy, unhealthy or unsafe? (Counselor shows the students the bags with the picture of the hurt child.)
2. Counselor: “I was thinking about what might be making this child unhappy or unhealthy or unsafe and I came up with some guesses. I wrote them on these cards. The problem is I got them mixed up with the cards that I wrote explaining why the boy in the other picture looks happy, healthy and safe. Can you help me sort
them out?”
3. Counselor: “Okay, the first one says (read first card). Which boy do you think would feel this way? Is this a
safe/healthy choice or an unsafe/unhealthy choice? (Student volunteer places the card in the correct sack.)
4. Counselor proceeds by reading all the cards following the procedure in step 3.
5. When all cards have been sorted, Counselor takes the cards out of the two sacks and puts them into one sack and asks each student to reach into the sack without looking and select a card.
6. Counselor: “First we decided together how to sort the cards into the sacks and now we will see if each of you can decide for yourself where the card should go. Please stand one at a time and I will read your card so that you can decide which end of the room your card/you should go to and then you can walk to that side of the room and stand there so that we can see your card. One side of the room is for safe/healthy/happy choices and the other side of the room is for unsafe/unhealthy/unhappy choices. If you need help deciding you can ask
someone in the class to help you decide.” Variation: Use two ropes or strings to create two circles on the floor for two areas to sort students.
7. After students have completed the game, the counselor helps students to tape or glue them on the bulletin board or large piece of paper on the wall under either the heading “Healthy, Happy, Safe Choices” or a heading that reads “Unhealthy, Unhappy, Unsafe Choices.”
8. Counselor may close the lesson by asking the students to echo the safe/healthy/happy choice cards as
he/she reads them.
Taken from: http://www.missouricareereducation.org/doc/guidelsn/PS3-GrK-Unit1-Lesson2.pdf