What I Really Want to Share

What is it all about?

Provide images, quotations and/or excerpts for students to use to demonstrate their understanding of the connection between substance use, addictive behaviours and their connections to physical and mental health, risk factors that may lead to substance use and addictive behaviours, and strategies to make safer choices and sources of support for addictions. This activity may be used during or at the end of a unit of learning.

Curriculum Connections

Grade 11: C1.4, C2.1, C2.2, C3.3, C3.4, C3.5

Grade 12: C1.2, C2.3, C3.3

How is it done?

• Find and post images, quotations, and/or excerpts about substance use, addictive behaviours and their connections to physical and mental health, risk factors, resilience, sources of support, and/or current issues related to substance use and addictions.
• Have students select the image, quotation, or excerpt that most captures their attention.
• Engage students in a rapid writing activity, in which they adopt the persona of a character depicted in their selected image or the person who could have authored the quotation/excerpt.
• Have students write a letter in character, entitled “What I Really Want to Tell You”, reflecting on the situation in which the character finds them self and their plan for their future health and well-being.

What may be needed?

Images, quotations, and/or excerpts about substance use, addictive behaviours and their connections to physical and mental health, risk factors, resilience, support, and current issues related to substance use and addictions

Opportunities for assessment

• Use students’ rapid writing responses to assess their understanding of: the connections between substance use, addictive behaviours, and physical and mental health; risk factors that may lead to substance use and addictive behaviours; strategies for making safe choices; and sources of support for addictions.

Ideas for Extension

• Provide students with the choice of reading their letter aloud to a partner, a small group, or the whole class while assuming the persona of their selected character.
• Have students answer questions as their selected character.
• Facilitate a group debriefing session. Have students reflect on what they learned, their and others’ reaction to the work of their peers, and what the group as a whole can take away from the activity to support the well-being of both self and others.

Educator notes

• Encourage students to reflect on the experience of putting themselves in someone else’s shoes and any effects that may have on developing empathy and challenging assumptions.