What Would I Do?

Overview

• Students use the scenarios provided and a T-chart Graphic Organizer to identify factors that might influence an individual’s decisions about using drugs such as cannabis.
• Students analyze scenarios to apply decision making strategies and skills to make safer choices when dealing with situations involving cannabis.
• Students consolidate their learning through the completion of a “What Would I Do?” reflection.
• This activity may be used as part of a unit of learning or at the end of a unit of learning. It may also be used as a follow-up activity to the Grade 6 Cannabis Education “Did You Know?” activity.

Curriculum Expectations

A 1.4, A1.5, A1.6, D2.4

Materials Needed

• Scenarios for students to use to apply decision making strategies and skills
• Chart paper, markers, and sticky notes
• T-chart Graphic Organizer
• Decision-making model Graphic Organizer
• “What Would I Do?” reflection questions

Learning Goals

• We are learning about factors that might influence us to use cannabis.
• We are learning to communicate with others to build healthy relationships.
• We are learning how to use decision making skills and strategies to make safe choices when dealing with situations involving cannabis.

Sample Success Criteria

• I can identify the factors that might influence my decisions about using cannabis.
• I can communicate with others to express my feelings and choices.
• I can use decision making strategies and skills to make safer choices when dealing with situations involving cannabis.

Opportunities For Assessment

• During the Minds On, use the group responses to the scenarios to assess their understanding of factors that might influence cannabis use and decision making strategies and skills to make safer choices when responding to situations involving peer pressure.
• During the Action, use the group T-charts to assess students’ understanding of factors that might influence drug use.
• Also during the Action, use the class discussion to assess students’ understanding of strategies that may be used to make safe personal choices about using drugs.
• At the end of the Action, use the completed scenarios to assess students’ understanding of how to use decision making strategies and skills to make safer choices when dealing with situations involving cannabis.
• At the end of the Consolidation, use the “What Would I Do?” reflections to assess students’ understanding of the factors that might influence them to use drugs and strategies they might use to make safe personal choices when dealing with situations involving cannabis.

Minds-On

• Have students assemble into groups of 4 with each group member assuming one of the four roles of discussion moderator, timer, recorder, and reporter.
• Provide each group with one of the following scenarios and have them generate possible answers to the three questions at the end of the scenario:
  • Standing up against the pressure of your friends can sometimes be a challenge. Consider this situation: You’re playing road hockey with some friends during the summer. One of your friends goes into the house and brings out some cold drinks and some cookies that you have reason to think might have cannabis in them. Your friend offers a cookie to you but doesn’t tell you what is in it. What would entice you to try it? What would prevent you from trying it? What would you say or do?
  • Standing up against the pressure of your friends can sometimes be a challenge. Consider this situation: Your family is hosting a neighbourhood pool party. You are asked to go to the local store with a one of the neighbourhood friends to pick up some extra drinks. On the way, your friend lights up an e-cigarette that smells as though there is cannabis in it. You ask her what it feels like to inhale the smoke, and she offers it to you to try it for yourself. What would entice you to try it? What would prevent you from trying it? What would you say or do?
• Have the group reporter share their group’s thinking with the class.

Action

• Provide each group with a T-chart with the title Factors that Influence Drug Use, with one side labelled Factors that Entice and the other side labelled Factors that Prevent.
• Have groups generate a list of factors that might entice or prevent someone their age from doing something that is dishonest or dangerous, such as telling a lie, smoking, drinking alcohol, or trying drugs such as cannabis. Then have groups share their list of factors with the class:
  • Examples of factors that entice (influence):
    • Wanting to fit in
    • Curiosity
    • Being a “trendsetter”
    • Peer pressure
    • Popular media
  • Examples of factors that prevent (deter):
    • Peer influence
    • Personal values
    • Cultural and religious beliefs
    • Relationships with family
    • Elders, teachers, and coaches
    • Legal implications
    • Consequences
• As a class, generate a list of strategies that may be used by someone to make safe choices when in a situation involving drugs such as cannabis. Examples:
  • Just saying “No, thanks”
  • Adopting a broken-record approach and continuing to say no
  • Being honest and explaining their reason for saying no
  • Making up an excuse
  • Convincing the other person not to do it
  • Walking away
  • Coming up with an alternative
  • Using a delay tactic, such as “I’ll think about it”
  • Making a joke and changing the subject
• Post the strategies in the room for students to reference during the remainder of the activity.
• Have groups revisit the Minds On scenarios and decide on two strategies they would most likely use to make a safe choice in the situation.
• Have groups share the strategies they selected and then as a class discuss the pros and cons of each strategy. For example, they may not feel comfortable just saying no; saying no may lead to losing a friendship, being ostracized from the group; making an excuse may feel like a lie and is counter to their personal values; and/or walking away may not be possible because it may be too far from home or not safe to do so.
• Provide groups with chart paper, markers, and sticky notes. Using the sticky notes to record their thinking, have groups recall what they know about strategies to make informed decisions and put the sticky notes in sequential order on their chart paper. Examples:
  • Identify the problem
  • List alternatives solutions to address the problem
  • Analyze the pros and cons of each of the alternatives
  • Determine which alternative is the better option
  • Make the decision
• Review the decision making model as a class to make sure all groups have identified and understand each step.
• Using their chart paper and markers to record their thinking, have groups work through one of the scenarios using the decision making model in order to determine what they would do if they were confronted with the situation:
  • You are behind the school at the end of the school day with some of your friends. One of your friends has a joint and wants you to try it.
  • You are at a family gathering and your cousin is using cannabis. You are curious to know what it feels like but are not sure if you should (or want to) try it.
  • Your older sister’s friend is over at your house while your parents are away and offers you something to eat that has cannabis in it.
  • You are at a friend’s house working on a school project, and you notice that there is a bag on the counter with something in it that looks like cannabis. Your friend is curious and wants to try some of it.
• Have groups act out their scenario to practice their decision making.

Consolidation

Have students complete a “What Would I Do?” reflection by answering the following questions:

1. How can peers influence your decisions about trying drugs such as cannabis?
2. How might you respond to those influences to make a safe personal choice for you?
3. How might you support peers in helping them make safe personal choices when dealing with situations involving cannabis?
4. Which scenario response do you believe would be most effective for you to use if you were in a situation involving cannabis?
5. Explain why it would be the most effective strategy for you to use.

Ideas For Extension

• Have students create two outcomes for each scenario, one in which the individual is influenced by peer pressure and says yes and one when the individual uses their skills effectively to refrain from using cannabis.
• Provide students with additional opportunities to practice their decision making strategies and skills by having students generate their own scenarios. Have students then individually select a scenario to which they apply decision making strategies and skills to make safe personal choices when dealing with situations involving substances such as alcohol, tobacco, or cannabis.

Notes To Teachers

Providing opportunities for students to explore concepts from multiple perspectives and through a variety of lenses enriches their learning.

• Consider integrating this activity into the Grade 6 Arts curriculum: Drama B1. Creating and Presenting and/or Drama B2. Reflecting, Responding, and Analysing, by having students act out their scenarios as part of the action stage of the activity.
• This activity focuses on students applying decision making strategies and skills to make safe choices when dealing with situations involving cannabis. Students should be provided with additional opportunities to apply decision making strategies and skills to make safe choices when dealing with situations involving alcohol and/or tobacco in order to fully address the intended learning as articulated in curriculum expectation D2.4. This may be included as part of this activity as suggested in the Ideas for Extension or in a follow-up activity.
• Consider having students refine their scenarios and perform them for a chosen audience such as peers, grade 5 students, or an adult audience.