assignment Instructional Stratigies

AsdMKJ

hettj-volume-1-revised.pdf

Home >Education homework help >assignment Instructional Stratigies

Dining Out: A Nutrition Activity Riggs et al.

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Volume 1 2011

HHHeeeaaalllttthhh EEEddduuucccaaatttiiiooonnn

TTTeeeaaaccchhhiiinnnggg TTTeeeccchhhnnniiiqqquuueeesss JJJooouuurrrnnnaaalll

Published Online by

AAHE

American Association for Health Education

Teaching Techniques Articles

Dining Out a Nutrition

Activity ............................................... 2

Integrating Music into the Health

Classroom: A Resource for Health

Teachers ........................................... 11

Making Healthier Choices to

Combat Atherosclerosis ................... 20 Using Student Response Systems

Technology to Close Teens

Misperception Gap Regarding

Sexual Activity .................................. 33

Crisis Communication: A Class

Icebreaker ........................................ 45

Reader’s Theater .............................. 51

Health and Media Literacy in

Wake of HINI .................................... 62

Developing School Health Education

Advocacy Skills Through College

Personal Health Courses ................... 70

A Middle School Summer

Connection Program Lesson: Water Safety .................................... 87 Cast Away with Maslow’s

Hierarchy of Needs: Using Film to Teach

Motivation Theory ............................ 98

Eat This, Not That: Teaching Healthy Food Choices to Youth .................... 104

The Story of Bottled Water:

Understanding the Environmental

Impact of Bottled Water Use ........... 111

Dining Out: A Nutrition Activity Riggs et al.

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Dining Out: A Nutrition Activity Amy Jo Riggs, PhD, RD; Bridget Melton, EdD; and Helen M. Graf, PhD Authors are affiliated with the Department of Health and Kinesiology at Georgia Southern University. Contact the

authors at P.O. Box 8076, Statesboro, GA 30460. Email:[email protected]

Submitted December 6, 2010

Abstract

Dining out is an increasing trend among American youth.

Objectives: The purpose of this teaching technique is to present an interactive, nutritional education activity that is

focused on developing healthy food-selection skills, and reducing calorie consumption, among youth when they dine

outside of the home.

Target Audience: Although this activity is geared toward adolescents, i.e., students typically between 13 and 19

years of age, it can be adjusted for younger and older students.

Dining Out: A Nutrition Activity Riggs et al.

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

INTRODUCTION

The trend of dining in restaurants and fast-food

establishments has increased in the past three

decades. 1 In 2000, the average American ate outside

the home about four times per week, 2 and this trend

has continued to climb. Consumer spending at full-

service and fast-food restaurants is predicted to rise by

approximately 18% and 6% respectively between

2000- 2020. 3 As the general population‘s dependency

on externally-prepared food surges, it is not

unreasonable to predict that direct control over the

nutritional content within foods consumed will

decrease.

Fast-food consumption increased fivefold from 1977

to 1995 among 2- to18-year olds. 4 Almost one-third

of all youth now eat at fast-food restaurants on any

given day. 5 Furthermore, the average college student

now purports ―eating out‖ six to eight times per

week. 6 Young adults who frequently eat fast-food gain

more weight and have a greater increase in insulin

resistance in early middle age. 7

Although causes of obesity are multi-factorial, weight

gain ultimately results from an imbalance between

energy intake and energy expenditure. 8 One key factor

that influences this balance is type of diet. For

nutrition education, it is critical to educate individuals

on healthier food options, whether it is cooking at

home or eating out. Dining out poses unique

challenges to consumers who are health- and/or

weight-conscious. This interactive activity allows

participants to gain knowledge and practice skills

necessary to make healthy food choices while still

enjoying the experience of dining out. The authors

have included student antidotal evidence of the

effectiveness of this teaching activity.

OBJECTIVES

Students who complete this lesson will be able to:

• differentiate between healthy- and poor-food choices when dining out and

• devise strategies to reduce total calorie consumption when selecting a meal.

MATERIALS AND RESOURCES

• Dry erase board and markers and pens or pencils.

• Various menus from restaurants; full-service and fast-food menus should be acquired by the

instructor or students prior to this activity.

(Note to the instructor: Many restaurant

establishments will donate menus if asked or

ask students to bring menus from their favorite

eating place.)

• Copies of ―Dining Out‖ quiz (with answers removed) provided in Figure 1. For younger

students, some of the terminology in the quiz

might need adjusting for better clarification.

Each individual instructor should make

adaptations to fit his/her students‘

developmental levels.

• Copy of Lecture notes on ―Dining Out: A Nutrition Activity‖ for the instructor provided

in Figure 2.

• Copies of Activity Worksheet in Figure 3.

TARGET AUDIENCE

This lesson is designed for health education or

physical education classes for middle -and high-school

students attending after-school programs or in health

or exercise classes at the university level.

PROCEDURE

The activity will take approximately 30-60 minutes

and it will be most effective when students are not

rushed. Adequate time should be allotted for each

following phase. Students appreciate time to explore

menu options, recount personal stories of restaurant

experiences, and weigh menu options. The instructor

should be prepared to move between groups (See first

sentence under Activity) to overhear information

shared. Misinformation can be revisited and corrected

during the general discussion time. Authors

purposefully have not designed a grading system or

rubric because this activity is viewed as an

experiential learning piece. The strength of

experiential learning is learning through reflection, for

which this activity allows ample opportunity. 9

Before the lesson, require students to:

• bring menus from restaurants they commonly frequent. Have additional menus available.

Collect menus after the activity to augment the

supply for the next time this activity is taught.

• complete the ―Dining Out‖ quiz as a pretest (Figure 1).

Dining Out: A Nutrition Activity Riggs et al.

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Open with discussion:

• Ask students what foods served at restaurants that they think are healthy and unhealthy. Keep

a record of students‘ remarks on the dry erase

board. The instructor may choose a student to

help record remarks so that the discussion

keeps flowing.

Brief Lecture:

• Use lecture notes (Figure 2) to present healthy dining out strategies people may use. Ask

students for additional tips they may have

previously used to reduce calories. Assess the

nutritional accuracy of the suggestions and

make corrections as necessary.

Activity:

Assign students into groups of up to four members

and distribute menus. Ideally, each group member

should have the same menu; they could share menus if

not enough menus are available. Before group work

begins, the instructor, using a different restaurant

menu, should model/demonstrate ideal food selection

behavior and check for student comprehension (refer

to Figure 2 for healthful eating tips). The goal for each

group is to choose the most healthy and least healthy

appetizer, entrée, and beverage on their menu. To

facilitate this process, ask group members to complete

the worksheet (Figure 3). When each group has

finished, orchestrate the following tasks:

• In a round robin format, have one spokesperson from each group share what s/he

believes are the most healthy and least healthy

foods on his/her particular menu.

• Ask group members to devise strategies to reduce calories of the least healthy selections

(i.e., if one truly wants chili cheese fries, what

can one do to reduce total calorie

consumption? Student answers might include

any of the following options: order water

instead of soda with it; ask for a half order or

share it with a friend; hold the cheese; have

the sauces on the side [so you control how

much is put on the dish], and so on).

• From group brainstorming and reporting, compile a list of correct calorie reduction

strategies to use while dining out (refer to

Figure 2). As an independent practice

opportunity, require students to complete the

assessment assignment.

Debrief:

The importance of this activity is not only for students

to understand how to reduce calorie consumption

while dining out, but to actually implement what they

learned. The debriefing stage should be focused on

strategies that students can commit to using. To

facilitate this portion, the instructor could pose the

following questions:

• To control caloric intake, what do you think are the most realistic strategies to use when dining

out?

• Of the restaurants at which you eat, which would be more challenging to use healthy-

choice strategies and why?

• If you were to adopt some of these strategies, how might your parents or friends react? How

would their reactions make you feel? Based on

their reaction, would that make you change

your selection?

Instruct students to complete the ―Dining Out‖ quiz

(Figure 1) as a posttest at the end of the debriefing

period—not for a grade but for a way to ascertain

change in knowledge among the students. Some of

the quiz questions could be open to interpretation.

Students may have valid reasons for selecting a

particular option over the other and these questions

could be the impetus for discussion.

ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUE

Dining out can be challenging for students concerned

with selecting healthy food. Although the pre/post

―Dining Out‖ quiz will help determine what students

have learned and retained, an independent practice

assignment might be added to assess implementation

of this knowledge. One way to assess students‘ food

choices is to have them write a one-page paper on

their next dining-out experience, which would be an

after-class assignment. In this paper, require students

to address the following questions:

1. To what restaurant did you go? 2. Were you alone or with other people? 3. Did you order what you initially wanted or

change your mind when it came time to order?

If you did change from what you originally

wanted, was it a positive or negative change?

(Explain your answer)

Dining Out: A Nutrition Activity Riggs et al.

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

4. Did you implement any of the calorie- reduction strategies generated by the class? If

so, what strategies did you use, and was it

harder or easier to do than you anticipated?

5. What was your beverage selection? 6. What was everyone else eating? Did anyone

comment about your selection? If so, what

was said?

7. Did you eat your entire meal or did you take part of your meal home?

After this exercise, ask students to share their

responses with the class.

Another way to assess students‘ food choices could be

to organize a group lunch at the school cafeteria.

Selecting foods in the cafeteria can be challenging

when trying to make healthy selections; however,

more than one main dish is typically offered, with at

least one dish a healthier option. Observing a cafeteria

lunch would provide awareness of the interaction

between the students and food-service personnel. For

example, the teacher might observe if the student asks

the food-service personnel for a smaller portion or to

have the dressing and/or condiments placed on the

side. An informal debriefing after the group lunch is

ideal.

Knowing what constitutes healthy-food choices does

not insure students‘ food selections when dining

outside the home. Student choices may not change

overnight; it is important, therefore, to continue to

emphasis that small dietary changes over a period of

time can make a significant difference in personal

health. Moreover, the teacher may ask students

strategic healthy-food-choice question throughout the

week or months. For example, on Monday mornings,

a teacher might ask, ―Who eat out at a restaurant this

weekend, and what did you have?‖ ―Do did you use

any of the healthy-food choices techniques we talked

about?‖ Or, the teacher may follow up during the

week before students‘ lunch period by letting the

students know the food options for lunch that day and

asking them, ―Which selections today sound healthy?‖

Or perhaps with older students, the teacher may ask,

―Can you modify today selections to reduce some of

the calories?‖ Little reminders will help students be

more conscious of their choices and help them

develop healthy habits.

Dining Out: A Nutrition Activity Riggs et al.

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

REFERENCES

1. National Restaurant Association. Quick service

restaurant trends. Washington, DC: National

Restaurant Association; 2005.

2. Cohn SR. Diet isn‘t the only obesity culprit.

Available at http://www.restuarant.org/pressroom

/rapid_response.cfm?ID566. Accessed May 23, 2010.

3. Stewart H, Blisard N, Bhyyan S, Nayga R. The

demand for food away from home: Full service or

fast food. Agricultural Economics Reports. 2004;

33953. Retrieved from

http://ideas.repec.org/p/ags/uerser/33953.html.

Assessed May 24, 2010.

4. Wiecha JL, Peterson KE, Ludwig DS, Kim J, Sobol

A, Gortmaker SL. When children eat what they

watch: impact of television viewing on dietary intake

in youth. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Meal 2006; 160:436-

442.

5. Bowman SA, Gortmaker SL, Ebbeling CA, Pereira

MA, Ludwig DS. Effects of fast-food consumption

on energy intake and diet quality among children in a

national household study. Pediatrics. 2004; 113:112-

118.

6. Driskell, JA, Mechna, BR, Scales, NE. Differences

exist in the eating habits of university men and

women at fast-food restaurants. Nutrition Research.

2006; 26:524-530.

7. Pereira MA, Kartashv AI, Ebbing CB, Van Horn L,

Slattery, ML, Jacobs DR, Ludwig, DS. Fast-food

habits, weight gain, and insulin resistance (the

CARDIA study): 15-year prospective analysis.

Lancet. 2005: 365:36-42.

8. Bouchard, C. (2008). The magnitude of the energy

imbalance in obesity is generally underestimated.

International Journal of Obesity, 32, 879-880.

9. Bergsteiner, H. Gayle, A.G., Neumann, R. (2010)

Kolb‘s experiential learning model: critique from a

modeling. Studies in Continuing Education, 32(1),

29-46.

http://ideas.repec.org/p/ags/uerser/33953.html

Dining Out: A Nutrition Activity Riggs et al.

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Figure 1: Pre/Post Dining Out Quiz

Dining Out Quiz: Please circle the letter next to the correct answer.

1. Which strategy should help decrease the number of calories when dining out?

a. Sharing an entree b. Drinking sweet tea instead of soda c. Ordering the loaded baked potato

instead of French fries

d. Ordering breaded fish instead of fried fish

2. If a person is watching his or her fat intake, which meat is a leaner choice?

a. Filet Mignon b. Fried Fish Filet c. Baked Chicken Thigh d. Baked Chicken Breast

3. Which of the following is a true statement about fast food restaurants?

a. Fish is always a low-calorie choice. b. Croissants, biscuits, and muffins are

high in calories.

c. The regular burger usually has the same number of calories as the

largest size.

d. Side dishes, such as French fries or potato salad, typically have fewer

calories than the main dish.

4. Which of the following is recommended when trying to reduce caloric intake?

a. Sweet tea instead of soda b. Fried entrée instead of grilled entrée c. Order salad dressing on the side d. Marinara sauce instead alfredo

sauce

5. Which appetizer has the fewest number of calories?

a. Cheesy potato soup

b. Small Caesar salad c. Chicken noodle soup d. Cream of mushroom soup

6. When assessing how food is prepared in a restaurant, which of the following is

considered the healthiest?

a. Fried b. Baked c. Sautéed d. Breaded

7. When selecting vegetables with an entrée, which of the following has the fewest

number of calories?

a. Sautéed broccoli b. Cream of spinach c. Steamed asparagus d. Side salad with cheese and croutons

8. Which beverage provides the least number of calories per serving?

a. Soda b. Sweet tea c. Lemonade d. Sparkling water

9. Which dessert provides the least number of calories per serving?

a. Cheesecake b. Blueberry pie c. Vanilla ice cream d. Blackberry cobbler

10. When selecting a soup, which of the following has the fewest calories?

a. Lobster Bisque b. Minestrone Soup c. Broccoli and Cheddar Soup d. French Onion Soup

Answer Key: 1.A; 2. D; 3. B; 4. C; 5. C; 6. B; 7. C; 8. D; 9. C; 10. B

Dining Out: A Nutrition Activity Riggs et al.

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Figure 2. Lecture notes on “Dining Out: A Nutrition Activity”

I. Objectives Students who complete this lesson will

be able to:

a. differentiate between healthy- and poor-food choices when dining out

and

b. devise strategies to reduce total calorie consumption when selecting

a meal.

II. Have a “Dining Out” Plan Do not go out to eat just because you

happen to drive past a restaurant. Go out

to enjoy the food and socialize with

friends. Make dining out more of a

special occasion than a daily routine.

Consider your daily caloric intake and

plan your day accordingly (refer to My

Pyramid.gov for recommended calorie

intake by age and gender). For example,

if you plan on eating out for dinner, have

a lighter lunch. Do not skip meals before

eating out because you may feel more

hungry and likely cause you to overeat.

III. Ordering Tips a. Always order regular portions

sizes: Try not to super-size your

meal. Certain restaurants are known

for their large portion sizes, so

consider sharing your meal with a

friend.

b. Order separately: Restaurant personnel are used to special orders,

so do not be shy about asking for

certain foods to be substituted for

those that are not as healthy. For

example, instead of ordering both

beans and rice with your burrito, ask

for one or the other. Approximately

200 calories will be saved by this

practice. If a meal comes with fries,

ask if you can substitute a healthier

side dish, such as steamed

vegetables or a side salad. This

substitution could save you nearly

300 calories!

c. Ask how dishes are prepared: If a food is fried, ask if it can be grilled

instead. For example, ordering a

grilled chicken breast sandwich over

a fried chicken breast sandwich can

save you 198 calories. Ask for your

vegetables to be steamed and served

―dry.‖ You can have the sauces and

dressings served on the side in order

to control the amount you eat.

d. Don‟t tempt yourself: After you have had a small portion of chips,

peanuts, or the basket of bread, ask

the waiter to remove them from the

table. Calories from nibbling can

add up before you know it. For

example, 1 ounce of chips has 140

calories; 1 ounce of peanuts provide

170 calories; and a piece of French

bread has 277 calories. Also, do not

sit near the dessert cart.

e. Learn to spot: Know which dishes are made with lower/higher calorie

cooking methods. For example,

fried versus grilled, steamed or

poached.

f. Ask for nutritional information: In many restaurants, detailed

nutritional information for menu

items is available. Ask for this

information to make choice

selection easier.

g. For college students who are of legal age to consume alcohol:

Limit alcohol: Alcohol is high in

calories, has few nutrients, and can

weaken your will power leading you

to overeat. A light 12-ounce beer

has 105 calories, and a 12-ounce

regular beer provides approximately

146 calories. Wine provides an

estimated 96 calories for a 4 ounce

glass.

IV. Low Calorie Menu Choices To help you stay within your healthy

eating plan, the following foods and

methods of preparation are likely the

best choices.

a. Clear broth-based soups like Chinese won ton or hot and sour soup,

consommé, tortilla soup, or minestrone.

b. Romaine lettuce or spinach salads with vegetables and dressing on the side. Go

easy on the bacon bits, croutons, cheese,

and mayonnaise-based items like

macaroni salad or tuna salad (1/4 cup

tuna salad = 190 calories).

Dining Out: A Nutrition Activity Riggs et al.

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

c. Raw vegetables (crudités) with a small amount of low-calorie dip.

d. Steamed vegetables with a slice of lemon or grilled veggies rather than

those drenched in oil or butter.

e. Meats that are grilled, broiled, roasted or baked without added fat. Choose

seafood that is broiled, baked, steamed,

blackened, or poached—think tender

sole poached in parchment with broth,

savory vegetables and herbs.

f. A reasonable portion of steak – 3-4 ozs. (size of a deck of cards) will provide

approximately 300-350 calories; other

lean meat cuts served au jus, with a

piquant fruit sauce, or stir-fried with

vegetables. Again, go easy on the rich,

creamy sauces.

g. A baked potato with a pat of butter (1 teaspoon equals 34 calories) or small

amount of sour cream (1 Tablespoon

equals 23 calories). Top with broccoli,

low-fat chili, or salsa.

h. Choosing sandwiches on whole wheat

or multigrain breads will provide additional essential nutrients, like fiber,

when compared to white-flour bread

products; with low-fat deli meats and

cheeses, use mustard, relish, ketchup, or

low-fat mayonnaise. Add flavor and

vitamins with roasted sweet peppers,

romaine lettuce or spinach, tomato,

jalapenos, and chopped olives (small

amount).

V. Hidden Calories: Look for the following descriptions to uncover higher

calorie menu choices: pan-fried, sautéed,

battered, breaded, au gratin, cheesy,

creamy, buttered, deep-fried, béarnaise,

or crispy—as in the "crispy," deep-fried

tortilla bowl holding the salad.

Dining Out: A Nutrition Activity Melton and Graf

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Figure 3: Dining Out: A Nutrition Activity Worksheet

Restaurant: _______________________________

Most Healthy Choice Least Healthy Choice

Appetizer: _______________________ __________________________

Entrée: _______________________ __________________________

Beverages: _______________________ __________________________

Given the choices above, modify your least healthy choice by either size or additions.

Modify:

______________________ Appetizer

______________________ Entrée

______________________ Beverage

"To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently

is an art" (La Rochefoucauld 1613-1680).

Integrating Music into the Health Classroom LaCursia and Parker

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Integrating Music into the Health Classroom: A Resource for

Health Teachers Nancy LaCursia, PhD and Jenny Parker, EdD Authors are affiliated with Northern Illinois University. Contact Nancy LaCursia at 260 Wirtz Hall, DeKalb, IL

60115. Email:[email protected]. Contact Jenny Parker at 228 Anderson Hall, DeKalb, IL 60115.

Submitted November 22, 2010

Abstract

Results from research have shown that using music in the classroom can have a positive effect on student learning.

Objectives: This teaching idea will allow health teachers to 1) access appropriate music/songs for teaching health

content areas and 2) integrate music into health classes as a means of accompanying or teaching health topics.

Target Audience: This resource is designed for middle- and high-school health teachers.

Integrating Music into the Health Classroom LaCursia and Parker

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

INTRODUCTION

Music is part of daily life; however, ―music . . . is not

a simple distraction or pastime, but . . . an activity that

paves the way for more complex behaviors such as

language, large scale cooperative undertakings and the

passing down of important information from one

generation to the next.‖ 1(p. 3)

Results from research

have shown that, in general, music can be used in a

variety of ways in the classroom bringing joy and

having a positive effect on students‘ and teachers‘

learning. More specifically, for students, music

influences learning relative to physical, intellectual,

emotional and social dimensions of health. 2,3

For

teachers, music can be used to accessorize a lesson or

play a team-teacher role to assist with lesson delivery

by guiding, directing, or supporting learning. Music

can be used to accompany a lesson or it can be used to

address specific health content (e.g., a song in which

body image is addressed), introduce health topics

(e.g., dealing with loss, recognizing unhealthy

relationships), provide unique learning activities (e.g.,

discographies, jingles), and set a specific class

atmosphere. 4

Music’s influence on the body and mind

Music invites the whole brain and body into the

learning process and increases blood flow to the brain.

5-7 As a result, rhythms tap into the left hemisphere

and melodies activate the right hemisphere. 8-10

Furthermore, different types of music can ignite

different parts of the brain. Music even can change

brain waves causing new neuron production. 8,11

Intellectually, this new neuron production influenced

by music can result in new learning. 8,11

Music can

help stimulate cognitive functions like memory and

recall. 6, 12, 13

As Sacks (2008) pointed out, music can be

―as educational as reading and writing.‖ 13(p.102)

Music also can arouse emotional responses. For

example, major chords may sound more pleasant and

minor chords may sound more ―dark‖ or unpleasant. 12,

14 As music raises emotion, it can bring people together

socially. In a classroom setting, the ability of the

sounds of music to enhance students‘ social skills is

important. 8, 15

Physiologically, music can affect heart rate, the

immune system, and metabolism. For example, fast

music can increase heart rate and breathing, while

slower music can elicit a calming effect of the body. 6

In particular, calm music can help reduce stress, which

can have a positive influence on the immune system,

and fast music can be used to raise energy and

metabolism. 5,7,16

OBJECTIVES

After reading this teaching idea, health teachers will

be able to 1) access appropriate music/songs for

teaching health content areas and 2) integrate music

into lessons as a means of accompanying or teaching

health topics. This teaching idea is designed for

middle- and high-school health teachers.

In order to effectively integrate music into their health

classes, teachers need to first:

assess which health topics they believe will be enhanced by using music.

review music resources available (see tables 1 – 3 for suggestions).

ask for input from students and colleagues regarding appropriate music selections.

plan for the effective integration of selected music into specific classes.

MATERIALS AND RESOURCES

Table 1

Table 2

Table 3

TARGET AUDIENCE

This teaching idea is designed for middle- and high-

school health teachers.

PROCEDURES

The following examples involve methods and

materials that can be used to incorporate music into

the health classroom (e.g., opening a lesson,

stimulating discussion, remembering important terms,

and understanding health topics from past

generations). If integrating music into a PowerPoint

presentation, be sure to save the presentation and the

music files to the data source (e.g., jump drive), or the

music will not play.

One example of incorporating a specific song into a

health topic is to open a lesson about body image with

the song from En Vogue entitled, ―Can Anybody Hear

Me?‖ As students enter the classroom, this song is

played in the background as the teacher oversees a

series of quotes and pictures about body image

scrolled on a PowerPoint presentation. After the

PowerPoint, students are asked to think-pair-share

their reactions to the quotes and pictures. Students

then listen to the song again without the PowerPoint

presentation and share ways in which the song‘s lyrics

relate to body image and how that song may have

Integrating Music into the Health Classroom LaCursia and Parker

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

impacted their initial reactions to the PowerPoint. The

lesson concludes with a discussion about the influence

of various types of media on knowledge, attitudes and

behaviors regarding body image.

Music also can be used to stimulate discussion and

inspire reflection about sensitive issues and provide a

common bond for communication and perspective-

taking. 1 For example, students of later generations can

learn about the HIV/AIDS through music (e.g.,

―Philadelphia‖ by Neil Young and ―Streets of

Philadelphia‖ by Bruce Springsteen in 1994, or

―That‘s What Friends Are For‖ written by Burt

Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager, 1982). The songs

are played in class and students analyze the lyrics to

compare changes in societal attitudes towards

HIV/AIDS throughout the years. One online source

that students could use to complete this assignment is

AVERTing HIV and AIDS, the international HIV and

AIDS charity website. 17

The historical section of this

site contains six timelines about HIV/AIDS (e.g., up

to 1986, 1987-1992, 1993-1997, 1998-2002, 2003-

2006 and 2007 to the present). Each timeline provides

students with societal attitudes toward HIV to

compare with HIV-related songs of that era.

Teachers and students alike can promote content-

specific connections to learning by using the same

strategies as those used in media campaigns to

influence consumers. Cleverly crafted jingles can

assist students to remember content by adapting

popular advertising tunes to include health topics. For

example, the F.I.T.T. (Frequency, Intensity, Time and

Type) principles can be integrated into the Almond

Joy jingle; ―Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes

you don‘t. Almond Joy‘s got nuts, Mounds don‘t;

because sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you

don‘t.‖ 18

The jingle integrated with the F.I.T.T.

principles could be; ―Sometimes you feel like working

out, sometimes you don‘t. Using F.I.T.T. can help,

when you don‘t. It‘s got frequency, intensity, type and

time. And you‘ll remember it, with this rhyme.

Because, sometimes you feel like working out,

sometimes you don‘t.‖

Content specific connections also can be made in a

group activity when students are asked to identify a

song that all members of the group know (e.g.,

Twinkle Little Star). The teacher then can provide a

list of critical terms or theoretical concepts (e.g., six

nutrients; decision-making steps) and require students

to develop their own lyrics to the song using these

terms and concepts. Similarly, the health teacher can

infuse important terms into a familiar tune. For

example, the health teacher could lead students in

performing his/her own version of the ―Muscle

Macarena‖ to help students learn major muscle groups

using the song, ―Macarena.‖ 19, 20

Additionally, students can delve deeper into a health

topic by compiling a discography or musical

biography. 21

These discographies, or selections of

music, can be used to describe a certain era in history

(e.g., Roaring 20s and Prohibition, 1960s and illicit

drugs). For example, students could review music and

lyrics from songs in the Roaring 20s Jazz-Ragtime

Age that reflected a rebellion to Prohibition and

conservatism. Songs like, ―Alexander‘s Ragtime

Band‖ were the rage as young people frequented

‗speakeasies‘ (i.e. nightclubs that sold alcohol illegally

during Prohibition in the U.S.) to drink alcohol and

smoke cigarettes. 22

Students also could create

discographies of 1960s music (e.g., Bob Dylan, Janis

Joplin, Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane and music

performed at the 1969 Woodstock Music Festival) to

analyze substance use at a time in history when

society was wrestling with attitudes about the Vietnam

War, civil rights, and sexuality. 23

Resources for

accessing specific songs and lyrics are found in Table

Music can be used in a health class in many ways and

in all ten content areas of a comprehensive school

health education curriculum (aging and death

education, consumer health, diseases, environmental

health, fitness, mental and emotional health, nutrition,

safety, sexuality and substances). 24

Music selections

for each health content area are provided in Table 2.

Although music can used to address specific content,

there are other ways to include music in a classroom

as shown in Table 3. As previously mentioned, music

can provide a dynamic or calming atmosphere, an

interesting background, or set the perfect tone for a

particular topic. 3, 21

A carefully chosen song also can

be used to start a class by highlighting a special school

event, celebrating a student‘s birthday, recognizing a

national holiday, noting the change in the weather and

seasons or paying tribute to a significant historical

event or figure. Health teachers need to be sensitive,

however, to which celebrations are culturally

appropriate for their students. Furthermore, teachers

can show their support and empathy for what students

are experiencing at school and in their lives with

specially selected walk-in music. For teachers who

believe they have become ‗decade-challenged‘ and,

therefore, need help becoming updated, there are

several compilations of top music hits published

annually for purchase (e.g., Grammy nominees CD,

Now That‘s What I Call Music‖ CD collections). 25, 26

Integrating Music into the Health Classroom LaCursia and Parker

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUES

The following assessments accompany each of the

objectives for this teaching technique. Rather than

graded assignments, these assessments are focused on

obtaining student input and teacher reflection on the

impact of music in the classroom.

Objective 1: To assess their own ability to access

appropriate music, health teachers could develop

a personal music collection that is culturally

appropriate and sensitive to the needs of their

students. Included in this personal collection

should be several music pieces to address each of

the health content areas.

Objective 2: To assess the effectiveness of

integrating music into the health class, the health

teacher should a) gather input from students and

b) self reflect.

a) Depending upon how music was integrated into

the health class, the health teacher could solicit

input from students about the effectiveness of

integrating music by:

posing the following question at the end of a health lesson and/or unit: To what

extent did you enjoy the way music was

used? Or, do you believe that the music

used contributed to your ability to learn

about the health topic? (scale of 1-5,

5=Very much, 1=Not at all)

requiring students to journal or free write about whether they enjoyed how music

was used or if the use of music helped

them learn the content. Journal responses

should be graded on a 5 point rubric (5=

answers to questions were fully

supported with rationale and examples),

1=little or no answers were supported

with rationale or examples)

gaining input on the intellectual, environmental, social, emotional and

physical reasons for using music by

asking students to complete a survey

about whether they:

were able to recall health terms by creating lyrics to a familiar

tune using these health terms

(e.g., insert H1N1 prevention

tips into the song, ‗Twinkle

Little Star‘) (intellectual).

enjoyed hearing music related to the health topic in the

background (e.g., having

―Food, Glorious Food‖ in the

background while working on

healthy nutrition posters) (class

environment).

thought that music helped stimulate their group discussion

about a health topic (e.g.,

listening to ‗Can Anybody Hear

Me‘ by EnVogue to discuss

body image) (social/emotional).

performed accompanying actions to a familiar song to

learn health content (e.g.,

perform the ‗Muscle Macarena‘

by pointing to muscles as they

are named in the song)

(physical).

b) Depending upon how music was

integrated into a health lesson and/or

unit, the health teacher could self-reflect

by noting after the lesson and/or unit

plan whether it appeared that the music:

was received positively or negatively by the students (e.g.,

facial; or verbal reactions).

contributed or distracted from student learning (e.g., students

completed tasks or were not

able to concentrate on tasks

because of the music).

increased active participation in music-related learning activities

(e.g., whether students

analyzed, wrote and/or

performed lyrics to songs).

Integrating Music into the Health Classroom LaCursia and Parker

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

REFERENCES

1. Levitin DJ. The World in Six Songs: How the Musical Brain Created Human Nature. New

York: Dutton; 2008.

2. Gardner H. Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences, 10

th ed. New York, NY:

Basic Books; 2004.

3. Khalfa S, Schon D, Anton JL, et al. Brain regions involved in the recognition of happiness and

sadness in music. Neuro Report. 2005; 16 (18)

1981-1984.

4. Caravella T, Wycoff-Horn M. Using performance tasks to help adolescents think critically about

relationships and gender. Paper presented at:

Annual meeting of the American School Health

Association; October 28, 2008; Tampa, FL.

5. Jensen E. Top Tunes for Teaching. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press; 2005.

6. Zatorre R. Music, the food of neuroscience. Nature. 2005; 434:312-315.

7. Weinburger N. Music and the brain. Sci Am. 2004; 291(5):88-95.

8. Jensen E. Music with the Brain in Mind. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press; 2000.

9. Howard PJ. The Owner’s Manual for the Brain: Everyday Applications from Mind-Brain

Research. Marietta, GA: Bard Press; 2000.

10. Lazear D. Seven Ways of Knowing: Teaching for Multiple Intelligences, 2

nd ed.

11. Arlington Heights, IL: IRI/Skylight Publishing; 1991.

12. Campbell DG. Introduction to the Musical Brain. St. Louis, MO: Magna-Music-Baton, Inc; 1983.

13. Sacks O. Power of music. Brain. 2006;129(10):2528-2532.

14. Sacks O. Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain. New York, NY: Vintage/Anchor Books,

Random House; 2008.

15. Blood AJ, Zatorre RJ, Bermudez P, et al. Emotional responses to pleasant and unpleasant

music correlate with activity in paralimbic brain

regions. Nat Neurosci. 1999; 2:382–7.

16. Weinburger N. The music in our minds. Edu Leadership. 1998; 3:36-40.

17. Peretz I, Zatorre RJ. Brain organization for music processing. Annu. Rev. Psychol. 2005;

18. 56:89-114. 19. AVERTing HIV and AIDS. History of HIV and

AIDS. Available at: http//www.avert.org/hiv-

aids-history.htm. Accessed on October 28, 2010.

20. Peter Paul Co. Almond Joy song. Available at http://www.oldtime candy.com/almond-joy.htm.

Accessed on October 28, 2010.

21. Grady ME. Muscle Macarena. Presented to: Sophomore Kinetic Wellness Classes, New Trier

High School; 1998; Winnetka, IL.

22. Los Del Rio. Macarena. Fiesta Macarena album, RCA Records; 1997; New York NY.

23. Armstrong T. Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom, 3

rd ed. Alexandria, VA: Association

for Supervision and Curriculum Development;

2009.

24. Scott R. The Roaring 20’s: A historical snapshot of life in the 1920’s. Available at: www.1920-

30.com/medicine/. Accessed on October 28,

2010.

25. Oracle Education Foundation. The music of the sixties: The psychedelic era. Available at:

http://library.thinkquest.org/21342/1960.

Accessed on October 28, 2010.

26. American School Health Association. Guidelines for Comprehensive School Health Programs, 2nd

ed. Kent, OH: American School Health

Association; 1994.

27. Various artists. Grammy Nominees 2010 (CD). New York, NY: Sony BMG Music

Entertainment; 2010.

28. Various artists. Now That‘s What I Call Music (CD). New York, NY: Sony Legacy; 2010.

http://www.1920-30.com/medicine/

http://library.thinkquest.org/21342/1960.%20Accessed%20on%20October%2028

Integrating Music into the Health Classroom LaCursia and Parker

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Table 1: General Classroom Music Resources

Elementary Classroom songs

http://www.songsforteaching.com/schoolsongsforchildren.htm Elementary songs

Finding songs, artists, lyrics or jingles

http://www.poemhunter.com Find songs and lyrics for all topics

http://tunecaster.com Every #1 hit chronologically by year

http://www.televisiontunes.com TV tunes from all generations

http://www.allbutforgottenoldies.net/help/name-that-tune.html Forget a song?

http://www.whodoesthatsong.com/ Forget who does that song?

http://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100#/charts/hot-100 Top popular current songs

http://www.popculturemadness.com/Music/ Comprehensive lists of pop songs by category

http://www.nowthatsmusic.com/ Annual compilations of top 40 music

http://www.spinner.com 10 Commercial Jingles We can‘t Forget

http://classicthemes.com Jingles Hall of Fame

http://candyaddict.com Candy Jingles

http://qualitylogoproducts.com Top 10 Advertising Jingles

Holiday songs

http://www.everythingvalentinesday.com/love-songs.html Valentine‘s Day

http://www.ez-tracks.com/top-40-Halloween-songs.html Halloween songs

http://www.ilovewavs.com/Holidays Selections for all holidays, game shows, movies, sound

effects, commercials & same songs by different artists

Learning with Music sites

http://www.musicandlearning.com Music for all ages, no downloads

http://www.learningfromlyrics.org/songsatoi.html Songs for classroom, no downloads

http://www.newhorizons.org/strategies/arts/brewer.htm Rationale for music in classroom-C.

Boyd Brewer

http://www.songsforteaching.com/ericjensen/2.htm Rationale for music in classroom-E. Jensen

http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/talk/questions/using-music-classroom Quotes from teachers

all over world about how they used background music in class for teenagers

School songs

http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/List-of-songs-about-school School songs, no

downloads

http://www.songfacts.com/category:songs_about_school.php 20 school songs, no downloads

Weather songs

http://www.lacarte.org/songs/rain/ Songs alphabetized for weather and seasons

http://www.songsforteaching.com/schoolsongsforchildren.htm

http://www.poemhunter.com/

http://tunecaster.com/

http://www.televisiontunes.com/

http://www.allbutforgottenoldies.net/help/name-that-tune.html

http://www.whodoesthatsong.com/

http://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100#/charts/hot-100

http://www.popculturemadness.com/Music/

http://www.nowthatsmusic.com/

http://www.spinner.com/

http://classicthemes.com/

http://candyaddict.com/

http://qualitylogoproducts.com/

http://www.everythingvalentinesday.com/love-songs.html

http://www.ez-tracks.com/top-40-Halloween-songs.html

http://www.ilovewavs.com/Holidays

http://www.musicandlearning.com/

http://www.learningfromlyrics.org/songsatoi.html

http://www.newhorizons.org/strategies/arts/brewer.htm

http://www.songsforteaching.com/ericjensen/2.htm

http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/talk/questions/using-music-classroom

http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/List-of-songs-about-school

http://www.songfacts.com/category:songs_about_school.php

http://www.lacarte.org/songs/rain/

Integrating Music into the Health Classroom LaCursia and Parker

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Table 2: Examples of Using Music in Health Education

Substances Mental/Emotional Diseases Consumer

Health

Nutrition/Body image

I Want a New Drug: H. Lewis (alternative highs)

Cocaine: A. Clapton (anti: cocaine)

Stupid Girls: Pink (lack of positive role models for

girls)

Smokin‘ in the Boys Room: Brownsville Station

Don‘t Go Chasin‘ Waterfalls: TLC

Any Dream Will Do: A.Lloyd

Weber (sleep)

Who are You: The Who (self:

awareness)

If I Could Write a Letter to Me:

B.Paisley (self:

concept)

Lean on Me: B. Withers (self:

esteem)

Beautiful Day:U2

Perfect Day: Hoku

Had a Bad Day:D. Powter

I Run for Life: M.

Etheridge

(cancer)

Just Stand Up to

Cancer CD

That‘s What Friends Are

For: D.

Warwick/E.

John (HIV)

The Credit Card Song: D.

Feller

Livin‘ Within My Means:

Common

Bond

Can Anybody Hear Me: En Vogue (body image)

Body I Occupy: Naked Bros Band (body image)

Soulful Journey CD: L. Daily (body image)

Food Glorious Food: Oliver the Musical

Strawberry Fields Forever: Beatles

Blueberry Hill: Fats Domino

Integrating Music into the Health Classroom LaCursia and Parker

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Table 3: Examples of General Use of Music in Teaching

Beginnings/Endings of Class /Year Seasons and Weather Management/Competition

Beginnings

Getting to Know You: The King & I musical

Hello, Goodbye: Beatles

Start Me Up: Rolling Stones

September: Earth, Wind & Fire

ABC: Jackson 5

Monday, Monday: Mamas & Papas Endings

Walk on By: D. Warwick

Walk On: U2

On the Road Again: W. Nelson

Boots Made for Walkin‘: N. Sinatra

Break My Stride: Ace of Base

Never Can Say Goodbye: Jackson 5

Last Dance: D. Summer

School‘s Out: A. Cooper

I‘ve Had the Time of My Life: Dirty Dancing

See You in September: Happenings

Go Your Own Way: Fleetwood Mac

Summer & Sunshine

Here Comes the Sun: Beatles

Walkin‘ on Sunshine: Katrina & the Waves

Warmth of the Sun, All Summer Long: Beach Boys

Cruel Summer: Ace of Base

Summer Nights: O.Newton: John & J. Travolta, Grease

musical

Summer in the City: Lovin‘ Spoonful

Take Me Out to the Ballgame: Harry Carey

tribute CD

Fall

4 Seasons: Vivaldi

Autumn: G. Winston Winter & Snow

Winter Wonderland, Let It Snow, Frosty the Snowman

(Various artists)

If We Make it to December: M. Haggard

Ice Ice Baby: Vanilla Ice

Spring & Rain

Raindrops Keep Fallin‘ On My

Head: BJ Thomas

Love the Rainy Nights: E. Rabbitt

Ain‘t No Sunshine: B. Withers

Here Comes the Rain Again:

Eurythemics

I Can See Clearly Now: B. Marley

Listen to the Rain: S. Nicks

Purple Rain: Prince

Over the Rainbow: I. Kamakawiwo‘ole

Rainy Days & Mondays:

Carpenters

Have You Ever Seen the Rain:

Creedence

Clearwater Revival

Class Management

I Know What You‘re Doin‘: Dion Farris

100 All: time TV Themes CD (class station rotation)

Sound Health Series CDs: www.adbancedbrain.com

Class Competitions

We are the Champions: Queen

Winner Takes it All: Abba

Rock and Roll Part 2: G. Glitter

We will Rock You: Queen

Glory Days: B. Springsteen

Game Shows & Jingles:

www.televisiontunes.com

Integrating Music into the Health Classroom LaCursia and Parker

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Table 3: Examples of General Use of Music in Teaching (continued)

Motivation/Relaxation Celebrations School/National Holidays/Events

Motivation

Eye of the Tiger: Survivor

Gonna Fly Now: B. Conti

Ain‘t No Mountain High Enough: D. Ross

The Climb: M. Cyrus

Let the River Run: C. Simon

Sirius: Alan Parsons Project

The Power: Snap!

The Impossible Dream: (Various artists)

2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics CD : (Various artists)

I‘m So Excited: Pointer Sisters

Relaxation/

Greatest Hits : Clannad

Orrinocho Flow: Enya

Destiny, Picture This: J. Brickman

General Celebrations

Celebrate: Three Dog Night

Celebration: Commodores

Good Times: Chic

Group cheer: ilovewavs.com

Birthdays

Happy Birthday: S. Wonder, P.

McCartney, B.

Crosby, (Various

artists)

Sixteen Candles: Crests

For He‘s a Jolly Good Fellow

(Various artists)

Graduation

Graduation Day: Beach Boys

These are the Good Old Days: C. Simon

Graduation Party Music CD: Hit

Crew

Don‘t Stop Thinking about Tomorrow,

Go Your Own Way:

Fleetwood Mac

For the First Time: K. Chesney

National Holidays/Events

Where Were You: A Jackson (9/11)This

Land is Your Land

(Various artists)

Hero: M.Carey

Coming to America: N. Diamond

4 th

of July Marches:

J.P. Sousa

Born in the USA: B. Springstein

Proud to be an American: L.

Greenwood

Already Home: T. McGraw

American Pie: D. McLean

Blowin‘ in the Wind: Peter, Paul & Mary

(Vietnam)

Abraham, Martin & John: Dion

(assassination)

School

Fight Songs: (Various artists)

Be True to Your School: Beach Boys

School Spirit: K. West

High School the Musical CD‘s: (Various Artists)

Sports & Novelty Themes: B. Morganstein Productions

College Fight Songs: www.amazon.com

Seasonal Holidays

Holiday: Madonna

Monster Mash, Thriller, Ghostbusters, Adams Family,

Spooky, Nightmare on

Elm St: Halloween Sounds CD

Thanksgiving Day: D. Henley

Jingle Bells, Sleigh Ride, Jingle Bell Rock,

Baby It‘s Cold Outside (Various

artists)

Valentine: J.Brickman & M.McBride,

My Funny Valentine (Various artists)

When Irish Eyes are Smiling, Oh Danny Boy (Various artists)

Making Healthier Choices to Combat Atherosclerosis Borders

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Making Healthier Choices To Combat Atherosclerosis

Mira Jane Borders, MST, MSN

Contact the author at 7510 Pinewood Road, Primm Springs, TN 38476. Email: [email protected]

Submitted December 12, 2010

Abstract

Regular exercise and a healthy diet help keep artery walls clear from plaque formations so that blood flows easily

throughout the body. Healthy arteries are important because plaque leads to several of the top causes of death in the

United States. 1-4

Objectives: Students engaged in this teaching activity will comprehend concepts related to health promotion and

demonstrate the ability to use interpersonal communication skills and decision-making skills to enhance health. 5

Target audience: Sixth- through eighth-grade students.

mailto:[email protected]

Making Healthier Choices to Combat Atherosclerosis Borders

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

INTRODUCTION

Given the convenience of eating ―fast food‖ and the

enjoyment that electronic devices have brought to

young people in the United States, it is not surprising

that the number of overweight children has tripled

over the last 30 years. 1

High-fat diets and sedentary

forms of entertainment in which many children

engage frequently lead to a variety of negative health

conditions. Without efforts to train students to

exercise regularly and to eat well balanced, low-fat

diets, plaque deposits begin to form at an accelerated

rate in the arteries. After time, these plaque

formations impede blood flow throughout the body.

When blood flow becomes blocked and organs are

deprived of oxygen, dangerous situations such as heart

attacks and strokes result. 2,3

OBJECTIVES

As a result of participating in this teaching activity,

students will meet several national standards (Figure

1) and students will:

participate in a hands-on activity that demonstrates the flow of blood through

arteries and thereby, comprehend concepts

related to health promotion. 5

present requested information related to unhealthy dietary or exercise behaviors and

thereby, demonstrate the ability to use

interpersonal communication skills to

enhance health. 5

complete a worksheet that provides solutions to unhealthy dietary or exercise behaviors

and thereby, demonstrate the ability to use

decision-making skills to enhance health. 5

TARGET AUDIENCE

This lesson was created for use with students in the

sixth- through eighth-grade and could be used to

reinforce instruction on the benefits of proper nutrition

and regular exercise.

MATERIALS AND RESOURCES

Correlation of objectives to national standards (Figure 1)

Anticipatory set for the lesson (Figure 2)

Pre-written unhealthy character scenario (Figure 3)

Plastic upright container similar to a 2 lb coffee canister

Four square bean bags no larger than 3 x 3 inches

Six clothes pin, clip-like kitchen magnets

Pre-written healthy character scenario (Figure 4)

Set of paired unhealthy behavior activity cards (captions in Figure 5)

Six sets of healthy solution activity cards (captions in Figure 6)

―Record-Keeping Data from Presentations‖ worksheet (Figure 7)

―Fighting Atherosclerosis‖ worksheet (Figure 8)

Example of corresponding answers for ―Record-Keeping Data & Fighting

Atherosclerosis‖ worksheet (Figure 9)

Assessment rubric (Figure 10)

Chalk and chalkboard

PROCEDURE

Before class begins, the instructor should:

1. Make activity cards from the captions provided in Figure 5 and Figure 6.

2. Make copies of worksheets for students‘ use. 3. Arrange the plastic canister, four bean bags,

and six clothes pin, clip-like kitchen magnets

for the demonstration activity.

To begin the lesson and complete the teaching idea,

the instructor should complete the following nine

activities:

1. Open the lesson with an anticipatory set (Figure 2).

2. Inform students that, before the completion of the lesson, they will be expected to

demonstrate mastery of each of the three

objectives established for this lesson.

3. Ask students to explain the meaning of the word atherosclerosis. Summarize thoughts

provided by students and clarify the meaning

of the word. Atherosclerosis is a condition

that occurs when fatty substances form

plaque deposits inside artery walls. Explain

that atherosclerosis makes it harder for the

Making Healthier Choices to Combat Atherosclerosis Borders

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

heart to pump blood throughout the body and

the increased work load for the heart often

leads to heart attacks. 2

Also, explain that

plaque deposits may break loose and travel to

cause a stroke. 3,4

4. Lead a discussion about three main types of childhood unhealthy physical behaviors, i.e.,

poor food choices, inactive lifestyle, and lack

of portion control of foods chosen. 6, 7

5. Explain to students how these childhood unhealthy behaviors contribute to the

formation of plaque in arteries. Help

students understand that although the damage

of atherosclerosis does not generally surface

until middle age, adults often have a harder

time switching to healthy eating patterns and

beginning a regular exercise routine if they

did not begin these habits in childhood. 8

User-friendly information about

atherosclerosis can be accessed on the

American Heart Association website. 9

6. Lead a discussion about six different solutions to prevent unhealthy dietary and

exercise habits. List these solutions on the

chalkboard. The six solutions to preventing

unhealthy habit formation include making

better beverage choices, eating more fruits

and vegetables, making healthy choices at

mealtime, controlling portion sizes, doing

activities that require movement, and getting

30 minutes of exercise daily. 6-10

7. After discussing solutions that can be used to prevent childhood unhealthy dietary and

exercise behaviors from becoming habits,

allow students to participate in a hands-on

activity using magnets, bean bags, and a

plastic canister to demonstrate the flow of

blood through arteries.

(a) Read the first scenario which involves a character, named Leah,

who has not been making healthy

decisions (Figure 3). Take the plastic

canister and set it upright on the

table. Six students should be handed

a clothes pin, clip-like kitchen

magnet. Each student with a magnet

will be instructed to state one of the

six healthy solutions that could be

implemented to assist Leah in

improving her health. Explain to

students that each magnet represents

an unhealthy dietary or exercise habit

that leads to plaque build-up. Select

six more students and instruct each to

cite a single example of an unhealthy

dietary or exercise behavior from the

scenario in which one stated solution

could help to correct. The student

reporting the unhealthy dietary or

exercise behavior will take the

magnet from the student who

supplied the healthy solution and will

place it just inside the top of the

canister. Ask students to determine

what the canister represents because

each magnet attached to it

exemplifies habits that lead to plaque

formations. Because plaque

formations impede blood flow

through the arteries, have students

consider what the bean bags passing

through the canister represent. After

confirming that the canister serves as

an artery and the bean bags serve as

red blood cells, select a student to

toss the bean bags into the canister.

After the demonstration, ask the

student who tossed the bean bags to

explain why it was difficult for the

―red blood cells‖ to pass through the

artery.

(b) Next, share with students a scenario about a boy, named Landon, who has

been making healthy dietary and

exercise decisions (Figure 4). The

instructor will take the canister and

replace any magnets that might have

become dislodged during the first

demonstration. Six more students

will be selected to reiterate each of

the six healthy dietary and exercise

solutions that prevent atherosclerosis

from occurring. A final group of six

students, who have not yet actively

participated, will be chosen to cite,

one by one, a single example of

healthy living that Landon

exemplified in the second scenario.

After reminding students that each

magnet represents an unhealthy

dietary or exercise behavior, ask each

student citing one of Landon‘s

healthy behaviors to remove a

magnet from the canister. The

Making Healthier Choices to Combat Atherosclerosis Borders

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

magnets can be removed from the

canister because Landon‘s healthy

dietary and exercise behaviors would

reduce plaque deposits from forming

at an accelerated rate during his

childhood years. Require each

student who removed a magnet to

restate the healthy behavior that

he/she identified and give it to the

student who reiterated a healthy

solution that this behavior would

reinforce. To complete the second

demonstration, a student should be

selected to toss the bean bags into the

canister, which is now free from

obstructions. After the bean bags are

tossed, ask the student to explain

why it was easy for the ―red blood

cells‖ to pass through.

8. Bring the discussion to a close by asking students to review the definition of

atherosclerosis, review the three categories of

unhealthy dietary and exercise behaviors, and

justify how each healthy solution helps to

prevent unhealthy dietary and exercise habits

from forming.

9. Students should be placed into six groups (approximately four students per

group). Afterward, the instructor will

distribute to each group a pair of activity

cards in which unhealthy dietary and exercise

behavior choices are presented

(Figure 5).

(a) Using the pair of unhealthy dietary and exercise behavior cards that

were presented to the group, group

members will be asked to determine

the category of unhealthy behavior

that the pair of cards represents.

The decision-making process

requires students to analyze the

assigned pair of activity cards.

Group members will come to a

consensus concerning the category

of unhealthy dietary or exercise

behavior that the pair of cards best

exemplifies. Once the decisions

have been made, groups will present

the result of their assignment to the

class. In each group, the first

student will read one example aloud;

the second student will read the

second example; the third student

will report the category of unhealthy

dietary or exercise behavior that the

group selected; and the fourth

student will justify the unhealthy

dietary or exercise behavior that the

group selected.

(b) Each student will be given a ―Record-Keeping Data from

Presentations‖

worksheet (Figure 7). After

listening to each group‘s

presentation, students will record the

information reported on the record-

keeping sheet. After students have

completed all reported information,

a second handout, ―Fighting

Atherosclerosis‖ worksheet (Figure

8), should be aligned side by side

with the first worksheet (Figure 7).

six healthy solutions that prevent

unhealthy dietary and exercise habit

formation are exemplified (Figure

6). Students will work with their

group members to select an

appropriate solution to correct each

pair of unhealthy

behaviors as well as an alternate

solution that could prevent these

unhealthy behaviors from becoming

habits. The decision-making

process requires students to

determine whether the group‘s pair

of unhealthy behavior cards

represents a dietary or an exercise

concern. Students should then sort

the six healthy solution cards into

two groups such that dietary

solutions and exercise solutions are

separated. From the appropriate set

of solutions, group members will

discuss and evaluate which healthy

solution would be the most

beneficial to apply. After the solution deemed most beneficial is

recorded on the ―Fighting

Atherosclerosis‖ worksheet (Figure

8), remaining solutions will be

evaluated to determine another

healthy alternative that could be

Making Healthier Choices to Combat Atherosclerosis Borders

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

applied to improve the pair of

unhealthy behaviors under scrutiny.

An example of corresponding

answers to the ―Record-Keeping

Data and Fighting Atherosclerosis‖

worksheet is provided (Figure 9).

ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUE

Three opportunities for active participation are

available during this teaching idea. The first

opportunity for assessment occurs during the hands-on

demonstration when students identify healthy

alternatives that either improve unhealthy dietary or

exercise behaviors or reinforce healthy dietary and

exercise practices. During the presentation activity,

students have a second opportunity to be assessed as

they verbally present information about unhealthy

dietary or exercise behaviors that they have

categorized. Students have a final opportunity to be

assessed as they use decision-making skills to select

healthy alternatives that improve unhealthy dietary

and exercise practices.

Points will be assigned for each opportunity for active

participation. As instructions are provided for each

segment of the teaching idea, students should receive

a clear explanation of the scoring criteria for each

activity. Such a detailed explanation of the scoring

criteria for each activity helps students form clear

expectations about what they need to accomplish in

order to master the objectives of the lesson.

During the hands-on demonstration, a score of 3

indicates that the healthy solution identified is directly

correlated to the unhealthy dietary or exercise

behavior that it improves or the healthy practice that it

reinforces. Two points indicate that the student

selected a healthy solution that is indirectly correlated

to the dietary or exercise behavior. This solution will

provide some benefit, but will not allow for as much

improvement as other options. One point indicates

that the student participated in the demonstration, but

the healthy solution he/she selected does not correlate

to the unhealthy dietary or exercise behavior under

scrutiny.

During the verbal presentation activity, a score of 3

indicates that the unhealthy dietary or exercise

behavior is communicated in a clear and organized

manner. Two points indicate that the information

communicated about the unhealthy dietary or exercise

behavior is not well organized, yet the message can

still be deciphered by the audience. One point

indicates that the student participated in the

presentation, but the information he/she presented

about the unhealthy dietary or exercise behaviors is

unclear and unorganized.

During the completion of the application worksheet

activity, a score of 3 indicates that the student chose a

healthy solution that directly corresponds to the

category of unhealthy dietary or exercise behavior to

which it is applied. Two points indicate that the

healthy solution chosen by the student might provide

some benefit, though it only corresponds indirectly to

the category of unhealthy dietary or exercise behavior

to which it is applied. One point indicates that the

student participated in the worksheet activity, but

he/she either failed to complete the entire worksheet

or he/she completed the worksheet but the healthy

decisions chosen do not correspond to the unhealthy

dietary or exercise behaviors under consideration.

A total score of greater than or equal to 7 points for all

three opportunities for active participation

demonstrates that the student has mastered the

objectives of this teaching idea. The lesson should be

considered successful if 75% of the participants

receive a total score that equals or exceeds 7 points.

An assessment rubric (Figure 10) for this teaching

idea may be used to evaluate level of mastery for each

student.

Making Healthier Choices to Combat Atherosclerosis Borders

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

REFERENCES

1. Koplan, JP, Liverman CT, Kraak, VI. Preventing childhood obesity. Issues Sci Technol. 2005; 21 (3):

57-63.

2. Mackenzie JR. Predicting CAD events. Nurse Prac. 2004; 29 (6): 14-22.

3. Alberts MJ, Easton JD. Stroke best practices: A team approach to evidence-based care. J Natl Med

Assoc. 2004; 96 (4): 5-14.

4. Sadovsky R. Preventing plaque rupture: New clinical strategies. Am Fam Physician. 2003; 67(6):

1362-1364

5. Joint Committee on National Health Education Standards. National Health Education Standards:

Achieving Excellence, 2 nd

ed. Atlanta, GA:

American Cancer Society; 2007.

6. Budd GM, Volpe, SL. School-based obesity prevention: Research, challenges, and

recommendations. J Sch Health. 2006; 76: 485-

491.

7. De-Santis-Moniaci D, Altshuler L. Comprehensive behavioral treatment of

overweight and the pediatric practice. Pediatr Ann.

2007; 36: 102-108.

8. McInnis KJ, Franklin BA, Rippe JM. Information from your family doctor:

Physical activity for healthy weight. Am Fam

Physician. 2003; 67(6): 1266-1269.

9. American Heart Association. Atherosclerosis. Available at:

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identif

ier=4440. Accessed September 4, 2010.

10. Nihiser AJ, Lee SM, Wechsler H, McKenna M, Odom E, Reinold C,

Thompson D, Grummer-Strawn L. Body mass index

measurement in schools. J Sch Health. 2007;

77(10): 651-672.

Making Healthier Choices to Combat Atherosclerosis Borders

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Figure 1. Correlation of Objectives to National Standards 5

National Health Education Standards:

Standard 1, grade performance indicators 6 and 8

Standard 4, grade performance indicators 1 and 3

Standard 5, grade performance indicators 2 and 6

Figure 2. Anticipatory Set for Reducing Atherosclerosis Lesson

Have you ever gotten out of the shower and noticed that it seems to be taking forever for the water to drain

out of the bathtub? What is your first thought? Is it, ―Oh, no! The pipes are clogged?‖ When the water

has trouble draining, that is a sign that clogging of the pipes has not been prevented and some form of

intervention will be necessary to reverse the situation.

This scenario of dealing with clogged pipes in the bathtub is similar to the situation of dealing with

clogged arteries in the body. Either precautions need to be taken to prevent arteries from becoming

blocked at an accelerated rate or, left unchecked, interventions will have to be made later to keep the body

functioning. Healthy childhood dietary and exercise practices help to keep arteries strong, with plaque

deposit formations at a minimal level. Establishing healthy dietary and exercise habits during childhood

and adolescent years reduces the need to prematurely ―unclog your pipes‖ through surgery later in life.

Making Healthier Choices to Combat Atherosclerosis Borders

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Figure 3. Unhealthy Character Scenario

Figure 4. Healthy Character Scenario

Landon is an active fellow. Before he leaves home in the mornings, he has a bowl of unsweetened cereal with some

fruit and milk. At recess, he burns off some excess energy by participating in a game of kickball. By the time lunch

rolls around, he pulls out his packed lunch. Inside he finds two sandwich halves, an apple, some yogurt, and a bottle

of water. He returns to class feeling refreshed and ready to concentrate again. After school, his mom takes him to

soccer practice. Though he may never be an all-star, he enjoys exercising and socializing with his friends. When he

gets home, he eats a serving of baked chicken, steamed vegetables, boiled potatoes, and a whole wheat roll. After

working on some math problems and studying for a spelling test, he completes his evening chore of taking the dog

for a brief walk. Then he grabs a bottle of water and enjoys a 30 minute TV program before taking a shower and

going to bed.

Leah likes to stay inside and chit chat on the phone with her friends when she gets home from school. She

has no chores assigned to her, and she typically gets all her homework completed at school. Leah looks

forward to grabbing a big bag of cookies and a tumbler full of her favorite soft drink while she watches

several of her favorite TV programs. When she‘s polished off the family sized bag of cookies and her

huge soft drink, she grabs her favorite video game to play. She enjoys competition, though the greatest

amount of exercise she gets is using her thumbs to press buttons on the game controller. For dinner, she

cooks herself a pizza. She then refills her tumbler with sweet tea, grabs the entire pizza and heads upstairs

to listen to music. Feeling quite stuffed, she goes to the computer to look at pictures her friends have

posted on various sites. After that, she gets bored so she goes downstairs, grabs a candy bar and munches

on it. The sweet taste leaves her craving something salty, so she munches a bowl of chips. Then, she is

thirsty, so she drinks another soft drink. She now feels too tired to climb the stairs, so she throws herself

on the couch and falls asleep while watching TV.

Making Healthier Choices to Combat Atherosclerosis Borders

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Figure 5. Captions for Unhealthy Behavior Activity Card Pairs

Choosing fried fast food

Choosing cake and cookies

Choosing candy bars and chips

Drinking soft drinks frequently

Eating super size portions

Eating from family size bag

Eating to overcome boredom

Eating while watching TV

Watching long periods of TV

frequently

Playing video games frequently

Talking on a phone frequently

Resting and listening to music

Making Healthier Choices to Combat Atherosclerosis Borders

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Figure 6. Healthy Solution Activity Card Captions

Making better beverage choices

Eating more fruits and vegetables

Choosing healthy foods at mealtime

Controlling portion sizes

Doing Activities that require movement

Getting 30 minutes of exercise daily

Making Healthier Choices to Combat Atherosclerosis Borders

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Figure 7. Record-Keeping Data from Presentations

„

Unhealthy Dietary

or Exercise Behaviors

Corresponding Category

of Unhealthy Dietary

or Exercise Behavior

Making Healthier Choices to Combat Atherosclerosis Borders

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Figure 8. Fighting Atherosclerosis Worksheet

Solution to Prevent

Unhealthy Dietary

or Exercise Habit

Another Healthy

Solution That Could

Have Been Applied

Making Healthier Choices to Combat Atherosclerosis Borders

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Figure 9. Record-Keeping Data & Fighting Atherosclerosis Worksheet

Example of Corresponding Answers

CRITERIA

Proficient

(Responses show a

direct correlation)

Not Fully Proficient

(Responses show an

indirect correlation)

Not Proficient

(Responses show no

correlation, but

indicate that student

participated)

Totals Column

Total Points

Earned for

Teaching Idea

_______

NHES #1

Comprehend

Concepts

(Participation in

Demonstration)

* Healthy dietary or

exercise behavior

identified is directly

correlated to practices

that need to be

continued

*Healthy dietary or

exercise behavior

identified is directly

correlated to practices

that need improvement

*Healthy dietary or

exercise behavior

identified is indirectly

correlated to practices

that need to be

continued

* Healthy dietary or

exercise behavior

identified is indirectly

correlated to practices

that need improvement

* Healthy dietary or

exercise behavior

identified has no

correlation to practices

that need to be

continued

* Healthy dietary or

exercise behavior

identified has no

correlation to practices

that need improvement

Points Earned for

NHES #1

______

NHES #4

Interpersonal

Communication

(Class Presentation)

* Information related

to categorization of

unhealthy dietary or

exercise behavior is

clearly presented

* Information related

to categorization of

unhealthy dietary or

exercise behavior is

communicated in a

well organized manner

* Information related to

categorization of

unhealthy dietary or

exercise behavior is not

clearly presented, but

can be deciphered

* Information related to

categorization of

unhealthy dietary or

exercise behavior is not

communicated in a well

organized manner

* Information related

to categorization of

unhealthy dietary or

exercise behavior is

not clearly presented

* Information related

to categorization of

unhealthy dietary or

exercise behavior is

not communicated in a

well organized manner

Points Earned for

NHES #4

______

NHES #5

Decision-Making

(Completion of

Worksheet)

* Complete written

responses are provided

for each healthy

solution box on the

application worksheet

* Healthy solutions

provided on the

worksheet directly

correspond to the

unhealthy dietary or

exercise behaviors that

need improvement

* Complete written

responses are provided

for each healthy

solution box on the

application worksheet

* Healthy solutions

provided on the

worksheet indirectly

correspond to the

unhealthy dietary or

exercise behaviors that

need improvement

* Incomplete written

responses are provided

for the healthy

solution boxes on the

application worksheet

* Healthy solutions

provided on the

worksheet do not

correspond to the

unhealthy dietary or

exercise behaviors that

need improvement

Points Earned for

NHES #5

______

Using Student Response Systems Technology Hall and West

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Using Student Response Systems Technology to Correct Teens‟

Misperceptions about the Prevalence of Risky Sexual Activities

Among Their Peers

P. Cougar Hall, PhD; and Joshua H. West, PhD, MPH

Authors are affiliated with the Brigham Young University. Contact P. Cougar Hall at Richards Building 229-E ,

Provo, UT 84062. Email: [email protected]. Contact Joshua H. West at Richards Building, 229-D, Provo, UT

84062.

Submitted October 28, 2010

Abstract

Teaching ideas aimed at correcting teens‘ misperceptions related to the prevalence of risky behaviors is an effective

health education approach.

Objectives: This teaching idea will allow students to compare their perceptions of teen sexual activity rates, trends,

and attitudes with valid research reports of sexual activity rates, trends, and attitudes; access valid research reports in

determining actual teen sexual activity rates, trends, and attitudes; and hypothesize how correcting misperceptions of

normative teen sexual activity may impact teens‘ attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors.

Target Audience: This activity is designed for students in grades 9-12.

mailto:[email protected]

Using Student Response Systems Technology Hall and West

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

INTRODUCTION

Reports indicate that adolescents largely

overestimate the risky behavior of their peers,

including alcohol use and sexual behavior. 1,2

Such

misperceptions may stem from family, peer,

cultural, and media related factors, and they can be

powerful determinants of risky adolescent behavior.

Narrowing students‘ misperception gap through

normative education approaches, or teaching

strategies designed to correct exaggerated

perceptions of risky peer behavior, have shown

promise. 3,4

The 14 Characteristics of Effective

Health Education Curricula identified by the

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,

Division of Adolescent and School Health (CDC-

DASH) promote teaching ideas designed to address,

―individual values and group norms that support

health–enhancing behaviors,‖ 5(p.13)

which have

been found to ―positively influence student health

practices and behaviors.‖ 5(p.13)

CDC-DASH note

effective health education ―instructional strategies

and learning experiences help students accurately

assess the level of risk–taking behavior among their

peers, correct misperceptions of peer and social

norms, and reinforce health-enhancing attitudes and

beliefs.‖ 5(p.13)

National, state, and local data set

reports, which reveal adolescent health behaviors,

provide a helpful tool for health educators in

correcting student misperceptions. 6,7,8,9

particular, health educators can use longitudinal

data sets to reveal adolescent behavioral trends,

including risky sexual activities, over time.

Increased access to technology in many classrooms

provides health educators greater opportunities to

expose and correct misperceptions regarding

adolescent sexual risk behavior while promoting and

reinforcing health-enhancing behaviors. Student

response systems (SRS) or ―clickers‖ (e.g., iclicker®,

irespond®) are one such technology helpful in

quickly collecting and revealing student‘s

perceptions. SRS are handheld devices that students

use to respond to teacher prompts (e.g., questions).

SRS communicate directly with a receiver that

interfaces easily with Microsoft PowerPoint® or a

similar program. Teachers can initiate data collection

intervals using a teacher version response pad, akin to

a remote, and can terminate the interval once all

students have responded. Once students have

responded to the prompt, the teacher immediately can

display an aggregate of students‘ responses in graph

format allowing the class to see the results and thus

providing individual students an opportunity to

compare their perceptions to those of the class. SRS

software captures an image of the teacher‘s computer

screen to match the students‘ responses to each

individual question, which can be accessed later if

desired.

OBJECTIVES

After engaging in this teaching strategy, students will

be able to do the following:

1. Compare and contrast their perception of teen sexual activity rates, trends, and

attitudes with actual teen sexual activity

rates, trends, and attitudes.

2. Access valid research reports in determining actual teen sexual activity rates, trends, and

attitudes.

3. Hypothesize how correcting peer misperceptions of normative teen sexual

activity may impact teens‘ attitudes, beliefs,

and behaviors related to sexual activity.

These objectives correspond with the

following National Health Education

Standards (NHES) and performance

indicators:

NHES # 2 – Students will analyze the influence of family, peers, culture, media,

technology, and other factors on health

behaviors.

Performance Indicator 2.12.7 – Analyze

how the perceptions of norms influence

healthy and unhealthy behaviors.

NHES # 3 – Students will demonstrate the ability to access valid information, products,

and services to enhance health.

Performance Indicator 3.12.2 – Use

resources from home, school, and

community that provide valid health

information.

MATERIALS AND RESOURCES

For each student, the following are needed:

Student response pad

Computer, projector, screen

PowerPoint presentation with questions related to teen sexual activity rates, trends,

and attitudes (Figure 1)

Using Student Response Systems Technology Hall and West

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

―SRS scoring sheet‖ (Figure 2)

Paper copies or internet access to the following:

o 2009 YRBS (http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/ss/s

s5905.pdf),

o National Trends in Risk Behaviors Fact Sheets

(http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/

yrbs/trends.htm),

o 2010 Guttmacher Institute U.S. Teenage Pregnancies, Births and

Abortions

(http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/U

STPtrends.pdf),

o 2007 With One Voice (http://www.thenationalcampaign.or

g/resources/pdf/pubs/WOV2007_ful

ltext.pdf)

o The National Survey of Family Growth 2006-2008

(http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nsfg.htm)

―Misperception Gap Sentence Completion‖ (Figure 3) activity sheet

TARGET AUDIENCE

This activity is designed for grades 9-12, but it may

be adapted for college students.

PROCEDURE

The following steps are required to complete this 60-

to 80-minute teaching strategy:

1. Students will be provided an individual SRS and, if unfamiliar with this technology, they

will be provided some practice with it.

2. Students are shown a PowerPoint presentation consisting of questions

regarding adolescent sexual activity. Each

slide will contain one question with either

five possible answers listed as options A, B,

C, D, and E, or two possible answers

(True/False) listed as options A or B. School,

community, and cultural factors should

guide the construction of the specific

questions asked to students. As a general

example, Figure 1 contains 12 questions

designed to measure students‘ perceptions of

national sexual activity rates, trends, and

attitudes for a for a 10 th

grade class. Rates,

trends, and attitudes are each measured by

four questions.

3. The teacher carefully reads each question and initiates the polling period giving

students time to individually select their

answer using the SRS. Then students should

mark their individual answer on their

scoring sheet. No class discussion should

occur among students while answering each

question. The teacher should encourage

students to do their best while noting that

answers will not impact their grade and that

the specific content of each question is not

the focal point of the learning activity.

4. After all students have answered, the teacher will display the results showing the number

and percentage of students selecting each

answer. Individual student answers cannot

be identified by the class of students.

5. Students will record the collection of all students‘ answers using the ―SRS Scoring

Sheet‖ before moving on to the next

question.

6. The teacher should avoid commenting on student results in a way that will indicate the

accuracy of student responses.

7. After students have answered all questions, the teacher should introduce each of the

available research reports and discuss with

students the benefit of utilizing such reports

in accessing valid health information. A

brief discussion regarding the method (i.e.,

sample size and data collection) employed

by researchers producing the report is

appropriate as students may question the validity of data. If computer access is

available for individual students, students

can access each of the reports online. Hard

copies of each report also can be provided

for students to use in class. Students can

work together in groups to minimize the

number of copies that are required.

8. Students are given time to use each research report to find and record the correct answer

for the 12 questions presented in the far right

column of their ―SRS Scoring Sheet.‖ If the

instructor desires, students can be paired

together to complete this portion of the

activity.

9. After students have had a chance to search the reports, the teacher and students will

discuss each answer. Note: The correct

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/ss/ss5905.pdf

http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/yrbs/trends.htm

http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/USTPtrends.pdf

http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/resources/pdf/pubs/WOV2007_fulltext.pdf

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nsfg.htm

Using Student Response Systems Technology Hall and West

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

answers to the questions found in Figure 1

are provided for the reader of this paper;

however, these answers are not included in

the PowerPoint presentation.

10. The teacher will highlight any misperceptions that the compilation of

students held as each question and answer is

reviewed.

11. Next, students should work independently on the ―Misperception Gap Sentence

Completion‖ activity and submit it to the

teacher once completed.

12. Based upon student responses to the ―Misperception Gap Sentence Completion‖

activity, the teacher should prepare to talk

with students about the potential impact that

a sexual risk behavior misperception could

have on decision-making and healthy

behaviors specific to sexual activity. The

teacher might anonymously share several

student responses to this activity that help to

highlight the health promoting benefits of

narrowing the misperception. A brief

discussion of pluralistic ignorance, false

uniqueness, and the spiral of silence is an

appropriate conclusion to this teaching idea.

Pluralistic ignorance occurs when a majority of individuals falsely

assume that most of their peers

behave or think differently from

them, when their attitudes and

behaviors are similar. For example,

pluralistic ignorance may lead a

student to engage in a risky sexual

behavior without a condom because

the student erroneously believes

that peers engage in similar risks.

False uniqueness occurs when individuals who are in the minority

assume that the difference between

themselves and others is greater

than is the case. False uniqueness

may occur among students

choosing to abstain from risky

sexual behaviors and who

underestimate the number of their

peers who are making a similar

decision, thus falsely assuming that

they are more unique than they are.

Both pluralistic ignorance and false uniqueness can lead to a spiral of

silence. A spiral of silence occurs

when students, for example,

become less willing to share an

opinion when they believe that they

are in the minority and could

potentially suffer rejection or social

isolation based on their attitudes

and behaviors.

Special Note: Teachers who do not have access

to SRS technology may modify this teaching

idea by giving students a paper copy of the

questions found in Figure 1 and scoring the

results by hand. Then, the results could be shared

later with students allowing the remainder of the

teaching idea to continue as outlined above.

ASSESMENT TECHNIQUE

This teaching idea was designed to meet three

learning objectives related to NHES 2 and 3. The

following techniques can be used to assess student

learning on each objective:

1. The first objective is aimed at helping students compare and contrast their

perception of teen sexual activity with actual

rates, trends, and attitudes of teen sexual

activity. Achieving this learning objective is

facilitated by the use of the SRS and can be

assessed using the ―SRS Scoring Sheet‖

where students will indicate if they have

overestimated, underestimated, or accurately

estimated actual rates, trends, and attitudes.

2. The second objective was designed to help students access valid research reports in

determining actual sexual activity rates,

trends, and attitudes. This objective is

measured formatively through teacher

observation as students reference national,

state, and local data sets during the learning

activity. The teacher can complete a

summative assessment of this objective by

requiring students to check the ―Actual

Value‖ column of the ―SRS Scoring Sheet‖

for accuracy during the class discussion

described in procedure # 9. The teacher may

choose to award points for using the valid

research reports to correctly identify each

actual value.

3. The third learning objective focused on challenging students to consider how

correcting misperceptions of normative teen

Using Student Response Systems Technology Hall and West

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

sexual activity may impact teens‘ attitudes,

beliefs, and behaviors. This objective can be

measured by requiring students to submit the

―Misperception Gap Sentence Completion‖

(Figure 3) activity where they state their

personal hypothesis regarding the impact of

narrowing the misperception gap. Provided

the objective nature of students‘ personal

hypotheses, this assignment is graded

pass/fail based upon completion of the

assignment.

Using Student Response Systems Technology Hall and West

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

References

1. Berkowitz AD. The social norms approach: Theory, research, and annotated

bibliography. 2004. Available at:

http://www.alanberkowitz.com/articles/socia

l_norms.pdf. Accessed June 8, 2010.

2. Lewis MA, Lee CM, Patrick ME, Fossos N. Gender-specific normative misperceptions

of risky sexual behavior and alcohol-related

risky sexual behavior. Sex Roles.

2007;57:81-90.

3. Hansen WB, Graham JW. Preventing alcohol, marijuana, and cigarette use among

adolescents: Peer pressure resistance

training versus establishing conservative

norms. Prev Med. 1991;20: 414-430.

4. Sussman S, Earleywine M, Wills T, Cody C, Biglan T, Dent CW, Newcomb MD. The

motivation, skills and decision-making

model of ''drug abuse'' prevention. Subst Use

Misuse. 2004;39(10-12): 1971-2016.

5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Adolescent and School Health.

14 characteristics of effective health

education curricula. Available at:

http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/SHER/ch

aracteristics/index.htm. Accessed on

September 8, 2010.

6. Joint Committee on National Health Education Standards. National Health

Education Standards: Achieving Excellence.

2 nd

ed. Atlanta, GA: American Cancer

Society; 2007;1-122.

7. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance – United

States, 2009. MMWR 2010;59(No.SS-5).

8. Abma JC, Martinez GM, Copen CE. Teenagers in the United States: Sexual

activity, contraceptive use, and childbearing,

National Survey of Family Growth 2006-

2008. National Center for Health Statistics.

Vital Health Stat 23(30). 2010.

9. Kost K, Henshaw S, Carlin, L. U.S. teenage pregnancies, births and abortions: National

and state trends and trends by race and

ethnicity, 2010, Available at:

http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/USTPtrend

s.pdf. Accessed on June 8, 2010.

10. Albert B. With one voice: America‘s adults and teens sound off about teen pregnancy.

Washington, DC: National Campaign to

Prevent Teen Pregnancy. 2007. Available at:

http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/nationa

l-data/2007-polling-data.aspx. Accessed on

June 8, 2010.

Using Student Response Systems Technology Hall and West

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Figure 1: Questions for a 10 th

grade health education class with answers provided. A. Approximately what percentage of 10

grade students nationwide has ever had sexual intercourse? A. 20% B. 30% C. 40% D. 50% E. 60% Correct answer: C. According to 2009 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) data, 40.9% of 10

grade students has ever had sexual intercourse. B. Approximately what percentage of 10

grade high school students is currently sexually active (have had sexual intercourse in the past three months)? A. 20% B. 30% C. 40% D. 50% E. 60% Correct answer: B. According to 2009 YRBS data, 29.1% of 10

th grade high school students

is currently sexually active. C. Approximately what percentage of 10

grade high school students has had sexual intercourse with four or more persons? A. 10% B. 20% C. 30% D. 40% E. 50% Correct answer: A. According to 2009 YRBS data, 11.7% of 10

th grade high school students

has had sexual intercourse with four or more persons.

D. Approximately what percentage of Sexually active 10

th grade males used a condom at last

sexual intercourse? A. 40% B. 50% C. 60% D. 70% E. 80%

Correct answer: D. According to 2009 YRBS data, 71.9% of sexually active 10

th grade males used a

condom at last sexual intercourse.

E. Over the past two decades, the percentage of 10

th grade students nationwide who has ever had

sexual intercourse has: A. increased B. not changed C. decreased

Correct answer: C. According to 2009 YRBS data, the percentage of 10

th grade students nation-wide who

has ever had sexual intercourse decreased from 48.2% in 1991, to 40.9% in 2009. F. Over the past two decades, the Percentage of 10

th grade males who used a condom during last

sexual intercourse has: A. increased B. not changed C. decreased

Correct answer: A. According to 2009 YRBS data, the percentage of 10

th grade males who used a condom

during last sexual intercourse increased from 56.9% in 1991 to 71.9% in 2009. G. Over the past two decades the percentage of 10

th grade students who are currently sexually active

has: A. increased B. not changed C. decreased

Using Student Response Systems Technology Hall and West

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Correct answer: C. According to 2009 YRBS data, the percentage of 10

th grade students who

are currently sexually active decreased from 33.2% in 1991 to 29.1% in 2009.

H. Over the past two decades the teen pregnancy rate has:

A. increased. B. not changed. C. decreased.

Correct answer: C. According to the 2010 Guttmacher Institute, the teen pregnancy rate has decreased from 117 per 1,000 females in 1990 to 71.5 per 1,000 females in 2006.

I. Approximately what percentage of teen girls thinks it is all right for 10

th graders to have

sexual relations if they have strong affection for each other?

A. Less than 30% B. 30% C. 50% D. 70% E. More than 70%

Correct answer: A. According to the National Survey of Family Growth 2006-2008 (NSFG), 28.1% of females age 15-19 strongly agree or agree that it is all right for unmarried 16 year olds to have sexual relations if they have strong affection for each other.

J. Approximately what percentage of teens thinks that it is embarrassing to say they are a virgin?

A. 10% B. 25% C. 40% D. 55% E. 70%

Correct answer: B. According to the 2007 With One Voice survey, 75% of teens do not think that it is embarrassing to say they are a virgin. K. Approximately what percentage of teens who have had sex wish they had waited longer?

A. 10% B. 15% C. 30% D. 60% E. 90%

Correct answer: D. According to the 2007 With One Voice survey, 60% of teens that have had sex wish they had waited longer. L. Approximately what percent of teens say they share their parent(’s)’ values about sex?

A. 35% B. 45% C. 55% D. 65% E. 75%

Correct answer: D. According to the 2007 With One Voice survey, 64% of teens say they share their parent’s values about sex.

Using Student Response Systems Technology Hall and West

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Figure 2: Student Response System Scoring Sheet

Name__________________________________________ Date__________________________ Directions: First, circle your response to each question in the “My Response” column. Next, record the percentage for each response category from the class in the middle column, and then the actual value. Finally, with the aid of the research reports provided, circle the actual value in the “Actual Value” column.

Question My Response Class Response Class

Response % Actual Value

1. Approximately what percentage of

10 th

grade students nationwide has

ever had sexual intercourse?

A. 20% B. 30% C. 40% D. 50% E. 60%

Results (Circle the best option): Did I _________? Overestimate/Underestimate/Estimate Accurate

Did the class _________? Overestimate/Underestimate/Estimate

Accurate

2. Approximately what percentage of

10 th

grade high school students is

currently sexually active (have had

sexual intercourse in the past three

months)?

A. 20% B. 30% C. 40% D. 50% E. 60%

Results (Circle the best option): Did I _________? Overestimate/Underestimate/Estimate Accurate

Did the class _________? Overestimate/Underestimate/Estimate

Accurate

3. Approximately what percentage of

10 th

grade high school students has

had sexual intercourse with four or

more persons?

A. 10% B. 20% C. 30% D. 40% E. 50%

Results (Circle the best option): Did I _________? Overestimate/Underestimate/Estimate Accurate

Did the class _________? Overestimate/Underestimate/Estimate

Accurate

4. Approximately what percentage of

sexually active 10 th

grade males used a

condom at last sexual intercourse?

A. 10% B. 20% C. 30% D. 40% E. 50%

Results (Circle the best option): Did I _________? Overestimate/Underestimate/Estimate Accurate

Did the class _________? Overestimate/Underestimate/Estimate

Accurate

Using Student Response Systems Technology Hall and West

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

5. Over the past two decades the

percentage of 10 th

grade students that

has ever had sexual intercourse has...

A. increased B. not changed C. decreased

A. increased B. not

changed C. decreased

A. increased B. not

changed C. decreased

Results (Circle the best option) Did I _________? Overestimate/Underestimate/Estimate Accurate

Did the class _________? Overestimate/Underestimate/Estimate

Accurate

6. Over the past two decades the

percentage of 10 th

grade males who

used a condom during last sexual

intercourse has...

A. increased B. not changed C. decreased

A. increased B. not

changed C. decreased

A. increased B. not

changed C. decreased

Results (Circle the best option) Did I _________? Overestimate/Underestimate/Estimate Accurate

Did the class _________? Overestimate/Underestimate/Estimate

Accurate

7. Over the past two decades the

percentage of 10 th

grade students who

are currently sexually active has…

A. increased B. not changed C. decreased

A. increased B. not

changed C. decreased

A. increased B. not

changed C. decreased

Results (Circle the best option) Did I _________? Overestimate/Underestimate/Estimate Accurate

Did the class _________? Overestimate/Underestimate/Estimate

Accurate

8. Over the past two decades the teen

pregnancy rate has…

A. increased B. not changed C. decreased

A. increased B. not

changed C. decreased

A. increased B. not

changed C. decreased

Results (Circle the best

option)

Did I _________? Overestimate/Underestimate/Estimate Accurate

Did the class _________? Overestimate/Underestimate/Estimate Accurate

9. Approximately what percentage

of teen girls think it is all right for

10 th

graders to have sexual

relations if they have strong

affection for each other?

A. Less than 30% B. 30% C. 50% D. 70% E. More than 70%

A. Less than 30%

B. 30% C. 50% D. 70% E. More than

70%

A. Less than 30% B. 30% C. 50% D. 70% E. More than

70%

Results (Circle the best

option):

Did I _________? Overestimate/Underestimate/Estimate Accurate

Did the class _________? Overestimate/Underestimate/Estimate Accurate

Using Student Response Systems Technology Hall and West

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

10. Approximately what percentage of

teens thinks that it is embarrassing to

say they are a virgin?

A. 10% B. 25% C. 40% D. 55% E. 70%

Results (Circle the best option): Did I _________? Overestimate/Underestimate/Estimate Accurate

Did the class _________? Overestimate/Underestimate/Estimate

Accurate

11. Approximately what percentage of

teens who have had sex wish they had

waited longer?

A. 10% B. 15% C. 30% D. 60% E. 90%

Results (Circle the best option): Did I _________? Overestimate/Underestimate/Estimate Accurate

Did the class _________? Overestimate/Underestimate/Estimate

Accurate

12. Approximately what percent of

teens say they share their parent(’s)’

values about sex?

A. 35% B. 45% C. 55% D. 65% E. 75%

A. 20% B. 30% C. 40% D. 50% E. 60%

Results (Circle the best option): Did I _________? Overestimate/Underestimate/Estimate Accurate

Did the class _________? Overestimate/Underestimate/Estimate

Accurate

Using Student Response Systems Technology Hall and West

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Figure 3: Misperception Gap Sentence Completion Activity Name ______________________________ Date _______________________________ Misperception Gap Sentence Completion

Directions: Complete the following sentences below to indicate how you believe narrowing the misperception between perceived and actual norms may impact the sexual activity decision-making of your peers. 1. If teens knew the majority of their peers have

not had sexual intercourse, then… _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _____________________

2. If teens knew the percentage of their peers who have sexual intercourse continues to decline, then… _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _____________________

3. If teens knew the percentage of sexually active teens who have had several sexual partners continues to decline, then… _______________________________________

_______________________________________

________________________

4. If teens knew the percentage of sexually active teens who use condoms continues to increase, then… _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _____________________

5. If teens knew the teen pregnancy rate has dropped dramatically during the past two decades, then… _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _____________________

6. If teens knew that 3 out of 4 of their peers are not embarrassed to be virgin then………… _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ ________________________

7. If teens knew the majority of their peers who have had sex wish they had waited longer, then… _______________________________________

_______________________________________

________________________

Crisis Communication: A Class Icebreaker Melancon et al.

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Crisis Communication: A Class Icebreaker Jim Melancon, PhD, MBA

1 ; Jody Terrell, PhD

2 , Matt Hutchins, PhD

3 Authors

1,3 are

affiliated with Indiana State University. Author

2 is affiliated with Texas Woman‘s College. Contact

the authors 1,3

at 401 N 4th Street, Arena B-83, Terre Haute, IN 47809. Email: [email protected]. Contact

Jody Terrell, PhD, PO Box, TX 425499.

Submitted September 7, 2010

Abstract

Objectives: At the end of this learning activity, students will be able to: (1) explain the benefits of remaining calm

during an emergency situation, (2) identify communication barriers experienced during an emergency, and (3)

discuss factors leading to misinformation when more than one person talks at the same time.

Target Audience: This activity is appropriate for students in grades 6-12 and those enrolled in undergraduate health

courses. The total time for this activity is approximately 20 minutes.

Crisis Communication: A Class Icebreaker Melancon et al.

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

INTRODUCTION

Often times, emergency situations are unique

opportunities to reveal the effects of

miscommunication. How one reacts in emergency

situations has a direct impact on the survival of the

people involved. 1 Practical skills for helping others in

emergency situations are commonly taught in safety

and emergency preparedness modules of personal

health and wellness courses. One such skill in these

modules/courses involves knowing how and what

information to communicate with first responders

during an emergency. Accurate communication

between 911 operators and callers can make the

difference in preserving life and limb. 2 To

successfully communicate to 911 operators during

stressful times, keeping calm is challenging and

necessary. All too frequently, due to emotions and

outside distractions, these initial communications are

fraught with misinformation, resulting in inaccurate

assessments and potentially delayed emergency care. 3

In emergency situations, knowing how and what to

communicate is typically as essential as properly

administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)

and maintaining an open airway.

The following classroom activity is intended as a

short icebreaker and, as such, provides an excellent

segue to a lesson on communication skills during

crisis situations. By simulating aspects of the

emotional involvement generally experienced during

an emergency situation, students will gain firsthand

involvement related to miscommunication issues that

emerge when multiple observers speak at the same

time. By demonstrating the importance of reporting

details in a clear manner, students can reflect on the

implications that concise communication has in real-

life situations. Advantages of clear communication

include avoiding panic, staying calm, blocking out

distractions, and listening to the right person.

OBJECTIVES

At the end of this learning activity, students will be

able to:

1. Explain the benefits of remaining calm during an

emergency situation.

2. Identify communication barriers experienced

during an emergency.

3. Discuss factors leading to misinformation when

more than one person speaks at the same time.

MATERIALS AND RESOURCES

Play money (denominations ranging from $1-

$10,000)

Two small rubber bats (the flying mammal

variety) or something of similar size

Blindfolds (one per team)

Cotton balls (about 25)

Classroom tables or desks

TARGET AUDIENCE

This ice breaker activity is appropriate for

students in grades 6-12 and college students who

are studying personal safety, emergency

preparedness, and/or health and wellness. This

activity is ideal for classes of up to 48 students.

PROCEDURE

1. As the class begins, require students to arrange

desks/tables into a large 15‘ X 15‘ square.

2. Ask students to form groups of 3-5 students

depending on the class size, and, for interest and

group cohesiveness, have each group select a

team name.

3. While students are congregating into groups, the

instructor randomly will spread the play money,

cotton balls, and rubber bats on the floor inside

the square configured in step #1. Throughout this

ice-breaker teaching idea, the terms inside the

square and community pool will be used

interchangeably to describe this area.

4. Clarify that all available money is found inside the

square and each group will begin with zero

dollars. The goal for the designated member of

each group is to gather money off the floor while

avoiding contact with the rubber bats and cotton

balls. Inform students that the play money is in

denominations ranging from $1-$10,000 and that

crawling on the floor is the easiest way to

accumulate money in a timely manner.

5. Explain that to win the coming activity (i.e.,

game), the group must amass the most money at

the end of the designated 5 minute time limit.

Crisis Communication: A Class Icebreaker Melancon et al.

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

6. Require one member from each group to step

inside the square. This representative will collect

money for his/her group.

7. Explain the rules to the students:

a. If a student inside the square touches a cotton

ball, he/she must remove one random bill, of

any denomination, from the money they have

collected and throw it back into the

community pool inside the square.

b. If a student inside the square touches one of

the rubber bats with any part of his/her body,

all money collected for his/her group will be

thrown back into the community pool.

8. Initially, group members may not view this

activity as a challenge. Group members may

begin discussing aloud a plan to quickly locate the

larger denomination bills scattered randomly on

the floor inside the square. In order to limit the

amount of available planning time before the

game begins, it is recommended to start

immediately after the instructor has finished

covering all instructions, including the following

additional rules:

a. Each student inside the square will wear a

blindfold.

b. The remaining group members will arrange

themselves in line formation around the

perimeter of the square. The primary role for

these students in this activity is to provide

verbal directions to their blindfolded member

inside the square.

c. The instructor will reside in the middle of the

square in order to referee the game. This

includes keeping track of time and enforcing

the rules specified in step #7.

9. Start the game, with a ―ready, set, go!‖

countdown. The game should run for

approximately 5 minutes.

a. Positive interaction may quickly turn chaotic as students likely will become excited and

raise their voices loudly, making it hard for

those inside the square to decipher which

directions to follow or to whose voice to listen.

b. Typically, at least one group will end the

activity with no money.

c. In an attempt to add confusion among the

students, the instructor may choose to gently

toss one of the small rubber bats (or other

substituted items) toward students in the

square. Also, the instructor could shout

incorrect information regarding the location of

higher denomination bills.

10. After 5 minutes have elapsed, stop the activity

and ask students, still intact with their group, to

assemble to count their collected money. During

this time, request volunteers to help rearrange the

desks back into the usual classroom

configuration. One person from each group will

be asked to report his/her team‘s total dollar

amount; write this total on the chalkboard.

POST ACTIVITY DISCUSSION

The teacher should facilitate a debriefing session

covering what the students learned and showcasing

how events from the activity translate to a real life

emergency situation. The instructor should write the

following phrases on the chalkboard ―What was it

like to be inside the square?‖ and ―What was it like to

be outside the square?‖ These questions should

spawn an open-ended discussion related to the events

that transpired during the game. It is important to

explain how this process parallels a real-life

emergency situation. For example, participants inside

the square represent the 911 dispatcher, who is

―blind‖ to the situation and, therefore, must depend

on witnesses at the scene to provide details of the

emergency. Those outside the square see everything

clearly, but through their own perspective. Also ideal

is to ask students, ―Does everyone understand what is

said when too many others talk?‖ or ―Were you

hindered by the stress and emotional duress this

activity presented?‖ Students inside the square

typically report experiencing frustration because they

were not able to hear over the shouting of other

students, not receiving clear directions from their

teammates concerning what to touch and where to go,

and receiving misinformation from the instructor.

These students often discuss difficulty focusing on

one person‘s voice (Which was the right voice to

which to listen?) and describe feeling pressure to do

well for their team. Students outside the square may

discuss the difficulty of giving clear directions in the

midst of chaos. For example, a student may say, ―I

kept shouting for her to go left, go left, but I meant

my left, not her left, so she went the wrong way!‖

Possible solutions include having only one person per

team give directions to their member inside the

square and let the student in the square know whose

Crisis Communication: A Class Icebreaker Melancon et al.

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

voice on which to focus; using a numeric coding

system to help determine the vicinity of objects

inside the square (i.e., 1 = way too close, or getting

hot, 2 = turn around, 3 = pick that up). Responses

from the open-ended questions listed above will help

the students come up with ideas. The instructor also

may provide additional information to fill in any

remaining gaps.

After the initial discussion, explain how the chaos

between those inside and outside the square could be

minimized in a real-life situation. For example, if the

first responders, those outside the square are

panicking and the dispatcher, inside the square,

cannot maintain control, overall panic likely will

ensue.

Crisis Communication: A Class Icebreaker Melancon et al.

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

REFERENCES

1. Vaillancourt C, Verma A, Trickett J, et al.

Evaluating the effectiveness of dispatch-assisted

cardiopulmonary resuscitation instructions. Acad

Emerg Med. 2007;14:877-883.

2. Anderson M, LeFlore J. Playing it safe:

simulated team training in the OR. AORN J.

2008;87:772-779.

3. Pickering M, George R. Communication: the

forgotten palliative care emergency. BMJ.

2007;334:1274.

Crisis Communication: A Class Icebreaker Melancon et al.

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Table: Assessment Worksheet

Please circle the answer below that best indicates your experience with this activity.

1. I feel better prepared to handle emergency situations.

Agree Neutral Disagree

2. I understand the importance of clear communication.

Agree Neutral Disagree

3. I understand the importance of remaining calm in stressful situations.

Agree Neutral Disagree

4. This activity will help me communicate more effectively in a real-life crisis situation.

Agree Neutral Disagree

5. Did you benefit in any way from this activity?

Yes No No opinion

6. Do you think students in future classes would benefit from this activity?

Yes No No opinion

Reader’s Theater: Engaging Students in Classroom Discussion Lux and Hutcheson

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Reader‟s Theater: Engaging Students in Classroom Discussion

Kathleen Lux, PhD, CHES; Jane Hutcheson, RN, MS Authors are affiliated with Capital University, Columbus, OH. Contact Kathleen Lux at College and Main, 323

Battelle Hall, Columbus, OH, 43209. Email: [email protected]

Submitted July 4, 2010

Abstract:

Objectives: At the end of this teaching strategy, learners will be able to identify two healthy and two unhealthy

lifestyle behaviors portrayed by Jim in the reader‘s theater (RT) script; discuss at least one behavior change strategy

Jim could use to change an identified unhealthy behavior; analyze their feelings related to making healthy lifestyle

choices; and engage in meaningful conversations about health behavior change with their peers.

Target Audience: Middle school and high school students.

Reader’s Theater: Engaging Students in Classroom Discussion Lux and Hutcheson

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

INTRODUCTION

Reader‘s Theater (RT) is a scripted, formalized story-

telling experience that began in the late 1940s as an

option to offer greater accessibility to live theater for

people. 1 In the 1960s, RT became popular in college

theater departments and, eventually, spread to

secondary English education. Upon graduation, these

secondary English graduates with a teaching

certificate brought RT scripts into high school

English classes. From there, RT recently has been

used to assess reading literacy among students in

elementary and middle schools. RT involves the oral

presentation of a script by two or more readers about

a particular topic. 2 For example, the script in this

article, ―Death by Chocolate,‖ (Figure 1, which was

written by the authors), deals with healthy lifestyle

behavior choices. Many styles of RT exist,

but nearly all share the following features:

Narration serves as the framework of dramatic

presentation.

No sets.

No full costumes. If used at all, costumes are

neutral and uniform.

No full memorization. Scripts are used openly in

performance.

RT provides the opportunity for viewers to look into,

and thoughtfully contemplate a story. The goal of RT

is to stimulate thinking about the stories so that the

cast and audience can engage in meaningful

discussion. The RT script is read aloud by students in

the cast, i.e., the readers, to the classroom, i.e., the

audience. The use of RT requires no acting ability on

the part of the students in the cast. The script is

merely read by student readers who are instructed not

to look at each other during the reading. This oral

dramatization weaves and connects the voices, thus

creating an affective learning environment. Much like

radio drama of old, audience members imagine the

scenes taking place as the reader describes them. This

process fosters students‘ ability to listen and

empathize.

Most scripts range from 10 to 20 minutes in length.

RT may heighten the connection of learners to the

characters as well as families and community

situations mentioned in the script. RT also provides

an opportunity for reflection and group discussion,

which is important for those students who are not

likely to volunteer to participate in other classroom

activities, such as role playing. Most students view

RT as non-threatening. RT has many uses and

outcomes. Not only is RT a low cost teaching

strategy, it has been found effective in several

different academic disciplines to improve language

arts. For example, teachers in English, social studies,

medical and nursing schools have used RT

effectively in the classroom. 3 Performing stories

based on another culture is a great way for students to

become interested in and familiar with that culture.

Further, RT typically fosters a love of reading among

students and provides a fun way to teach facts,

history, social issues, ethics and/or health.

OBJECTIVES

At the end of this teaching strategy, the learner will

be able to:

1. Identify two healthy and two unhealthy

lifestyle behaviors.

2. Discuss at least one behavior change strategy

Jim could use to change an identified

unhealthy behaviors.

3. Analyze their feelings related to making

healthy lifestyle choices.

4. Engage in meaningful conversations with their

peers about lifestyle behavior change.

MATERIALS AND RESOURCES

A copy of the RT script for each student reader.

Although this project involves students in a health

class, RT can be used in many subject areas. There

are hundreds of RT scripts available for free on the

internet. Two such sites are:

http://readerstheatrelp.blogspot.com/2008/03/brief-

history-of-readers-theatre.html

http://www.scriptsforschools.com.

3 ringed binders for each student reader to use

during the reading.

A copy of the exercise and evaluation rubric from

Table 2 for each student.

TARGET AUDIENCE

RT can be used at any level of education, but this

article is focused on using scripts among students in a

middle- or high-school health class.

Reader’s Theater: Engaging Students in Classroom Discussion Lux and Hutcheson

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

PROCEDURE

The teacher should make a copy of the script (Figure

1) for each character in the story and place this copy

in the character‘s individual binder. To aid students

reading their particular character, the teacher should

highlight each character‘s speaking lines in his/her

individual script. Next, the instructor should obtain

student volunteers from the class to immediately read

the script in front of the class. Or, the teacher may

choose to give the scripts to student volunteers 1-2

days ahead of the reading date so they have time to

review their parts prior to the class. The authors have

successfully used both techniques. Also, if planning

ahead, it is possible to ask student readers to wear the

same colors on the day of the reading to allow them

to blend together during the presentation. For the

health script in this teaching strategy, 5 chairs (5

student readers/characters) and 1 high stool (1 student

narrator) will be needed. The instructor should place

chairs for each character in a semi-circle in front of

the classroom. The high stool should be placed in the

middle of the semi-circle.

After the scripts have been highlighted and presented

to the readers and chairs/stool arranged, student

volunteers read the scripts uninterrupted to the

audience of students. After the script has been read,

discussion questions are introduced (See Table 1 for

questions and a key to facilitate discussion).

Discussion questions are a part of most scripts.

These questions may be used by the teacher or she/he

may pose his/her own questions to generate students‘

thinking about issues and messages embedded in the

script. From experience, it was noted that most

students are eager to discuss some issue from the

script and the conversation flows without prompting.

A typical RT activity will last between 40 to 60

minutes, including reading and discussion time. This

RT script can be used as part of a teaching module on

behavior change. Before using the script in the

classroom, the class should learn about healthy

versus unhealthy lifestyle choices, health risks and

behavior change methods, all of which are typically

found in the students‘ health text. Then, the RT

script can be read to encourage students to internalize

their learning material and consider personal

behavior changes.

ASSESMENT TECHNIQUES

To assess students‘ application of behavior change

knowledge, the exercise and evaluation rubric in

Table 2 should be used. Students may be given time

to work on their scripts in a future class(es) or this

requirement may be an out-of-class assignment. The

authors recommend 2 additional class periods for

students to complete this assignment. Students

should be given a copy of the grading rubric when

given the original assignment to write a script.

Reader’s Theater: Engaging Students in Classroom Discussion Lux and Hutcheson

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

References

1. Lohmann, George. (2008). Readers’ Theater for

Literacy and Presentation. Retrieved on

February 5, 2010 from:

http://readerstheatrelp.blogspot.com/2008/03/bri

ef-history-of-readers theatre.html.

2. Savitt, T. (Ed.). Medical readers’ theater, a

guide and scripts. Iowa City, University of Iowa

Press; 2002.

3. Pardue, K. Introducing readers‘ theatre! A

strategy to foster aesthetic knowing in Nursing.

Nurse Educator. 2004;29 :58 -62. 6

http://readerstheatrelp.blogspot.com/2008/03/brief-history-of-readers

Reader’s Theater: Engaging Students in Classroom Discussion Lux and Hutcheson

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Table 1: “Death by Chocolate” Discussion Questions and Key Discussion Question Key

What are Jim‘s unhealthy lifestyle behaviors?

What are Jim‘s healthy lifestyle choices?

Unhealthy lifestyle choices include:

High calorie, high fat diet

Sedentary lifestyle

High Stress levels

Smoking cigarettes

Working long hours

Lack of sleep

Healthy Lifestyle Choices:

Talks to mother

Talks with friends

Talks with health education teacher

Willing to participate in health risk assessment screening

Has recommended weight for height

What do you think of Jim‘s behavior after his

visit with the health educator? If you had been

Jim, what would you have done?

Jim appears to be in denial. He was told he needed to change

many behaviors. Thinking about changing several behaviors

at once may be overwhelming. Jim‘s response is to deny he

has any problems and orders high-fat, high-calorie foods.

Jim should seriously think about changing his lifestyle

behaviors. He could start by making small changes like

modifying his diet for lunch – maybe order fruit instead of

French fries with his burger.

What role does the dream play in Jim‘s health

behaviors?

The conscious interpretation Jim made about his dream was

that someone wanted to kill him. He focused his energies on

trying to figure out who might want to kill him. Actually, the

dream is Jim‘s subconscious telling him he needs to make

lifestyle behavior changes to improve his health.

How do individuals make their lifestyle choices?

How do they change lifestyle behaviors?

Most people make a conscious decision to be healthy so they

can enjoy life and achieve high level wellness. Healthy

decisions have to be made every day and, over time, become

habit which helps the individual continue to make healthy

choices. Experts recommend making a behavior change plan

with short and long term objectives. Also, it helps to have a

buddy going through the same process with you.

What decision do you think Jim will make and

why?

In favor of change: Jim will decide to change his health

behaviors because he realizes what his dream means and he

knows his father died at a young age. Jim will not want to

follow in his father‘s footsteps.

Against change: Jim is too young to connect his current

behavior with consequences in some far off future. He will

continue to do what his peers do to keep their approval.

Reader’s Theater: Engaging Students in Classroom Discussion Lux and Hutcheson

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Table 2: Exercise Directions and Assessment Rubric for Student Reader‟s Theater Scripts

Exercise Directions: Divide students into groups of 5. Ask members in each group to decide on an

unhealthy behavior they would like an imaginary friend to change. Then, have them write their own

reader‘s theater script about a discussion they might have with their friend trying to persuade that

friend to change his/her unhealthy behavior.

Assessment Rubric:

Criteria 3 Points 2 Points 0 Points

Student participates in

group discussion (If

done as an in-class

assignment, base

his/her grade on

teacher observation. If

this assignment is

completed out of

class, base the grade

on the group report of

each member‘s

contributions to the

script).

Responses show clear

thinking and provide

new information.

Responses add to what

others have

contributed.

Minimal input.

RT script provides a

compelling, health

enhancing message for

behavior change.

Creative health

message included in

script.

Health message hard

to understand.

No health message

provided.

In the RT script, the

reason for the needed

behavior change for

script character(s) is

clearly presented

Reason for change

identified in script.

Reason for change

implied but not

discussed.

No reasons for change

discussed.

Content of RT script

provides alternate

behavior change

methods that can be

used.

At least 3 ways

characters could

change their behavior

are discussed.

Two alternatives for

behavior change.

One or no way(s) to

change behavior.

RT script provides

appropriate methods

for character(s) to

achieve behavior

change.

Behavior change

methods are

appropriate to the

character‘s situation

and age.

Behavior change

methods are generic

and may not work for

script character.

Behavior change

methods suggested are

not appropriate for

accomplishing desired

change.

Spelling, grammar and

punctuation are

correct.

No errors found. A few errors found. Many errors found.

Reader’s Theater: Engaging Students in Classroom Discussion Lux and Hutcheson

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Figure 1: Reader‟s Theater Script “Death by Chocolate”

Setting: Modern, big city suburbia in the home of Jim and Janet Jones. Jim is 16 years old. He

is a sophomore in high school. He used to play sports, but after being cut from the basketball

team his freshman year, he eats a high calorie, high fat diet and rarely exercises.

Cast:

Narrator

Jim Jones

Jim‘s Mom

Mr. Atlas: health educator

Alex – good friend

Waitress

Narrator (excited): Jim Jones awakes from a very scary nightmare.

Jim (very agitated): Mom! Mom!! Wake UP! Someone is going to murder me. I just had a

terrible dream and I got murdered.

Mom (out of breath from hurrying to her son‘s room): I‘m sure it was just a dream. Are you all

right now?

Jim: I‘m okay but I‘m still a little nervous. I think I‘ll go have a cigarette to help calm me

down.

Mom (with disgust): How can you want a cigarette in the middle of the night? You shouldn‘t be

smoking anyway. It‘s bad for your health. Just go back to sleep!

Narrator: Jim gets out of bed and goes into the living room to have a cigarette. He decides to

have a snack too – some potato chips, dip and a coke since he‘s already up. After finishing his

snack and smoking another cigarette, Jim feels calm enough to go back to bed. The next

morning:

Mom: Jim, it‘s time to get up. It‘s already 7:30 AM and you will be late for school if you don‘t

get moving. I‘ve made a good healthy breakfast for you – oatmeal and fruit.

Jim: Alright, I‘m coming. Don‘t get so excited – I can like get myself to school. I just never

seem to like get enough sleep and it doesn‘t help having a nightmare wake me up in the middle

of the night. What if someone like really is trying to murder me? Would anyone be that stupid?

You‘re kidding me about the oatmeal, right?

Narrator: Jim‘s mom tries to comfort Jim and heads out for work. Jim downs a coke and dashes

off to school.

Alex: Hey, Jim. You feel okay? You look nasty.

Reader’s Theater: Engaging Students in Classroom Discussion Lux and Hutcheson

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Jim: Well, you don‘t look that great to me either. I didn‘t get much sleep last night. I had a

crazy dream like someone was trying to kill me.

Alex: Really? Who offed you? What‘d they use?

Jim: I don‘t really remember the details at this point. I‘m not really like nervous about it, but

what if someone really is trying to kill me?

Alex: Don‘t be stupid; dreams aren‘t something to worry about. They don‘t come true – look at

us, we aren‘t rich and famous with lots of sexy women hanging around us! I wouldn‘t worry

about dying young if I was you.

Narrator: Despite Alex‘s advice, Jim keeps thinking about his dream. He just can‘t shake the

thought that someone may be planning to murder him. He takes a nap after school until his Mom

comes home from work and then he goes out with his friends. They hang out, eat pretzels and

drink sodas, smoke cigarettes and listen to music. When Jim returns home, he goes to bed still

wondering about why someone would want to kill him. The next day at school, Jim is scheduled

to complete a health risk assessment assignment for his health class.

Mr. Woods: Good morning? I hope you all had a good night‘s sleep and a nutritious breakfast

before coming to school.

Narrator: General snickering all around the classroom.

Mr. Woods: This morning, each of you will be completing a health risk assessment. As we‘ve

already discussed in class, HRAs are used to gather, analyze, and compare an individual's

characteristics prognostic of health with those of a standard age group, thereby predicting the

likelihood that a person may prematurely experience a health problem associated with higher

than average death and disease rates. Completing the assessment will help you identify areas of

concern about your health habits. Such things as the following are asked:―Do you eat a nutritious

diet or a high fat diet?‖ ―Do you get enough exercise each day?‖ ―Are there health risks that

you have as a result of your family health history?‖ ―Do you wear a seatbelt?‖

Narrator: While Mr. Woods is talking, Jim is thinking about his father. His father was only 50

when he died of a heart attack on Christmas Eve. Jim was only 12 years old. Jim‘s father had

been a high powered executive who smoked, didn‘t exercise, and drank too much. Jim really

misses his father.

Mr. Woods: After you have completed the assessment, you will pick one area where you can

improve your health. Perhaps you drink too much pop or eat a lot of junk food.

Narrator: In one section of the health assessment, sleep habits were questioned. This reminds

Jim of his dream. Jim raises his hand.

Reader’s Theater: Engaging Students in Classroom Discussion Lux and Hutcheson

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Jim: Mr. Woods, do you believe in dreams?

Mr. Woods: What do you mean?

Jim: Well, I had this dream that I was going to be murdered. It was so real, man, that I think it

might have been like trying to tell me something. You know, like telling the future or

something.

Mr. Woods: (smiling) I don‘t think your dream is anything to worry about. Had you watched TV

with violence or a murder plot that night?

Jim: Of course I did! Like I always watch CSI on Mondays.

Mr. Woods: OK, let‘s get back to the health risk assessment for now. If you want to talk further,

Jim, see me after class. To start analyzing our assessments, let‘s look at nutrition. Would

anyone like to share what they‘ve eaten in the last 24 hours?

Narrator: Jim, feeling better about his dream, volunteers to share his recent dietary intake.

Jim (thinking): Let‘s see…I had a coke for breakfast. I snagged a couple of Slim Jims for lunch.

I went out to the local diner with my mom for dinner. I ordered some chicken fried steak,

potatoes and gravy and some greens. As I was going home, we stopped at the local carry out and

got some of my favorite ice cream. It‘s called ―Death by Chocolate.‖ It‘s awesome: what a way

to go (smiling)! When I got home, I watched the basketball game. I ate a huge bowl of ice

cream before I went to bed. Oh, and on my way home from school, I picked up a bag of cheese

doodles and a Mountain Dew, ®

which I had before heading out to dinner.

Mr. Woods: It seems you don‘t eat a lot of fruits and vegetables in your diet. You should have

3-4 servings of fruit and 5 servings of vegetables every day.

Jim (slightly annoyed): Hey, like I had mashed potatoes and greens – they‘re vegetables.

Narrator: Jim completes his health risk assessment. He is surprised by the results. He needs to

improve his diet, quit smoking and start exercising more. According to the assessment, he has

multiple risk factors for heart disease.

Mr. Woods: For our next class, I would like for each of you to pick one heath habit to improve.

In class, we will discuss how to write a contract for change. Then, it will be up to each of you to

try to change that behavior.

Narrator: On his way home from school, Jim stops at Taco Olay ®

to get a chicken burrito.

Jim is glad to see his favorite waitress is serving him today.

Waitress: The usual, Jim?

Reader’s Theater: Engaging Students in Classroom Discussion Lux and Hutcheson

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Jim: Yeah, why not. In my health class today I learned I have a terrible diet and I need to eat

better. But, what the heck – I‘m young and healthy. Did I tell you about my dream?

Waitress: What dream?

Jim: I had this dream that someone was going to murder me. Do you like think dreams can tell

the future?

Waitress: I don‘t know. Maybe. I‘ve had that dream where you feel like you‘re falling but you

wake up before you hit the ground? You know what they say about that dream? If you hit the

ground, you will die. Was your dream like that?

Jim: No. It wasn‘t like that. I better order. I‘m in a hurry to get home and watch the basketball

game on TV.

Narrator: Jim finishes his large coke, and super sized burrito. Three days later…

Mom: You‘re not eating your dinner tonight. Is something wrong? I spent a lot of time fixing

those stuffed pork chops, scalloped corn and homemade rolls.

Jim: Mom, stop ragging on me and get off my back. I haven‘t felt right since I had that dream.

Like, I keep looking around thinking someone might be following me. And, now I‘ve had to

deal with Mr. Woods at school making me feel guilty about my diet.

Mom: Really? What does he want you to change?

Jim: Like forget about it. It‘s no big deal, just another hassle.

Mom: You‘ve got to get over that dream. Now eat your supper and you will feel better.

Narrator: That night Jim curls up on the couch to watch a basketball game. He is eating a large

bowl of ―Death by Chocolate‖ ice cream. Later that night, Jim starts to experience chest pain.

He calls out to his Mom.

Jim (loudly): Hey, Mom. Are you awake? I‘m not feeling so good.

Mom (sleepily): Just a minute. What‘s the matter? Can it wait until morning?

Jim: Yeah, maybe. I just have this like funny feeling in my chest. I don‘t know what‘s going

on. Just like forget it and go back to bed.

Mom: (now worried): I think we should go to the emergency room to get you checked out.

Narrator: Jim, thinking about his father, decides that his mom could be right.

Reader’s Theater: Engaging Students in Classroom Discussion Lux and Hutcheson

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Jim: Okay, okay, like I‘ll go. Just stop nagging me!

Narrator: His mom drives Jim to the emergency room. During the trip to the hospital, he starts

to sweat. Before the medical staff can get him hooked up to the equipment, Jim says, ―I‘m

having trouble breathing,‖ and passes out. Jim stops breathing and his heart stops. The medical

staff is not able to save him despite all their efforts. Even though he is dead, Jim can see his

mom crying.

Just then, Jim wakes up on the couch. He had fallen asleep while watching the game.

Jim says to himself…

Jim: What a dream! I died of a heart attack, just like my father! Maybe I am slowly

―murdering‖ myself by my crummy health habits. I guess I like need to make a decision. Either

I try to live a healthy lifestyle or I forget about it and stop worrying about it. Hmm…..

Health and Media Literacy in the Wake of H1N1 Pettit

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Health and Media Literacy in the Wake of H1N1 Michele Pettit MPH, PhD, CHES Author is affiliated with Department of Health Education and Health Promotion at University of Wisconsin-La

Crosse. Contact Michele Pettit, 207 Mitchell Hall, La Crosse, WI 54601.

Email: [email protected]

Submitted June 11, 2010

Abstract

Objectives: Objectives for this teaching technique are as follows: students will (a) apply media literacy skills to

evaluate a health-related news article; (b) differentiate between health literacy and media literacy; and (c) describe

the influence of media literacy on health.

Target Audience: This teaching technique is intended for high school/college students enrolled in personal health

and/or disease prevention/control courses.

mailto:[email protected]

Health and Media Literacy in the Wake of H1N1 Pettit

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

INTRODUCTION

Health educators, particularly those employed in

educational settings, may use the recent H1N1

pandemic as a teachable moment experience for

students. For example, two key concepts—health

literacy and media literacy—especially are relevant

to the pandemic and can be introduced or reinforced

to students already familiar with those concepts.

According to the American Association for Health

Education, 1 health literacy is ―the capacity of an

individual to obtain, interpret, and understand basic

health information and services, and the competence

to use such information and services in ways that are

health enhancing.‖ (p. 100)

Poor health literacy is a

leading contributor to health disparities, rising health

care costs, and inadequate disease management. 2

Health literacy increasingly is becoming important as

more and more Americans consult media sources for

health information. Although the media serve to

inform the public about health issues like H1N1,

selected information may be inaccurate, biased,

and/or distorted. Incumbent upon health educators is

the need to inform consumers of media about these

potential misrepresentations.

One of the National Health Education Standards is

that, ―Students will analyze the influence of family,

peers, culture, media, technology, and other factors

on health behaviors.‖ (p. 8).3

This standard is achieved,

in part, through students‘ introduction and

development of media literacy. According to

Aufderheide, 4 media literacy is the ability ―to access,

analyze, evaluate, and produce both print and

electronic media.‖ As articulated by the Kaiser

Family Foundation, 5 ―A media literate person can

think critically about what they see, hear, and read in

books, newspapers, magazines, television, radio,

movies, music, advertising, video games, the Internet,

and new emerging technology.‖ (p. 1)

Media literacy frequently influences health-related

knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. In the case of

H1N1, media literacy has been essential to behavioral

awareness and disease prevention. The recent H1N1

pandemic has sparked media frenzy and challenged

Americans to evaluate health information and

preventive measures for their health (e.g., vaccine

utilization, personal hygiene practices, and so forth).

The purpose of this teaching technique is to introduce

students to fundamentals of health literacy and media

literacy through examination of H1N1 and related

health topics.

OBEJCTIVES

At the end of this teaching technique, students will be

able to:

apply media literacy skills to evaluate a health-related news article.

differentiate between health literacy and media literacy.

describe the influence of media literacy on health.

MATERIALS AND RESOURCES

Computer with video projection

Chalkboard/whiteboard

Handouts with H1N1 discussion questions from Table 3

Handouts with grading criteria for the written reflection

TARGET AUDIENCE

This teaching technique is intended for high

school/college students enrolled in personal health

and/or disease prevention/control courses.

PROCEDURE

Prior to the class period, instruct students to bring a

health-related news article from a media source to

class (note: These articles will be used in the

Assessment Technique on p. 5). Approximately 90

minutes should be allotted for completing this

teaching technique. To begin, poll students to

determine how many of them have heard of the

concept, health literacy. Solicit one or more

volunteers who have heard of health literacy to

attempt defining the concept. Follow students‘

comments with the formal definition of health

literacy provided in the Introduction. Present the

following film clip to reinforce the definition of

health literacy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39A9oU-gOOA

Instruct students to select a partner and identify

characteristics of a health literate person. Solicit

volunteers to share their responses with the class and

incorporate additional examples from Table 1 as

needed. Record all responses on the

chalkboard/whiteboard.

As a transition for discussing media literacy, reiterate

to students the importance of understanding and

interpreting health information from media sources.

Health and Media Literacy in the Wake of H1N1 Pettit

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Inform students that media literacy constitutes

accessing and critically evaluating health messages

communicated through media sources including

television, radio, newspapers, magazines, the

Internet, and other related outlets. Pose the following

discussion question to students: ―What factors should

be considered when evaluating the efficacy of health

information presented through the media?‖ Record

students‘ responses and refer to Table 2 for the

Center for Media Literacy‘s key words/questions for

deconstructing messages presented through the

media.

Ask students to verbally brainstorm examples of

recent health-related topics that have captured

attention of the media. Next introduce students to the

topic of H1N1 by presenting the following video

parody:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbt_PuVAVTU.

Distribute a handout with the discussion questions

regarding H1N1 and the media in Table 3. Divide

students into small groups and instruct each group to

identify a spokesperson for sharing responses with

the class. Allot approximately 15 minutes for the

small groups to answer the discussion questions.

Subsequently, facilitate a class discussion. Refer to

http://www.flu.gov and http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/

for information about H1N1. Conclude the class

period by soliciting volunteers to share with their

peers the health-related news articles from selected

media sources (e.g., newspapers, magazines, and so

on) they brought to class.

ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUE

At the end of the class period (i.e., before students

share their articles with students in the class), instruct

students to assign a letter grade (i.e., A, B, C, D, or F)

to their article and write a brief, yet meaningful

rationale for the assigned grade using criteria

discussed in class (see Table 2).

As a culminating assessment, distribute to students

the grading criteria for a written reflection presented

in Table 4. Subsequently, instruct them to (a)

describe the connection between health literacy and

media literacy, and (b) describe the influence of

media literacy on health in a written reflection.

Encourage students to incorporate health-related

examples into their reflection.

Health and Media Literacy in the Wake of H1N1 Pettit

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

References

1. American Association for Health Education. Report of the 2000 Joint Committee on Health Education

and Promotion Terminology. Am J Health Educ.

2001;32(2):90-103.

2. Nielsen-Bohlman L, Panzer AM, Kindig DA. Health Literacy: A Prescription to End Confusion.

Washington, DC: National Academy of Sciences,

Institute of Medicine; 2004.

3. Joint Committee on National Health Education Standards. National Health Education Standards:

Achieving Excellence, 2nd ed. Atlanta, GA:

American Cancer Society; 2007.

4. Aufderheide P. Aspen Media Literacy Conference Report—Part II: Proceedings and Next Steps.

Available at:

http://www.medialit.org/reading_room/article356.ht

ml. Accessed May 17, 2010.

5. Kaiser Family Foundation. Key Facts: Media Literacy. Available at:

http://www.kff.org/entmedia/upload/Key-Facts-

Media-Literacy.pdf. Accessed May 17, 2010.

6. Jolls T. Literacy for the 21st Century: An Overview and Orientation Guide to Media Literacy Education,

2nd ed. Malibu, CA: Center for Media Literacy;

2008. Available at: http://www.medialit.org/pdf/mlk/

01a_mlkorientation_rev2.pdf. Accessed May 17,

2010.

Health and Media Literacy in the Wake of H1N1 Pettit

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Table 1

Selected Characteristics of a Health Literate Person 2

Differentiates between reliable and unreliable health information

Accesses health information from reliable sources

Possesses proficient reading skills

Understands basic math operations (e.g., for nutrition labels, prescription labels, and so on)

Understands basic health information and concepts

Exhibits effective communication skills (i.e., listening and speaking)

Processes health information in ways that are health enhancing (i.e., health information gives rise

to healthy behaviors and decisions)

Effectively navigates the health care system (e.g., health care providers, health insurance

companies, medical forms, prescriptions, and so forth)

Evaluates the influence of cultural factors on health

______________________________________________________________________________

Health and Media Literacy in the Wake of H1N1 Pettit

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Table 2

Key Words/Questions for Deconstructing Media Messages 6(pp. 23-24)

Authorship: Who created this message?

Format: What creative techniques are used to attract my attention?

Audience: How might different people understand this message differently?

Content: What values, lifestyles, and points of view are represented in, or omitted from,

this message?

Purpose: Why is this message being sent?

______________________________________________________________________________

Health and Media Literacy in the Wake of H1N1 Pettit

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Table 3

H1N1 Discussion Questions

What have you heard about H1N1?

What do you know about H1N1?

Did the media ―overdo it‖ with regard to coverage of H1N1? Explain.

Who seeks to benefit from media messages regarding H1N1?

How has H1N1 been portrayed by the media?

To what extent has media coverage of H1N1 contributed to increased awareness and/or confusion among the public?

To what extent has media coverage of H1N1 influenced preventive behaviors among the public?

______________________________________________________________________________

Health and Media Literacy in the Wake of H1N1 Pettit

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Table 4

Grading Criteria for Written Reflection

0 1 2

Does not meet

expectations

Meets

expectations

Exceeds

expectations

The student articulated

an understanding of

health literacy.

The student articulated

an understanding of

media literacy.

The student

differentiated between

health literacy and media

literacy.

The student described

the influence of media

literacy on health.

The student incorporated

at least 1 health-related

example to support

his/her reflection points.

Total: _____

Developing School Health Education Advocacy Skills Birch et al

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Developing School Health Education Advocacy Skills Through

College Personal Health Courses

David A. Birch, PhD, CHES 1 ; Michele Wallen, PhD, MPH

2 ; Elizabeth Chaney, PhD, CHES

The author 1 is

affiliated with the Department of Health Science at the University of Alabama. The author

2 is

affiliated with the Department of Health Education and Promotion at East Carolina University. The author 3 is

affiliated with the Department of Health Education and Behavior at the University of Florida. Contact David A.

Birch at 210 East Annex, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0311. Email: [email protected].

Contact Michele Wallen at 3204 Carol Belk Building, Greenville, NC 27858. Email: [email protected]. Contact

Elizabeth Chaney at FLG 23, Gainesville, FL 32611. Email:[email protected]

Submitted March 31, 2010

Abstract

Local advocacy has been presented by numerous individuals as a strategy for improving comprehensive school

health education. One overlooked group for advocacy instruction is college students.

Objectives: At the end of this lesson, college students will be able to identify the characteristics of a quality school

health education program and summarize the impact of the program; identify strategies, using those available, to

advocate for school health education; and demonstrate effective advocacy for school health education.

Target Audience: College students enrolled in personal health classes.

KEY WORDS: advocacy, personal health courses, and school health education

mailto:[email protected]

Developing School Health Education Advocacy Skills Birch et al

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

INTRODUCTION

Local advocacy has been presented by numerous

individuals as a strategy for improving compre-

hensive school health education. 1-4

Defriese,

Crossland, MacPhail-Wilcox and Sowers 5 believe

that health educators must ―sell‖ health education to

communities. Wiley, 6 in describing approaches to

promote school health education, posits that ―health

champions‖ must be developed in local school

districts.

Various advocacy strategies have been proposed for

preparing school health education majors for

comprehensive school health education. Birch 7 and

Wycoff-Horn 8 have presented specific instructional

techniques for preparing undergraduate school health

education majors for local advocacy efforts. Hodges

and Videto 9 described the use of service learning as a

strategy for developing advocacy skills in students

enrolled in a master‘s level program in school health.

Other individuals, beyond school health educators,

have been identified as potential local advocates for

school health education. These individuals include

community members, elementary and secondary

school students (future community members),

parents, physicians, and school board members. 4,6,10

One overlooked group for advocacy instruction is

college students enrolled in personal health courses.

Although no data exist relative to student enrollment

in personal health courses, it can be safely speculated

that thousands of students across the United States

are enrolled in these courses each academic year. All

of them soon will be members of local communities

(with local school districts), and some will become

parents. All members of a community can benefit

from effective comprehensive school health

education, not just parents of current school-age

children.

The purpose of this article is to present advocacy

instructional activities developed for implementation

in one 50-minute session of a college personal health

course. In addition, a culminating activity and

optional enrichment activities are presented for

completion outside of class. Because many of the

instructors of these courses address the individual‘s

role in promoting community health, devoting

minimal time to the development of advocacy skills

for school health education is logical course content.

Addressing advocacy provides an opportunity to

address National Health Education Standard # 8,

―Students will demonstrate the ability to advocate for

personal, family and community health.‖ 11

Although

these standards were developed for students at the

Pre K – 12 grade levels, instruction at the

college/university level can provide reinforcement to

previous instruction or cover content not previously

addressed in high school health education.

TARGET AUDIENCE

College students enrolled in personal health classes.

OBJECTIVES

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

identify characteristics of a quality school health education program.

summarize the potential impact of quality school health education.

identify a variety of strategies for advocating on behalf of school health education.

access and utilize available advocacy strategies.

demonstrate the ability to effectively advocate for school health education.

MATERIALS AND RESOURCES

Characteristics of a quality school health education program (Figure 1)

Importance of School Health or Potential Impact of Comprehensive School Health Education (Figure 2)

Roles and Responsibilities of School Health Education Decision Makers (Figure 3)

Strategies for Advocacy (Figure 4)

Advocacy scenarios (Figure 5)

Practical Guidelines for Successful School Health Education Advocacy Efforts (Figure 6)

Assessment Rubric (Figure 7)

Internet access

PROCEDURES

Introduction

Begin the lesson by providing students with the

following information:

Developing School Health Education Advocacy Skills Birch et al

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

This course is an example of health education in the

college/university setting. Health education takes

place in a variety of venues including the community

setting (examples include a fall prevention education

program for older adults at a local community center,

a heart-healthy cooking program at a local health

agency), the medical care setting (examples include

an education program in a hospital addressing

appropriate physical activity for individuals with

cardiovascular disease, a nutrition education program

for new parents), the worksite setting (examples

include a stress management program for

administrators in a corporate office, an injury

prevention program for employees of a construction

company) and school setting (examples include

health education taught by an elementary classroom

teacher, or a health education course offered at the

middle or high school level).

Throughout most of your life, you are a consumer of

health education. For example, you or your family

may be involved in programs as participants in

community health education programs. You may

have a financial interest in private programs through

participant fees, or through taxes allocated toward

public programs. Lastly, you may have the

opportunity to influence decisions related to

community programs through voting or public

advocacy.

The purpose of today‘s lesson is to examine ways

that you can advocate for quality health education in

schools in your community. Your interest in

advocacy for school health education may be based

on your overall concern about the well being of

children in your community, or it may be meaningful

if, as a parent, you have children in schools who

could benefit from a quality school health education

program.

After providing the preceding information, indicate to

the students that they are going to examine their

memories of their own K-12 school health education.

School Health Education Memories Ask students to take approximately one minute to

think about their memories of school health education

at three levels: elementary, middle and high school.

After students have had a chance to consider their

personal memories, ask them to assign a grade (A-F)

regarding health education at each of the three levels.

Provide students with the opportunity to share their

grades and specific memories with a partner or in a

group of three. After several minutes of small group

discussion, review the memories together with the

entire class. Acknowledge both positive and negative

examples that were experienced by the students.

Culminate the discussion by indicating to students

that together they will examine characteristics of a

quality school health education program and the

potential impact of such a program (Figures 1 & 2).

Characteristics/Potential Impact of Quality School

Health Education

Using a brainstorming activity with the entire class,

have students identify what they think are

characteristics of a good school health education

program. List these characteristics in view of

students. Follow up the brainstorming by providing

students with a list of ―Essential Characteristics of a

Quality School Health Education Program‖ (See

Figure 1). Next, provide students with the following

related questions for brainstorming, ―Why do you

think school health education is important? What is

the potential impact of quality school health

education on a community?‖ Again, list all responses

and follow up the brainstorming activity with a

discussion of the list in Figure 2.

Advocacy Guidelines/Techniques Health advocacy can be a preplanned sequence of

events or a situational circumstance in which a

person discovers an opportunity to bring about social

or organizational change to promote or enhance

health. 12

The best opportunities for advocating for

school health are with key decision makers in the

school and/or school district. Ask students to identify

individuals within schools and communities who

typically make decisions regarding school health

education. Following this brief discussion, the

information in Figure 3 may be used to summarize

the roles and responsibilities of key decision makers.

Advocacy Strategies

Effective advocacy messages, depending on

particular situation, are directed to appropriate

decision makers. A variety of strategies exist to

advocate for school health education. The issue and

the audience that are the focus of your advocacy

efforts, your interests, and comfort levels will be

factors in your selection of the best strategy to utilize

when developing and delivering an advocacy

message. Use the list of web-linked strategies for

Developing School Health Education Advocacy Skills Birch et al

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

advocacy in Figure 4 to help students analyze the

benefits of various platforms when advocating for

school health issues. Depending on the classroom

access to the Internet, these strategies can be

examined through a whole-class activity or through

individual student exploration.

Advocacy Scenarios

Present the school health issues in Figure 5 and allow

students an opportunity to select one of the scenarios

presented or allow for the creation of their own

scenario for which they will create an advocacy plan

to address the concerns presented in the scenario.

This culminating experience is an out-of-class

activity that can be completed individually, in pairs,

or triads. The advocacy plans should:

accurately identify the ineffective health education practices presented in the

scenario,

advocate for effective policies and or practices that will better align the program

presented in the scenario with the

characteristics of a quality school health

education program,

include the potential impact of comprehensive school health education,

identify the target audience,

identify multiple advocacy strategies that might be appropriate, given the audience,

health issue, and available resources,

indicate the most appropriate advocacy strategy to deliver the advocacy message

and provide justification for the selection of

this strategy, and

demonstrate effective advocacy skills through the creation of an advocacy message

addressing a school health issue presented in

the selected scenario.

Students may use the information presented in Figure

1, The Characteristics of a Quality School Health

Education Program; Figure 2, The Importance of

School Health or Potential Impact of Comprehensive

School Health Education; and Figure 6, The Practical

Guidelines for Successful School Health Education

Advocacy when developing their advocacy plans.

Work can begin in class and continue out-of-class,

with an optional sharing at the beginning of a future

class, if time in the schedule allows.

ASSESSMENT

If advocacy presentations are possible, consider

allowing the student audience to create or use the

rubric in Figure 7 to analyze and offer feedback for

the advocacy messages presented by each group (for

the scenario activity). Instructors are invited to design

their own point system. If time does not allow for

advocacy presentations, students can submit a written

advocacy plan at a later date, which may be graded

based on appropriately using the information

addressed in class. Lastly, additional ideas of

extension activities, are provided in Figure 8 for

consideration of instruction beyond one class period.

Developing School Health Education Advocacy Skills Birch et al

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

REFERENCES

1. Birch DA. Promoting comprehensive school health education: Guidelines for advocacy. J Wellness

Perspect. 1995; 12(1): 22-28.

2. Chaney EH, Chaney JD, Eddy JM. Utilizing a

multi-level approach to support advocacy efforts in

the advancement of health education. Am J Health

Educ. 2006;37(1):41-50.

3. Wiley DC & Howard-Barr EM. Advocacy to

action: School health program issues with school

boards. J Sch Health. 2005; 75(1): 6-10.

4. Tappe M. Galer-Unti R. Health educators role in

promoting health literacy and advocacy for the 21st

century. J Sch Health. 2001; 71(10): 477-482.

5. Defriese GH, Crossland CL, MacPhail-Wilcox B

and Sowers JG. Implementing comprehensive

school health programs: Prospects for change in

America‘s schools. J Sch Health. 1990; 60(4): 182-

187.

6. Wiley. Elementary school health teachers‘

perspectives on health instruction: A commentary.

Am J Health Educ. 2002; 33(2): 83-85.

7. Birch DA. Helping prospective school health

educators develop political advocacy skills. J

Sch Health. 1991; 61(4): 176-177

8. Wycoff-Horn. Advocacy performance task:

Learners practice what you teach. Health Educ

Monogr. 2009;26(1): 24-28.

9. Hodges & Videto. Service learning: Creating

visibility and advocacy for health education. Am

J Health Educ. 2008;39(1): 44-54.

10. Birch DA. Advocacy for comprehensive school

health education: A survey of pediatricians.

Am Acad Pediatr Newsl of the Section on School

Health, 1997;8(1): 8-9.

11. Joint Committee on National Health Education

Standards. National health education standards:

Achieving excellence. American Cancer Society;

2007.

12. Gold RS, Miner KM. Report of the 2000 Joint

Committee on Health Education and Promotion

Terminology. J Sch Health. 2002:72(1):3-7.

13 . National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention

and Health Promotion, Division of Adolescent and

School Health. Characteristics of an Effective

Health Education Curriculum. 2008. Accessed

September 28, 2009.

14. National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and

Health Promotion. School health programs:

Improving the health of our nation‘s youth. Centers

for Disease Control and Prevention Web site.

http://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/

resources/publications/AAG/dash.htm . Updated

December 17, 2009. Accessed March 12, 2009.

15. American Cancer Society, American Diabetes

Association, American Heart Association. Learning

for life: Health education in schools. Atlanta, GA:

American Cancer Society, American Diabetes

Association, American Heart Association; 2008

16. Marx E, Wooley SF, Northrop D (Eds.). Health Is

Academic: A Guide to Coordinated School Health

Programs. NY, NY: Teachers College Press; 1998.

17. U.S.Department of Health and Human Services.

Healthy Youth: An Investment in Our Nation’s

Future, 2007. Atlanta, GA: Center for Disease

Control Coordinating Center for Health Promotion.

18. United States Department of Education Institute of

Education Sciences, National Center for Education

Statistics, 2008. Available at:

http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/. Accessed September

29, 2009.

19. Hawkins JD, Catalano RF, Kosterman R, Abbott R,

Hill K. Preventing adolescent health-risk behaviors

by strengthening protection during childhood. Arch

Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1999:153:226-234.

20. Health Education Advocate. Making your advocacy

efforts count. 2004. Available at:

http://www.healtheducationadvocate.org/Advocacy

%20brochure.pdf. Accessed August 10, 2009.

21. Ward SE, Koontz NL. Putting advocacy into action.

Health Educ Monogr. 1999;17:36-40.

22. American School Health Association.

Administrative support for school health. 2008.

Available at: http://www.ashaweb.org/i4a/pages/

index.cfm?pageid=3308. Accessed October 1,

2009. 9 American Association for Health

Education--www.aaheinfo.org –800-213

7193x437

Developing School Health Education Advocacy Skills Birch et al

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Figure 1. Characteristics of a quality school health education program

Effective School Health Education Ineffective School Health Education

Focuses on improving or maintaining specific health behaviors

Delivery of instruction guided by textbook chapters and worksheets

Addresses social pressures 13

Is lecture-based with minimal surface value assessments that lack variety and depth

Builds personal and social skills 13

Grades are combined with physical education or another content area, awarded a lower

weight or value than other subjects, or not listed

on official report cards/transcripts

Provides learning strategies, teaching methods and materials that are appropriate for the age,

developmental levels, and cultural backgrounds

of the students 13

Is taught by underprepared and unmotivated teachers without appropriate credentials

Allows for adequate instructional time specific to health education

Programs are offered in isolation or duplicate the work of other health programs and services

Is a planned and sequenced curriculum from prekindergarten through grade 12, which

progressively builds health concepts and skills 15

Inconsistently offered prekindergarten – grade 12

Programs are coordinated with other school and community health services

Perceived by the teacher and students as a rainy day activity or punishment

Teachers are appropriately credentialed/ licensed in health education, passionate about

health education, and regularly participate in

high quality professional development 15

Avoids health issues that create discomfort for the teacher or school administrator

Focuses strictly on information-based content

Is taught sporadically or only when special health events occur

Fails to effectively utilize community resources and parental involvement

Developing School Health Education Advocacy Skills Birch et al

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Figure 2. Importance of School Health or Potential Impact of Comprehensive School

Health Education

Effective comprehensive school health education reduces costs associated with medical treatment for preventable diseases including addiction counseling, alcohol-related motor vehicle

injuries, and drug related crimes. 16, p.44

Recent evidence suggests that promoting and establishing healthy behaviors as children and adolescents is more effective, and often easier, than efforts to change unhealthy behaviors already

established in adult populations. 17

Health risk behaviors that contribute to the leading causes of death in the US are often developed during childhood and prevention is the best cure for chronic disease. School health education

provides the fundamental basis for instilling behaviors into our young people to prevent or delay

the onset of the leading causes of death in our country. 17

Every day, public schools in the United States have the opportunity to reach 49.8 million students with health enhancing messages to promote healthy lifestyles and the necessary health skills to

engage in healthy behaviors. 18

Health education programs in schools can contribute directly to a student‘s ability to successfully adopt and practice behaviors that protect and promote health and avoid or reduce health risks.

Research has shown that school health education can effectively help reduce the prevalence of health risk behaviors among students and have a positive influence on students‘ academic

performance. 19

Developing School Health Education Advocacy Skills Birch et al

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Figure 3. Roles and Responsibilities of School Health Education Decision Makers

Examples of School Health Education Decision

Makers

Roles and Responsibilities

Elementary classroom teachers, middle and high

school teachers of health education

Teachers develop a sequence of instruction, select

the materials and methods to utilize for health

education instruction and assessment, and create

opportunities for parent and community

involvement.

School administrators (e.g. principal, district

curriculum director, superintendent)

School administrators are responsible for assigning

duties to teachers and evaluating and reporting

teacher performance, establishing school budgets,

which is associated with resource allocation to each

teacher and content area, identifying instructional

priorities, developing school schedules for content

offerings and availability, providing and approving

professional development opportunities for

teachers, and enforcing state and local policies.

Members of the local and state school boards of

education

State Boards of Education often establish state

standards for policies related to the instruction of

health education, and determine the qualifications

necessary to teach health education. Local Boards

of Education are responsible for developing

instructional policies, hiring teachers, and in some

districts, approving curriculum and materials used

by teachers.

Developing School Health Education Advocacy Skills Birch et al

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Figure 4. Strategies for Advocacy

Participating in Public Forums & Community Meetings –These include Parent Teacher

Organization meetings, local school board meetings, public hearings, and education forums are

examples of opportunities for local citizens to deliver advocacy messages to decision makers.

The following website offers an explanation of how school board meetings operate and gives

directions for how to participate. There are also links for video clips of archived school board

meetings to watch one in action.

http://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/lausd/board/secretary/html/umbflyer/umb1.html

Letters to the Editor – This forum is used by many to express a point of view or concern about

a public issue. The key when using this method to advocate for school health education is to be

engaging and persuasive yet remain brief using approximately 150 words or less. Use facts to

support an issue and cite sources so the editor can fact check if necessary. The link provided is

an example of a letter to the editor from an advocate for the National School Program advocating

for additional funding when the federal government reauthorizes the 2009 Child Nutrition Act:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/27/opinion/l27lunch.html .

Position Papers –These essays are used to express an organization‘s opinion about an issue and

are usually published in academic journals or by political action groups. These opinions are

often supported with valid and reliable research findings from other professionals in the field.

The link provided is an example of a position paper related to bullying behaviors and preventing

bullying http://www.adolescenthealth.org/PositionPaper_Bullying_and_Peer_Victimization.pdf

Position papers can be useful when citing support for an advocacy message.

Social Networking (blogs, wikis, MySpace/Facebook/YouTube, list servs, electronic discussion

boards)

The sites below are examples of how social networking and information sharing tools can be

used to share prevention messages and advocate for health promotion.

Students against Destructive Decisions:

MySpace - http://www.myspace.com/saddnational

Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/saddnational

Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/SADDnational

YouTube - CCROPP Initiative provides an example of a community that supports healthier

lifestyles. Videos available through YouTube demonstrate examples of how health advocacy has

Developing School Health Education Advocacy Skills Birch et al

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

improved healthy food access and physical activity opportunities in one community in which the

schools were a key stakeholder and critical partner in this effort.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=it1X_tHaM9g

Podcast – Audio or video files that are created to share a message over the Internet through

downloads or web streaming.

Cardiovascular Health - http://www.cvmd.org/

Public Service Announcements (PSAs) – These not for profit advertisement broadcasts are

offered on the radio or television on behalf of public interest. PSAs are intended to relay

information, usually related to health or safety issues, to create awareness or action. The

following link provides examples of PSAs developed by the National Ad Campaign for the

Coalition for Healthy Children to promote physical activity among children

http://healthychildren.adcouncil.org/filelibrary/MessagesForChildren.pdf .

Developing School Health Education Advocacy Skills Birch et al

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Figure 5. Advocacy Scenarios

Scenario 1

Smith High School has recently decided that health education will be taught as a part of the

science curriculum. There are a variety of career-oriented courses school officials want to offer,

and in order to make room in the required courses, they must remove a current requirement. The

principal and several teachers believe health education could easily be taught in high school

science classes when instructors cover anatomy. How will you advocate for the importance of a

qualified teacher and a standalone course in health education for all high school students? What

strategies will you use and what will be your message to the principal and school staff?

Scenario 2

New policies passed by the local public school board of education for Lee High School removed

health education as part of the required course curriculum for all students and provided it as a

one-course elective. Students are given the choice to enroll in a health education elective course,

during Junior and Senior years. This trend seems to be growing among similar school districts.

How will you advocate for the importance of comprehensive school health education, integrated

into a required 4-year curriculum?

Scenario 3

The local public school board of education is currently trying to decide if sexuality education

should be removed from the public schools. A few parents have voiced their beliefs that

sexuality education as well as all other health concepts should be taught at home by students‘

parents. As a result of hearing these parents‘ concerns, the board is now considering removing

ALL health education from the local schools. How will you advocate for the importance of

health education in public schools? To whom should your message(s) be directed and what

strategies will most effective?

Scenario 4

Kelvin and Tracey were two high school seniors at Pleasantville High School and were planning

to graduate in the spring, until they were in an automobile crash that ended Kelvin‘s life and left

Tracey paralyzed from the waist down. Kelvin and Tracey were coming home from the prom

when a car driven by a teenage driver under the influence of alcohol collided with their vehicle.

Parents became concerned about the type of prevention education the students were receiving in

school, and through investigation, found out that the teachers of health education decided not to

Developing School Health Education Advocacy Skills Birch et al

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

teach alcohol and drug prevention because they thought it had been taught in elementary school.

Develop a plan of advocacy to implement a comprehensive health education program at

Pleasantville High School.

Scenario 5

The local school board of education has decided not to fund a comprehensive school health

program. They plan to reallocate previous health education instruction funding to purchase an

Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug prevention curriculum that has been proven ineffective in

changing behavior. What is the best method for advocating to the local school board the

importance of an effective comprehensive health education curriculum? What should this

message include?

Scenario 6

A new magnet school, serving students in grades 9-12, recently opened in an area of a nearby

community, which is highly impacted by poverty, gang violence, and crime. The new magnet

school offers a state of the art dance and music program. There is also an accelerated math and

science wing with cutting edge technology resources available to staff and students. The director

of the new school has decided to use the additional state dollars to expand the technology lab and

the music equipment instead of employing a health education teacher. None of the teachers at

this new school is qualified or interested in teaching health education. You recently spoke with a

parent in your neighborhood whose child attends this school and found out that this child will

receive no health education while attending this school. How and why should you advocate for

the inclusion of health education at this school?

Additional Option

Create your own – what are you passionate about related to school health or what causes

frustration or concerns you about school health education?

Developing School Health Education Advocacy Skills Birch et al

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Figure 6. Practical Guidelines for Successful School Health Education Advocacy Efforts 2,

20, 21

Embrace Your Passion

Be proactive in getting started by engaging in advocacy efforts for issues about which you feel

passionate. What about your school health education experience either positively elevates or

negatively diminishes that experience? Are there aspects of that experience that gets you ―on

your soapbox,‖ either ranting of what could be better or praising positive aspects? If so, these

are aspects of school health education that you care about, which gives you a place to start for

your advocacy efforts.

Eliminate and Confront Your Fears

Many people do not feel comfortable voicing their opinions or taking a stance on an advocacy

issue, due to fear of appearing foolish or not having support from colleagues, peers, friends,

and/or family. It is important to realize that it is your right, as a private citizen, to engage in

advocacy efforts. The way to minimize your fears is to know the facts for the issue in which you

are advocating. ―Know why you are advocating for the issue, know how it is going to affect the

public, and be able to give key examples that support your advocacy agenda‖. 2, p.47

In addition,

practice verbally stating your stance on the issue with a friend; this practice will help you feel

more comfortable voicing the key points of importance with this issue.

Use Advocacy Tools

Use advocacy tools available in order to decrease barriers to advocating. The Health Education

Advocate website (http://healtheducationadvocate.org) provides timely advocacy information

related to health education and health promotion. The site provides resources for ―taking

action,‖ advocacy alerts on current national legislation involving health education and health

promotion, links to state legislation, and fact sheets on priority legislative issues affecting health

education. Websites, such as Thomas.gov, enables users to search all legislation that goes before

Congress. For school health education advocacy tools, go to the American School Health

Association website (http://www.ashaweb.org) to find fact sheets and resolutions on issues

affecting the well-being and health of school –aged individuals. For example, the first

resolution, found on this site, is entitled ―Administrative Support for School Health‖. 22

This

resolution provides facts, background research, and additional information to utilize when

advocating for administrative support of school health education. Any advocate for school

health education can download, and use these resolutions for support of a cause. In addition, the

American Association for Health Education (AAHE) provides a joint position statement from the

American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society, and the American Diabetes

Association (http://www.aahperd.org/aahe/pdf_files/statement.pdf) on the need and importance

Developing School Health Education Advocacy Skills Birch et al

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

of school health education. Advocates can use this tool for advocacy efforts at the local, state,

and national levels.

Make Time to Advocate

Time limitations and constraints pose barriers for advocacy. Many people believe that advocacy

is too time-intensive, and therefore, do not engage in such efforts. Ask yourself this, ―If not us,

then who?‖ Chaney and colleagues 2 provide several examples of advocacy approaches that have

worked, and these successes have helped to improve the health and well-being of all citizens of

this country. Therefore, it is crucial for all community members to feel it is their right to

advocate for causes dear to them. Exercise that right, and educate yourself on why it is

important for you (as a future community member) to play a key role in promoting community

and school health education in your local areas.

Developing School Health Education Advocacy Skills Birch et al

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Figure 7. Continued. Practical Guidelines for Successful School Health Education

Advocacy Efforts

Assess Needs

When planning an advocacy activity, it is important to know the needs of the group for which

you are advocating. In doing so, attempt to identify how much effort is required to produce the

desired change(s). Effort may vary, depending on the social environment and issue that is being

addressed. Once needs have been assessed, an effective strategic plan can be developed. ―By

having an idea of the surrounding circumstances, the health educator can be better prepared to

plan their advocacy efforts,‖ 2, p.47

Plan a Strategy

Depending on the effort needed to produce change, advocacy activities may include the

development of a group or coalition to advocate for larger scale issues, or efforts may entail the

work of a single advocate. Either way, to be most effective, it is important to develop a plan of

action. The main goal is to keep the issue at the forefront of the public‘s attention, particularly

targeting the individual and/or group(s) that can most directly affect change. For school health

education advocacy, the key decision makers need to hear that school health education is of

importance to the public. It is up to the advocate to provide evidence of this importance (use the

advocacy tools mentioned previously). There are many activities in which advocates can engage

to build a successful advocacy plan. Some of these include: writing letters to the editor, writing

letters to policymakers, developing a one-page fact sheet on local data to distribute to decision

makers, calling decision makers, meeting with decision makers, putting a ―local face‖ to the

cause, providing the media with information and stories regarding the issue at hand, and

becoming the resource person for your community when information of the issue is needed.

Follow-up

Successful advocacy requires a commitment that will likely require more than one-shot or once-

a-year actions. Advocates have to be committed to the cause, for longer than a day, month, or

even a year, as it takes time to see sustainable changes in communities. As a result of that

commitment, you should always follow-up with all contacts made. For example, if you have met

with a decision maker, send a thank you note for his/her time. Make sure to reiterate any

commitments made by the decision maker, and remind key people of the importance of your

cause. Successful advocates push their agendas in all they do, but with respect and dignity for

opposing sides. ―A successful advocate should view a relationship with a key policy maker as a

marriage, although you may occasionally disagree, you will work better in tandem than as lone

individuals.‖ 2, p.48

Developing School Health Education Advocacy Skills Birch et al

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Figure 8. Assessment Rubric for Advocacy Presentations

Criteria

Not

Addressed

Partially

Addressed

Complete

Comments

Accurately identified the

ineffective health education

practices presented in the

scenario

Advocated for effective

policies and or practices that

will better align the program

presented in the scenario with

the characteristics of a quality

school health education

Addressed the potential

impact of comprehensive

school health education

Identified multiple advocacy

strategies that might be

appropriate, given the

audience, health issue, and

available resources

Indicated the most appropriate

advocacy strategy to deliver

the advocacy message and

provide justification for the

selection of this strategy

Developing School Health Education Advocacy Skills Birch et al

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Figure 9. Resources & Extension Activities

Below is a list of additional ideas for teachers to implement with students outside of class, which

can be used if teachers desire to broaden the scope of the advocacy activity. These can be

optional activities for students who have a special interest in school health advocacy.

Instructors could ask students to do any of the following extension activities:

Attend a local school board meeting.

Write a letter to the editor of the local paper.

Interview a school board member, an administrator, a teacher.

Contact a local non-profit health-related volunteer agency such as the American Heart Association, American Diabetes Association, or an American Cancer Society chapter to

find out what actions are being taken in support of school health education in the

community.

A Middle School Summer Connection Program Lesson Sbarbaro and Smith

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

A Middle School Summer Connection Program Lesson: Water

Safety Vic Sbarbaro, EdD, CHES

1 ; Theresa Enyeart Smith, PhD, CHES

Author 1 is affiliated with California State University. Author

2 is affiliated with James Madison University.

Contact

Vic Sbarbaro at HCSV Department, Chico, CA 95929. Email: [email protected]. Contact Theresa Enyeart

Smith at 800 South Main Street, MSC 44301, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

Submitted November 11, 2010

Abstract

Objectives: After the completion of the water safety lesson, students will be able to: (1) accurately demonstrate

various life jacket techniques and the HELP and Huddle positions; (2) explain and analyze water safety information

and experiences by completing an analysis of water emergency scenarios; (3) obtain a score of 80% or greater on a

quiz covering water safety; and (4) complete a reflection paper about their personal water safety goals.

Target Audience: This teaching idea is appropriate for students in middle school health class.

mailto:[email protected]

A Middle School Summer Connection Program Lesson Sbarbaro and Smith

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

INTRODUCTION

Globally, drowning is the third leading cause of

accidental death, with 50% of drownings occurring

among individuals under the age of 20. 1,2

Moreover,

the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

(CDC) stated that drowning is the second leading

cause of unintentional injury deaths for ages 1-14 in

the United States. More specifically, roughly 5,000

children, ages 14 and under, are involved in

accidental drownings each year. Many of these

drowning deaths take place not only in pools, but also

in natural water settings, or waterfronts (e.g., lakes,

rivers, or oceans), 3 which vary in water quality,

clarity, currents, and beach conditions. 4 Twenty

percent of drownings occur in lakes, rivers, streams,

and storm drains. 5

Drownings occurring in the home

setting are most common within a swimming pool

(70%) where 77% of those found dead had been

missing for five minutes or less. 6

Water safety lessons learned at an early age should

protect students, especially those who are around

large bodies of water, throughout their lives. The

knowledge and skills students gain through this

teaching idea can be assessed using the revised

framework, National Health Education Standards

(NHES): Achieving Excellence (See Assessment

Technique), which provides the foundation for

curriculum, instruction, and assessment in health

education. 7

The NHES guide is an excellent tool for

assessment because the standards were developed

using health behavior theories and models and,

therefore, allow for an analysis of health promotion

and risk reduction behaviors among students. 7 This

teaching idea related to water safety facilitates the

use of these standards in planning, implementing, and

evaluating health education curriculum, instruction,

and assessment for students in a middle school.

OBJECTIVES

The goal of this teaching idea is to develop and/or

improve water safety skills among adolescents when

they are in and around all types of water. After the

completion of the water safety lesson, students will

be able to: (1) accurately demonstrate various life

jacket techniques and the HELP and Huddle

positions; (2) explain and analyze water safety

information and experiences by completing an

analysis of water emergency scenarios; (3) obtain a

score of 80% or greater on a quiz covering water

safety; and (4) complete a reflection paper about their

personal water safety goals.

MATERIALS AND RESOURCES

1. Teachers will need access to various media

sources (e.g., computer, television with a DVD

and/or VCR player) and have the basic

understanding and technology to use the media.

Students can use the search engine, Google, to

search key words including water safety,

drowning, life jackets, HELP and Huddle, and

waterfronts.

2. Each student will need paper, a pencil, and a

copy of the Water Safety quiz (Figure 1). The

teacher should refer to the answers to the Water

Safety quiz (Figure 2) and to the Water Safety

Scenarios used as activities in Unit 4 (Figure 3).

3. The teacher will need access to at least four life

jackets (preferably Coast Guard approved) of

various sizes. The teacher should be able to

access life jackets through the local American

Red Cross chapter, fire department, or through a

nearby aquatic/recreational facility. In addition,

four paddle oars or table tennis paddles, four

small rubber balls or tennis balls, and four cones

or objects around which students will maneuver

are needed. These items may be borrowed from

the physical education department within the

school or from a local recreational facility.

4. American Red Cross videos/DVDs, such as

Small Craft Safety and Longfellow’s Whale

Tales 8 (These items may be borrowed from the

local American Red Cross chapter at no cost or

for a minimal fee) or other videos/DVDs related

to water safety and articles about true water

safety emergencies stories are needed.

5. Teachers could use the AquaSMART

Teacher’s Guide, Water and Boating Safety

Grades 6-8 as a resource for topics covered in

A Middle School Summer Connection Program Lesson Sbarbaro and Smith

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

the water safety lesson. 9 Please refer to page

numbers 16, 20, 24, 25, 28, and 29 for

information regarding aquatic and boating safety

in and around water. The teacher may order this

free guide by calling 1-888-326-2822 or

accessing the website:

www.dbw.ca.gov/aquasmart.

TARGET AUDIENCE

This teaching idea is appropriate for middle school

students in health classes.

PROCEDURE

This lesson consists of five units, which include

various aspects of water safety. With time allotted

and access to materials, the teacher should choose

which of the following water activities to use. This

lesson in its entirety may take more than one class

period.

Unit 1

The teacher will administer a written pretest to

determine students‘ current water safety knowledge

(Figure 1). Using Figure 2, the teacher can determine

the accuracy of the pretest quizzes. After the pretest,

the teacher will present an overview of water safety

and discuss the importance of injury prevention and

safety. The overview can include American Red

Cross videos/DVDs, such as Small Craft Safety and

Longfellow’s Whale Tales, 8 or other videos/DVDs

related to water safety and articles in which true

stories about water emergencies are presented. The

AquaSMART Teacher‘s Guide: Water and Boating

Safety Grades 6-8 also could be used as a resource

for the overview. 9 Resources also could include

shared stories and experiences by students.

Unit 2

For the next unit, the teacher may invite a guest

speaker from a waterfront aquatics facility or fire

department to discuss and demonstrate the correct use

of life jackets/personal flotation devices (PFDs). The

teacher also may access information about PFDs and

water safety techniques by using the search engine,

such as Google, to search life jacket, HELP and

Huddle positions, water safety, drowning, and/or

waterfronts. The teacher should use the information

and pictures accessed to share with students. For

example, using Google, the teacher should type,

―help and huddle position.‖ Next, the teacher should

click on the link, ―Free Lifesaving Team support –

Survival Swimming – Help and Huddle….‖ By using

this process, the teacher will be brought to a written

and pictorial description of the HELP and Huddle

positions.

Unit 3

For the third unit, the teacher will organize a Life

Jacket Relay Race outside on a blacktop or grassy

area. In addition to being a physical activity exercise,

students will be engaged in demonstrating various

life jacket techniques (e.g., HELP and Huddle

positions) throughout the race. Students should be

divided into four teams with each group member

standing behind each other in a straight line. The

teacher will start the relay race by saying to the

students, ―Go!‖ The team members will assist the

team member at the front of the line to put on his/her

life jacket correctly. The student will sit on the

ground while wearing the life jacket and demonstrate

the HELP position for five seconds, stand up, pick up

a paddle oar or a table tennis paddle, and place a

small rubber ball or tennis ball on the paddle. The

student will walk quickly for about 15 yards, go

around one cone and head back to his/her team. If

the ball falls off of the paddle, the student must stop

and put the ball back on the paddle before continuing.

The race continues until all team members have had

an opportunity to participate. After the race, each

team will demonstrate the Huddle position with the

smallest person inside the huddle. This technique is

used to minimize heat loss.

Unit 4

After the Life Jacket Relay Race has been completed,

to culminate the previous units and end the water

safety lesson, the teacher will place students in small

groups of three to five students so that the teacher can

administer the Water Safety Scenarios (Figure 3).

A Middle School Summer Connection Program Lesson Sbarbaro and Smith

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

These scenarios may be distributed individually to

the students or the teacher may read the scenarios to

the entire class. Group members will discuss and

analyze the scenarios with the teacher‘s guidance.

After the scenario activity, students will complete a

water safety posttest (Figures 1 & 2). The teacher‘s

aim is for the students to achieve at least 80% on the

quiz (If 80% accuracy is not achieved, see Standard 1

under Assessment Technique).

Unit 5

At the end of the water safety lesson, students will

complete a one- to two-page reflection paper about

their personal water safety goals to be submitted to

the teacher the following day. The teacher will use

the question, ―What can you do to stay safe around

the water?,‖ as a prompt for students to use for their

reflection paper.

ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUE

The following is a partial list of the National Health

Education Standards. 7 Listed are examples to use as

an assessment for middle school students grades 6

through 9.

Standard 1: Students will comprehend concepts

related to health promotion and disease prevention to

enhance health. Before students listen and

participate in the various topics in the water safety

lesson, they will complete a quiz about water safety

(Figure 1) to determine their knowledge on the topic.

After the lesson has been completed, students will re-

take the quiz and obtain a score of 80% accuracy or

higher (Figure 1 & 2). If a majority of the students

do not score at least 80%, the teacher should review

the content of the lesson with the students to ensure

comprehension. The teacher may choose to give the

quiz again.

Standard 5: Students will demonstrate the ability to

use decision-making skills to enhance health. Using

the water safety information provided throughout this

lesson, students will analyze Water Safety Scenarios

(Figure 3). Each group member will explain

accurately how to protect him- or herself while

assisting others in and around the water.

Standard 6: Students will demonstrate the ability to

use goal setting skills to enhance health. At the end

of the water safety lesson, students will complete a

one- to two-page reflection paper about their personal

water safety goals.

Standard 7: Students will demonstrate the ability to

practice health-enhancing behaviors and avoid or

reduce risks. Using the techniques learned in the five

units, students will demonstrate healthy practices and

behaviors to improve their personal health as it

relates to water safety. Examples may include

correctly wearing a lifejacket and demonstrating how

to protect themselves while assisting others in the

water by practicing various water safety skills (i.e.,

HELP and Huddle Position).

A Middle School Summer Connection Program Lesson Sbarbaro and Smith

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

REFERENCES

1. World Health Organization. Violence and injury

prevention and disability: Drowning. World

Health Organization. http://www.who.int

/violence_injury_prevention/other_injury/drowni

ng/en/. Updated 2009. Accessed September 1,

2009.

2. Orlowski JP: Drowning, near-drowning, and

ice-water submersions. PediatrCLin North Am.

1987; 34:75-92.

3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting

system (WISQARS). http://webappa.cdc.gov/

cgi-bin/broker.exe. Updated April 23, 2009.

Accessed December 3, 2009.

4. The American National Red Cross.

Lifeguarding. Yardley, PA: Staywell; 2007.

5. Wintemute GJ, Kraus JF, Teret SP, Wright M:

Drowning in childhood and adolescence – A

population based study. Am J Public Health

1987; 77:830-832.

6. Edgar Snyder & Associates. Swimming injury

statistics. Edgar Snyder & Associates. 2008.

Available at http://www.edgarsnyder.com

/swimming-pool/statistics.html. Accessed

November 16, 2009.

7. The Joint Committee on National Health

Education Standards. National Health Education

Standards: Achieving Excellence (2nd Edition).

Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2007.

8. American Red Cross. Available at:

http://www.redcross.org. Accessed August 21,

2009.

9. The Wonderful World of AquaSMART.

Education navigation. The Wonderful World of

AquaSMART. Available at http://www.dbw.

ca.gov/aquasmart/. Accessed November 16,

2009.

A Middle School Summer Connection Program Lesson Sbarbaro and Smith

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

FIGURE 1

Water Safety Quiz

Directions: The following 10 statements are either True or False. On the line provided next to each

statement, write the letter “T” if the statement is True or “F” if the statement is False.

T / F____1. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that drowning is the second

leading cause of unintentional injury deaths for all ages.

T / F____2. Life jackets are referred to as personal flotation devices (PFDs).

T / F____3. Even good swimmers should wear a life jacket in any situation where there is a

chance of falling or being thrown into a river or lake.

T / F____4. In 90% of all drownings associated with a boating accident, the victim

was not wearing a life jacket.

T / F____5. If you fall into moving water, you should float downstream on your back going head first

to fend off obstacles and avoid entrapping the feet or legs.

T / F____6. In most states, the law indicates that children under 12 years of age must wear a

properly fitted, U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket while underway on a boat of 26

feet or less.

T / F____7. In most states, the law indicates that all persons on board a personal watercraft (like a

Jet Ski) and all persons being towed behind a boat (as in water skiing) do not have to

wear life jackets.

T / F_____8. There needs to be at least one life jacket for each person on a boat whether the

person can swim or not.

T / F_____9. One should not enter the water if he or she cannot determine the depth of the water or

observe potential hazards.

T / F____ 10. It is ok to swim in a canal because it is not against the law.

A Middle School Summer Connection Program Lesson Sbarbaro and Smith

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Directions: Complete questions 11-20 by listing your responses to each question in the spaces

provided.

List at least four objects that could be used to help a person in trouble in the water.

11._________________________

12._________________________

13._________________________

14._________________________

List the two positions a person can use to conserve body heat if s/he falls into a lake while wearing a life

jacket.

15. _________________________

16.__________________________

Accidents can happen at the pool, lake, river, and ocean. The four ways to rescue a victim safely from a

body of water are:

17. __________________________

18.___________________________

19.___________________________

20.___________________________

A Middle School Summer Connection Program Lesson Sbarbaro and Smith

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

FIGURE 2

Answers to the Quiz (Information can be found in the AquaSMART Teacher’s Guide)

1. True

2. True

3. True

4. True

5. False If you fall into moving water, you should float downstream on your back going

feet first to fend off obstacles and avoid entrapping the feet or legs. If the victim

was floating head first, possible head and/or spinal injury could occur.

6. True

7. False In many states, the law indicates that all persons on board a personal watercraft

(like a Jet Ski) and all persons being towed behind a boat (as in water skiing) have to

wear life jackets.

8. True

9. True

10. False In many states, it is against the law to swim in a canal. Those swimming in a

canal are considered to have trespassed and can be arrested or fined.

11 – 14: branch, towel, life jacket, pole, oar, paddle, shirt, belt, board, and so on.

15 – 16: HELP position and Huddle position

17 – 20: Reaching assist with hand or piece of equipment;

Throw assist with an object that floats;

Find an adult who can row out to the victim; and

Go call 9-1-1 to get help.

A Middle School Summer Connection Program Lesson Sbarbaro and Smith

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

FIGURE 3

Water Safety Scenarios

Students will get into small groups of three to five students. The teacher will provide written scenarios

to each student or read the scenarios to all students. Each group of students will explain and analyze

their answers for each of the scenarios. (Note: Listed below each scenario are possible responses for

further discussion.)

Scenario 1

Four seventh-grade students decide to ride their bicycles after school to a popular “swimming hole.”

When they arrive at the “swimming hole,” a student notices that there is a rope swing. The rope is

tied around a large tree branch that stretches over the water. The rope swing appears to be at least

5-7 feet above the water. These students have never experienced being on a rope swing. What are

some of the water safety issues that need to be addressed?

Using information gained from Units 1 and 2 possible responses for additional discussion are:

a) Always check the depth of water for hidden hazards, such as rocks, logs, branches, the

underwater terrain drop offs.

b) Water depth should be at least 9 feet deep before diving into that area.

c) Certain injuries can result from the person not letting go of the rope swing at the right time;

examples include broken bones, head, neck and spinal injuries, internal bleeding injuries

d) A swimmer does not know how to swim well enough to make it back to shore.

e) Learn how to swim.

A Middle School Summer Connection Program Lesson Sbarbaro and Smith

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Scenario 2

You are going to meet with some friends on a Saturday afternoon near a river that runs beneath a

bridge. When you arrive at the meeting spot, you notice that some friends are jumping off the bridge

into the river. One of your friends was dared to jump off of the bridge, does so, and then surfaces to

the top of the water but is having difficulty getting back to the shore. Answer the following questions:

a) What are some of the safety factors that need to be considered before jumping off the bridge?; b)

What steps should be taken to safely save someone in this situation?; c) What types of injuries can

result from jumping off the bridge into the river?

Using information gained from Units 1 and 2 possible responses for additional discussion are:

a) See responses a-e (Scenario 1).

b) These steps should be taken to safely save someone:

1. Reach out with your hand and keep your body weight low because you can be

pulled into the water, or you can reach out with a piece of equipment, such as a pole, a

branch, a towel, or an object for the victim to grab onto.

2. If you cannot reach the victim with your hand or a piece of equipment, you

can throw out something that will float for the victim to hold onto until help

arrives on the scene.

3. If you cannot reach or throw an object to the victim, try to find an adult who can row

out to the victim.

4. Call 9-1-1 to get help.

c) Someone who is rescued from the water may need first aid and be treated for hypothermia.

A Middle School Summer Connection Program Lesson Sbarbaro and Smith

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Scenario 3

You have been invited by one of your friends and his/her family to spend an afternoon at a lake. Your

friend asks you if you want to go out on the lake in a canoe. You notice that there is only one life

jacket in the canoe and it does not fit you because it is too big. How would you respond to your

friend?

Using information gained from Units 1, 2, and 3, possible responses for additional discussion are:

a) Wearing properly fitted life jackets is a very important safety practice for water sports, boaters,

and rafters; if the life jacket is too big, it will pop off over your head when you fall into the

water.

b) Life jackets should always be worn while boating, water skiing, or riding a jet ski.

c) The parent/guardian will be fined if there are not enough life jackets for each person in the

boat.

d) It is important to follow the boating rules of the lake so that no one is injured.

Cast Away with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Barry

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Cast Away with Maslow‟s Hierarchy of Needs: Using Film to Teach

Motivations Impacting Human Behavior Adam Barry PhD

Author is affiliated with the Department of Health and Kinesiology at Purdue University. Contact Adam Barry at

800 W. Stadium Avenue, 111D, West Lafayette, IN 47907. Email:[email protected]

Submitted November 3, 2009

Abstract

The film, Cast Away, will be used to demonstrate the underlying concepts of Maslow‘s Hierarchy of Needs.

Objectives: At the conclusion of this teaching idea, students will be able to describe the five levels present in

Maslow‘s Hierarchy of Needs and analyze how the main character of Cast Away progressed through these levels.

Target Audience: This lesson is intended for high school and/or undergraduate students participating in general

health courses or those specifically aimed at mental health processes.

Key Words: Maslow, Hierarchy of Needs, Film, Motivation

Cast Away with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Barry

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

INTRODUCTION

Hunt, a proponent of using film as an instructional

tool, contended that a struggle for many instructors is

providing students with meaningful, concrete

examples to demonstrate conceptual points they are

trying to make. 1 Because films (i.e., movies)

typically engage students, stimulate them emotionally

and physiologically, as well as provide a visual

medium, scholars contend that film may be useful in

helping students make the conceptual link between

course work and reality. 2 Moreover, films allow

course content to become ―immediate, relevant, and

concrete.‖ 3(p155)

The use of film as a teaching tool is

present in fields spanning health education, 4

abnormal psychology, 5-6

educational leadership, 7

sociology, 8 counseling,

9 and science.

10 Therefore, in

order to capitalize on the merits of using film as a

teaching tool, the movie, Cast Away, 11

will be used to

demonstrate and explore the intricacies of Maslow‘s

Hierarchy of Needs. 12-14

OBJECTIVES

At the conclusion of this teaching idea, students will

be able to:

describe the five levels present in Maslow‘s Hierarchy of Needs;

12-14

analyze how the main character in Cast Away progressed through the levels of needs

outlined in Maslow‘s Hierarchy of Needs.

MATERIALS

To implement this lesson, the following materials are

required:

A DVD or VHS copy of the film Cast Away, starring Tom Hanks;

A DVD or VHS player, depending on the type of movie used;

A compatible television; and

Copies of Figure 2 for students.

TARGET POPULATION

This lesson is intended for high school students

and/or college students at the undergraduate level.

The topic is applicable to general health courses as

well as those that are focused specifically on mental

health processes, such as psychology, social work or

counseling.

PROCEDURE

The three teaching steps of this lesson include a short

class discussion on Maslow‘s Hierarchy of Needs, 12-

14 a viewing of portions of the film, and the

assessment technique. These steps likely will span

two 50-minute class sessions.

Step 1: Introduce Students to Maslow’s Hierarchy

of Needs

This primer session about Maslow‘s Hierarchy of

Needs 12-14

is intended to last approximately 20

minutes. Key concepts include Maslow‘s five

overarching needs that motivate human behavior.

These needs, in hierarchal order (from most

imperative to least imperative regarding survival)

include physiological needs, safety needs, love needs,

esteem needs, and the need for self-actualization. 12, 15

Typically, the needs outlined by Maslow are depicted

as a pyramid-shaped diagram (See Figure 1).

To understand the relative importance of each level

of need in relation to the others, Maslow proposed

the following rule of thumb: ―The higher the need the

less imperative it is for sheer survival, the longer

gratification can be postponed…‖ 13(p57)

Consequently,

physiological needs are considered the ―most potent

of all needs.‖ 12(p373)

In other words, higher needs are

not as immediately pressing for a person. A

deficiency in higher needs, such as self-actualization

and self-esteem, fails to create the urgency and

defense reaction generated by a lack of lower level

needs, such as food, water or safety. Furthermore,

lower level needs are never truly eliminated for

anyone. A need can be met (e.g., eating a sandwich

to satiate hunger), which in turn causes that need to

no longer be the central motivator; however, this

need is always present and, therefore, typically

continually impacts human behavior.

Step 2: View Cast Away

After concluding the introductory discussion of

Maslow‘s Hierarchy of Needs and before beginning

the film, students should be provided Figure 2, which

contains the assessment strategy for the lesson.

Providing the assessment questions before viewing

Cast Away with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Barry

100

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

the movie will assist students in note taking,

documenting the different types of need portrayed in

the film, and drawing connections between the film

and Maslow‘s Hierarchy of Needs. 12-14

(See Figure

The viewing of Cast Away will take approximately

60 minutes, spanning the second-half of the first

session/class and the beginning half of the following

session/class. To maximize instructional time and

limit exposure to unnecessary portions of the film,

instructors should start the film at the point in which

the main character becomes stranded on the island

(DVD = Chapter 9; VHS = 31 minute mark). The

film should be stopped at the point where the main

character departs the island (DVD = Chapter 23;

VHS = 94 minute mark).

ASSESSMENT STRATEGY

After the film has been stopped, the instructor should

explain to students that they will be writing an essay

about Chuck Noland‘s experiences on the island.

More specifically, students will examine how Noland

addressed his particular levels of needs and

progressed through Maslow‘s proposed stages. This

essay will be completed as a homework assignment.

The questions and expectation outlined in Figure 2

(Assessment Strategy) will provide the structure for

developing the essay. Students should use their notes

from the Cast Away viewing as well as the class

discussions to complete this assignment.

After outlining the assessment strategy, the remaining

portion of class (roughly 20 minutes) should be used

to further reinforce the key concepts of Maslow‘s

Hierarchy of Needs and how they were manifest in

Cast Away. The discussion will assist students in

forming their answers to the homework assignment

and filling-in their notes from the viewing. The

following questions, and accompanying potential

answers, can be used to guide such a discussion:

1. According to Maslow, what needs are most urgent? (Physiological)

a. What needs appeared to be most urgent to Chuck Noland? Did his

actions agree with Maslow‘s

Hierarchy? (Yes; once on the

island, he immediately sought food)

2. What were some of the items already present on the island that Chuck used to

meet one of his needs? (Coconuts, Rocks,

Sticks, Palmetto Leaves).

a. What need(s) did these items meet? (Physiological, Safety)

3. What were some of the items from the FedEx boxes that Chuck used? (Ice Skates,

Clothing, Volley Ball, VHS Tapes)

a. What need(s) did these items meet? (Physiological, Love)

4. During his stay on the island, what need(s) required the majority of Chuck Noland‘s

time/ energy/effort? (Physiological)

5. In comparison to his first few days on the island, what differences did you notice in

Chuck Noland after he resided there for four

years? (He became self-sufficient, using

natural resources to meet his need (i.e., He

was able to fish with a spear, predict

weather with homemade calendar, and build

fire at will)

Cast Away with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Barry

101

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

REFERENCES

1. Hunt CS. Must see TV: The timelessness of television as a teaching tool. Journal of

Management Education. 2001; 25(6): 631-

647.

2. Champoux JE. Film as a teaching resource. J Manage Inquiry. 1999; 8(2):206-217.

3. Anderson DD. Using feature films as tools for analysis in a psychology and law course.

Teach Psychol. 1992; 19(3): 155-158.

4. Petit ML, DeBarr KA. Health care 101: An analysis of John Q. American Journal of

Health Education. 2007; 38(3): 166-168.

5. Chambliss C, Magakis G. Videotapes for use in teaching psychopathology. 1996; No. ED

395 243.

6. Nissim-Sabat D. The teaching of abnormal psychology through cinema. Teach Psychol.

1979; 6: 121-123.

7. English FW, Steffy BE. Using film to teach leadership in educational administration.

Educ Admin Quart. 1997; 33(1): 107-115.

8. Demerath NJ, III. Through a double-crossed eye: Sociology and the movies. Teaching

Sociology. 1981; 9(1): 69-82.

9. Gladstein GA, Feldstein, JC. Using film to increase counselor empathic experiences.

Couns Educ Superv. 1983; 23: 125-131.

10. Dubeck L. Science fiction aids science teaching. Phys Teach. 1990; 28: 316-318.

11. Cast Away. Dir. Robert Zimeckis. Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation. 2000.

12. Maslow AH. A theory of human motivation. Psychol Rev. 1943; 50: 370-396.

13. Maslow AH. Motivation and Personality. 3 rd

ed. Addison-Wesley Longman, Inc. 1954.

14. Maslow AH: Toward a Psychology of Being. 3

rd ed. Wiley. 1998.

15. Zalenski RJ, Raspa R. Maslow‘s hierarchy of needs: A framework for achieving human

potential in hospice. J Palliat Med. 2006;

9(5): 1120-1127.

Cast Away with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Barry

102

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Figure 1 - Maslow‘s Hierarchy of Needs

Source: Maslow AH. Motivation and Personality. 3 rd

ed. Addison-Wesley Longman, Inc. 1954

L e a st

U rg

e n t

N e e d s

M o st

U rg

e n t

N e e d s

Esteem Needs

Ex: Personal Worth, Success, Achievement

Self-Actualization

Ex: Reach Full

Potential

Love Needs

Ex: Group Acceptance, Affiliation, Friends,

Relationships

Safety Needs

Ex: Safe environment, Order, Stability, Security

Physiological Needs

Ex: Food, Water, Air, Sleep

Cast Away with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Barry

103

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Figure 2 – Assessment Strategy

Directions: Write about Chuck Noland‘s experiences while he was stranded on the island. More specifically, describe how

Chuck met his needs (e.g., physiological, safety, love, esteem, and actualization) and progressed through the stages of need

outlined by Maslow. The following questions and expectations are intended to guide you through the writing process by

providing key content to include in your essay. Use examples from class discussion and the film Cast Away to support your

answers. Please make sure to write in complete sentences and use appropriate grammar. Essays should range between 3-5 pages.

Question Expectations Scoring

1. Describe the five levels present in Maslow‘s

Hierarchy of Needs

- Describe each level, including at least two examples of each

- 2pts: Describes each level; includes two examples for each

- 1pt: Describes each level; includes fewer than two examples for each

- 0 pts: Does not describe all five levels

2. Which need(s) does Maslow contend is most

urgent/necessary? Why?

- Identify one level of need. - Provide one reason why this need is

most urgent.

- 2 pts: Identifies correct level; includes supporting rationale

- 1 pt: Identifies correct level; lacks supporting rationale

- 0 pts: Does not identify correct level

3. Which needs did Chuck Noland first try to address

when he arrived on the

island? How did he

accomplish meeting these

needs?

- Identify two levels of need. - Provide at least one supporting

example for each level of need.

- 2 pts: Correctly identifies two levels; provides one example of each

- 1 pt: Correctly identifies one level; provides one example

- 0 pts: Does not identify any correct levels

4. What items from the FedEx boxes did Chuck Noland use?

What need(s) did each of

these items meet?

- Identify three FedEx box items used. - Identify how each item was used to

meet at least one level of need.

- 2 pts: Correctly identifies three items; describes how each item was used

- 1 pt: Correctly identifies one or two items; describes how each item was used

- 0 pts: Does not correctly identify any items

5. How did Chuck meet his Safety need?

- Identify how the environment was used or altered to meet his need for

safety.

- 2 pts: Correctly identifies how the environment was either used or altered to meet the safety

need

- 0 pts: Does not identify how the environment was used or altered

6. How did Chuck meet his Love need?

- Identify any relationships he had on the island that met his need for love.

- 2 pts: Correctly identifies an island relationship meeting the love need

- 0 pts: Does not identify an island relationship

7. In comparison to his first few days on the island, what

differences did you notice in

Chuck Noland after residing

there for four years?

- Identify three specific, observable differences/changes.

- 2 pts: Identifies three specific changes - 1 pt: Identifies one or two specific changes - 0 pts: Does not identify any specific changes

8. In your opinion, did Chuck Noland ever meet his need for

self-actualization during his stay

on the island? Why or why not?

- Explain why you believe his full potential was either met or not met.

- Provide at least one supporting example.

- 2 pts: Provides rationale for opinion; includes at least one supporting example

- 1 pt: Provides rationale for opinion; does not include a supporting example

- 0 pts: Does not provide a rationale for opinion

9. Did Chuck progress through Maslow‘s Hierarchy of Needs in

the order proposed by Maslow?

In other words, did Chuck

address his lower-level needs

before his higher-level needs?

- Identify the order in which he progressed through Maslow‘s stages.

- Provide at least one supportive example for each level, in chronological order.

- 2 pts: Correctly identifies progression through stages; includes an example of each level

- 1 pt: Correctly identifies progression through stages; does not include examples

- 0 pts: Does not correctly identify progression through stages

Eat This, Rather Than That Hyman

104

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Eat This, Rather Than That:

Teaching Healthy Food Choices to Youth Bill Hyman MS, PhD

Author is affiliated with the Department of Health and Kinesiology at Sam Houston State University. Contact Bill

Hyman at PO Box 2176, Huntsville, TX 77341. Email: [email protected]

Submitted September 11, 2009

Abstract

As indicated in the latest National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) report, youth obesity

continues to increase, indicating that the development of engaging methods for teaching proper nutrition to youth is

likely more important than ever.

Objectives: Students will locate and interpret nutritional information, identify healthy qualities of foods, and choose

healthy food options in various food service settings.

Target Audience: Middle school and high school students.

Eat This, Rather Than That Hyman

105

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

INTRODUCTION

Obesity is a major health concern in the United

States, even to the point of being an epidemic. In the

National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

(NHANES), it was reported that the prevalence of

obesity among 6-11 year olds and 12-19 year olds has

increased to 17 percent and 17.6 percent

respectively. 1 Two of the Healthy People 2010

national health objectives are to reduce the

prevalence of (1) overweight and obesity among

adults to less than 15% and (2) obesity among

children and adolescents to less than 5%. 2

Nevertheless, in the Healthy People 2010 Midcourse

Review, it was reported that the weight status of

adults and youth shows a trend away from these 2010

targets. 3

This trend of overweight and obesity raises

public health concerns not only because of its impact

on youth during their child and adolescent years, but

also because of the impact it carries into adulthood.

The dietary contributions to obesity and deficiencies

in youth dietary patterns are well established. The

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

reported that less than 40 percent of children and

adolescents meet the dietary guidelines for saturated

fats of keeping consumption to less than ten percent

of total calories. 4 Low calcium consumption, high fat

consumption, and excessive caloric intake indicate

additional nutrition problems for youth. Alarmingly,

the National Cancer Institute reported that three out

of four Americans die each year because of serious

diseases that are linked to what is eaten. 5 These

diseases include:

Coronary heart disease

Type 2 diabetes

Cancers (endometrial, breast, and colon)

Hypertension (high blood pressure)

Dyslipidemia (for example, high total cholesterol or high levels of triglycerides)

Stroke

Liver and Gallbladder disease

Sleep apnea and respiratory problems

Osteoarthritis (a degeneration of cartilage and its underlying bone within a joint)

Gynecological problems (abnormal menses, infertility)

6, 7

In the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the

foundational information for building a healthy diet is

presented. 8 In addition to recommending that

Americans eat a variety of nutrient-dense foods,

including more fiber-rich fruits, vegetables, and

whole grains, a few specific recommendations are

made about limiting some foods. Specifically

targeted for decrease in consumption in these

Guidelines are fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sugars,

and sodium. The specific guidelines are that

Americans should:

consume less than 10 percent of calories from saturated fatty acids and fewer than

300mg/day of cholesterol.

keep trans fatty acids intake as low as possible.

keep total fat intake between 20 and 35 percent of calories.

consume most fats as polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fatty acids.

reduce sugar and starch containing foods.

consume fewer than 2,300 mg of sodium per day

One tendency attracting attention in the obesity

epidemic is the connection between obesity and the

dramatic increase in eating away from home,

specifically in fast food restaurants. 9, 10

If youth learn

to make healthy choices when eating away from

home, the development of health literacy in this area

is critical, and health teachers carry a responsibility to

promote health literacy among all students. 11

Presented in this teaching idea are specific activities

that may be used to teach the theme of ―food swaps,‖

which is found in the food/diet book, Eat This, Not

That. 12

The premise of the book is that a significant

difference exists between meal and food items, and

that substitutions, or food swaps, can be made that

will reduce the calories, fat, saturated fat, sugars, and

sodium consumed. Examples are provided from fast

food and chain restaurants, traditional holiday meal

options, supermarket purchases, and other settings.

The activities in this teaching idea are designed to

challenge students to research the nutrition

information for their favorite and most common

Eat This, Rather Than That Hyman

106

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

foods and offer healthier alternatives, directly

addressing several of the National Health Education

Standards 13

including:

Standard 1 – Students will comprehend concepts related to health promotion

and disease prevention to enhance

health;

Standard 3 – Students will demonstrate the ability to access valid information

and products and services to enhance

health; and,

Standard 5 – Students will demonstrate the ability to use decision-making skills

to enhance health.

OBJECTIVES

These teaching strategies will enable students to:

a. locate and interpret nutritional data and information on a wide variety of food items

typically popular among youth;

b. indentify healthy quantities of foods; and, c. choose healthy food options in various food

service settings, including the school

cafeteria, restaurants and fast food

establishments, and recipes.

MATERIALS AND RESOURCES

Each student will need:

access to a classroom copy of Eat This, Not That, which can be acquired from the school

library, local library, or local book store;

a list of food choices available through the school cafeteria, including the school meal

services selections, snack bar options, and

vending machine items;

access to the Nutritive Value of Foods from the United States Department of Agriculture

(this resource is located at:

http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/Dat

a/HG72/hg72_2002.pdf);

internet access to locate the nutritive values of foods from restaurants and fast food

establishments;

poster board and markers; and,

a copy of the recipe worksheet (Figure 1).

TARGET AUDIENCE

This teaching idea is appropriate for students in

middle school and high school grade levels.

PROCEDURES

Prior to using these teaching activities, students

should be instructed on the basics of proper nutrition

using the Food Pyramid 14

and the Dietary Guidelines

for Americans, with the understanding that the

typical American diet is too high in calories, fat,

saturated fat, sugar, and sodium. The websites for

these teaching resources are located in the reference

section of this article. Each of the following

activities is estimated to take two to three class

sessions for research and preparation with an

additional class session allotted for the creation of the

poster or recipe worksheet.

Activity One: Order This, Rather Than That – in

the school cafeteria.

In groups of three or four, require students to compile

a list of the foods from the school snack bar, vending

machines, and/or cafeteria that they likely would

choose for an entire week. Using their lists, instruct

students to determine the nutritional value of the food

choices offered through the school meal program. A

most helpful resource for this activity is Nutritive

Value of Foods, 14

which is found online at :

http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/Data/HG72/

hg72_2002.pdf. Students also may be able to obtain

some of the nutrition information from school food

service personnel.

After students obtain that nutritional information, the

instructor should distribute a poster board and

markers to each group. Students should create a

poster using ideas from the pages in Eat This, Not

That to show the calorie, fat, saturated fat, sugar, and

sodium content of the food or menu items. These

items then should be compared and contrasted with

menu items that are lower in these nutrients. Posters

also should contain the citation of the sources of

information gathered by the students. Require the

groups to present their posters to the class and

http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/Data/HG72/hg72_2002.pdf

Eat This, Rather Than That Hyman

107

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

recommend food items, including the reason for their

recommendation.

Activity Two: Order This, Rather Than That – Local

restaurants and fast foods.

In groups of three or four, have students select their

favorite restaurants or fast food establishments and

compile the nutrition information of their favorite

meals offered by that restaurant. An internet search

using the name of the restaurant will take students to

many websites where the nutritional content of their

menu items are provided. Students should access the

nutrition information link to find the nutritional value

of the menu items. Next, students should contrast an

order of one main entrée, one side order, and one

beverage that includes high content of calories, fat,

saturated fat, sugar, and sodium with another order

that is significantly lower in calories, fat, saturated

fat, sugar, and sodium. The instructor should

distribute a poster board and markers to each group

and require students to construct a page similar to the

pages in Eat This, Not That wherein it is

recommended that the more desirable menu items

should be chosen over the less desirable items.

Activity Three: Add This, Rather Than That – to

recipes.

Ask students to bring a recipe from home to class,

perhaps one of their favorite dishes, or a recipe for a

favorite dish located in a magazine or found through

an internet search. Instruct students to determine the

ingredients in the recipe. Require students to find

what healthy ingredients may be substituted for some

of the ingredients listed in the recipe. The following

two websites offer some healthy substitution options:

www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/ healthieryou/html/tips_healthy_subs.html

www.mayoclinic.com/health/healthy- recipes/NU00585

A worksheet with questions about the recipe as well

as a substitution suggestion chart is provided in

Figure 1.

ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUE

Students should present and display their posters for

the entire class, explaining the nutritional detriments

of the unhealthy menu items and providing a

rationale for their alternative choices. The instructor

will use a rubric (See Figure 2) for grading the Eat

This, Rather Than That activities. The rubric will be

used to assess each student‘s research skills,

familiarity with nutritional content, understanding of

the purpose and importance of making healthy

substitutions in food selections, and application of the

materials chosen for comparison. The quality and

appearance of the presentation is the final rubric

topic.

Eat This, Rather Than That Hyman

108

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

REFERENCES

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Health and Nutrition Examination

Survey (NHANES). National Center for Health

Statistics, Hyattsville, MD. Available at:

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes.htm. Accessed

June 8, 2009.

2. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Healthy People 2010. 2nd ed. With

Understanding and Improving Health and

Objectives for Improving Health. 2 vols.

Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing

Office, November 2000.

3. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Healthy People 2010 Midcourse Review.

Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing

Office, December 2006.

4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance – United States

– 2007. Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report

2008; 57(SS-05): 1-131.

5. National Cancer Institute. NCI Health Information Tip Sheet for Writers: Diet and Diseases.

Available at: http://www.cancer.gov/newscenter

/tip-sheet-diet-related-diseases. Accessed June 14,

2009.

6. National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. (2008). Working Group Report on Future Research

Directions in Childhood Obesity Prevention and

Treatment. Available at: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov

/meetings/workshops/child-obesity/index.htm.

Accessed June 14, 2009.

7. Ogden CL, Carroll MD, McDowell MA, Flegal KM. Obesity among adults in the United States –

no change since 2003—2004. NCHS data brief no

1. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health

Statistics, 2007.

8. United States Department of Agriculture. 2005. Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005. Available

at: www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/

dga2005/document/html. Accessed June 14, 2009.

9. Pereira MA, Kartashov AI, Ebbeling CB, Van Horn L, Slattery ML, Jacobs DR, Jr, Ludwig DS.

Fast-food habits, weight gain, and insulin

resistance (the CARDIA Study): 15-year

prospective analysis. Lancet. 2005;365:36–42.

10. Prentice AM, Jebb SA. Fast foods, energy density and obesity: A possible mechanistic link. Obesity

Reviews. 2003;4:187–194.

11. National Dairy Council. Educators Journey into Nutrition Education: Why Teach Nutrition?

Available at: www.nutritionexplorations.org

/educators/whyteach.asp. Accessed June 8, 2009.

12. Zinczenko, D. Eat This Not That. New York: Rodale Press; 2008.

13. National Health Education Standards PreK-12. Second Edition. American Cancer Society. 2007.

14. United States Department of Agriculture. 2009. The Food Pyramid. Available at:

http://www.mypyramid.gov/ Accessed

September 9, 2009.

15. United States Department of Agriculture. 2002. Nutritive Value of Foods. Available at:

http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/Data/HG

72/hg72_2002.pdf. Accessed June 14, 2009.

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes.htm

http://www.cancer.gov/newscenter%20/tip-sheet-diet-related-diseases

http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/%20dga2005/document/html

http://www.mypyramid.gov/

http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/Data/HG72/hg72_2002.pdf

Eat This, Rather Than That Hyman

109

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Figure 1: Recipe Worksheet

RECIPE WORKSHEET ANSWERS

What ingredients contribute the largest number of

calories to the recipe?

What ingredients contribute the greatest amount of fat

to the recipe?

What ingredients contribute the greatest amount of

saturated fat to the recipe?

What ingredients contribute the greatest amount of

cholesterol to the recipe?

What ingredients contribute the greatest amount of

simple sugars (empty calories) to the recipe?

INSTEAD OF: TRY:

Eat This, Rather Than That Hyman

110

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Figure 2: Eat This, Rather Than That

Grading Rubric

Grading Criteria Target

(points)

Acceptable

(points)

Unacceptable

(points)

1. Demonstrates an understanding of the purpose of the “food swaps” from a nutritional perspective:

Exhibits an understanding of the importance of healthy

substitutions. Correctly identifies components of menu items high

in calories, fat, saturated fat, sugar and sodium.

3 2 1

2. Makes clear comparisons and contrasts of food items:

Provides justification for specific substitutions and comprehends

the calorie, fat, saturated fat, sugar, and sodium ―savings‖ possible

by making healthier selections.

3 2 1

3. Provides valuable and applicable material and information:

Material has practical application to food choices of the intended

audience. Various food selection settings are addressed. Choices

presented lead to healthier eating habits.

3 2 1

4. Uses accurate and well-researched information:

Carefully checks facts and presents all information with accuracy.

Uses reliable sources of information.

3 2 1

5. Presents all information and material in a well-organized, attractive fashion:

Creative poster that generates interest in content. Captures

attention of target audience. Grammar and spelling on poster is

correct. Acceptable presentation style.

3 2 1

The Story of Bottled Water Nowak et al.

111

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

In Sponsorship The Story of Bottled Water: Understanding the Environmental

Impact of Bottled Water Use Amy Versnik Nowak

1 , PhD; Ashley Goodmund

2 ; and Kristen Gates

2 Author

1 is affiliated with the Department of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation at University of Minnesota

Duluth; Authors 2,3

are undergraduate students at University of Minnesota Duluth. Contact the authors at 1216

Ordean Court, Duluth, MN 5812.

Email:[email protected]

Submitted March 25, 2011

Abstract

Bottled water use negatively impacts the environment and human health.

Objectives: After this lesson, students will be able to (1) identify similarities and differences between bottled water

and tap water, (2) list ways that bottled water is marketed to consumers, (3) explain the environmental impact of

bottled water use, and (4) identify ways to reduce the environmental impact of bottled water use.

Primary Audience: Middle school and junior high school students.

The Story of Bottled Water Nowak et al.

112

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Introduction

Water is important for health and daily bodily

functions. From regulating body temperature and

lubricating joints to flushing out waste and carrying

nutrients and oxygen to cells, water is necessary for

human survival (Mayo Foundation for Medical

Education and Research, 2011). Due to its importance,

having access to fresh drinking water is a basic human

right and one that is promoted by health organizations

and nations around the world. The United Nations

Millennium Development Goals include ensuring

environmental sustainability and reducing the number

of people without sustainable access to safe drinking

water by 2015 (World Health Organization [WHO],

2000). In the United States, in Healthy People 2020,

four environmental health objectives directly address

water access, quality, conservation, and safety (U.S.

Department of Health & Human Services [USDHHS],

2010).

Although no one could argue successfully

against the benefits of water consumption and the

importance of clean water, there are concerns about

how water is being consumed—especially in America.

Even though 90% of Americans have access to clean,

and virtually free, tap water, bottled water

consumption has increased dramatically in the United

States over the past couple decades to the place where

consumers are purchasing over half a billion bottles

per week (Leonard, 2010; Soechtig et al., 2009). The

production, distribution, and waste management issues

associated with this sheer volume of plastic bottles is

immense and takes a toll on the environment

(Leonard, 2010). In addition, the plastic water bottles

are made with a toxic ingredient called bisphenol A

(BPA), which has been banned from children‘s

products in many countries and nine U.S. states due to

its negative effects on human reproduction and

development (Janssen, 2011; Kim, 2011; National

Institutes of Environmental Science, 2007). With

increasing bottled water consumption and the health

concerns associated with BPA, the simple act of

choosing bottled water over tap water is having

widespread environmental and health impact around

the globe (Leonard, 2010; Soechtig et al., 2009).

The purpose of this lesson is to help students

understand the importance of water and how bottled

water use impacts the environment, which

corresponds with National Health Education Standard

I: Students will comprehend concepts related to health

promotion and disease prevention to enhance health

(The Joint Committee on National Health Education

Standards, 2007). Specifically addressed in this lesson

is performance indicator 1.8.3: Analyze how the

environment affects personal health. The lesson is

centered on the web-based animation, ―The Story of

Bottled Water,‖ narrated by Annie Leonard (2010). In

this video, it is revealed how bottled water

consumption impacts the earth and the health of

humans. The activities provided in this lesson give

students a chance to learn about the issue of bottled

water consumption and consider individual and

community solutions.

Objectives

After this lesson, students will be able to:

identify similarities and differences between bottled water and tap water,

list ways that bottled water is marketed to consumers,

explain the environmental impact of bottled water use, and

identify multiple ways that individuals and communities can reduce the environmental

impact of bottled water use.

Materials and Resources

● Computer, Internet access, projector, and screen

● Downloadable Materials from the Story of Bottled Water website

a. Story of Bottled Water video (Leonard, 2010)

b. Story of Bottled Water Myth Versus Reality handout (Leonard, 2010)

● Lesson introduction (Table 1)

● Lecture notes (Table 2)

● Lesson conclusion (Table 3)

● Worksheet (Table 4)

● Quiz (Table 5)

● Answer keys for worksheet and quiz (Table 6)

The Story of Bottled Water Nowak et al.

113

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Primary Audience

This activity is designed for students in

middle school and junior high school. The lesson may

be used in a health class or social studies class that is

concentrated on health, environmental, community, or

global issues.

Procedure

Preparation:

To prepare for the Story of Bottled Water

learning activity, the instructor should complete each

of the following:

1. Go to the Story of Bottled Water website and access the two Downloadable

Materials (a. and b. listed under the

Materials and Resources section of this

article).

2. Review the entire Procedures section of this article as well as the video and/or

lecture materials (Tables 1, 2, and 3).

3. Copy the following documents (1 each per student)

a. Story of Bottled Water Myth Versus Reality handout (b.

Under Materials and Resources)

b. Worksheet (Table 4) c. Quiz (Table 5)

Class Period Prior to the Story of Bottle Water

Lesson:

Distribute one copy of the Story of Bottled

Water Myth Versus Reality handout to each student as

an assigned reading, which should be finished before

the day that the Story of Bottled Water lesson is

scheduled. This reading is designed to increase

awareness and interest among students for the

upcoming Story of Bottled Water lesson.

Class Period for the Story of Bottled Water

Lesson: Total Time available: 45 minutes

(including 8 minute Assessment)

Introduction (Table 1): 2 minutes: Introduce The Story of Bottled Water activity using

the provided introduction content (Table 1). Before

beginning the video or lecture, distribute the

worksheet (Table 4), which students should complete

while watching the video or listening to the lecture.

Completion of the worksheet will prepare students for

discussion and for the assessment activity (Table 5).

To prepare students for the quiz, inform them that they

will be assessed on the content of the worksheet at the

end of the lesson.

Video or Lecture (Table 2): 16 minutes:

For the main part of the lesson, choose one of two

options: (1) show the Story of Bottled Water video,

which can be viewed in a web browser or downloaded

to a computer or (2) provide a lecture on the Story of

Bottled Water video content using the provided

lecture notes (Table 2).

Conclusion (Table 3): 5 minutes: Address

the key points of the video or lecture by using the

provided conclusion content (Table 3). The last part of

the conclusion content has questions suitable to pose

to the class for discussion: ―What things can YOU do

to reduce your carbon footprint due to bottled water

use? What can you do at home, in our school, or in the

community?‖ Allow the students to raise their hands

and share their ideas.

Small Group Discussion: 7 minutes: Divide

students into groups of 3-4 to compare and discuss the

answers on their worksheets (Table 4).

Class Discussion & Review: 7 minutes:

Review each worksheet question (Table 4) with

students and provide correct responses, which are

provided in Table 6. The purpose of the worksheets is

to serve as a learning tool to facilitate discussion

among students and help them prepare for the lesson

assessment/quiz, so the worksheets do not need to be

graded.

Assessment Technique

A quiz that stems from the Story of Bottled

Water worksheet and aligns with the objectives of this

learning activity is provided in Table 5. Before this

lesson begins, students should be informed that they

will be quizzed on the content of the Story of Bottled

Water worksheets. Administer the quiz during the last

8 minutes of class. At the conclusion of the class,

collect and grade the quiz using the answer key

provided (Table 6).

The Story of Bottled Water Nowak et al.

114

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

References

Janssen, S. (2011, March 7). China bans BPA, leaves

U.S. behind yet again. Retrieved from

http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/sjanssen /china_bans_bpa_leaving_us_behi.html. Accessed April 14, 2011.

Kim, A. (2011, March). Time to ban BPA? Retrieved

from

http://www.governing.com/topics/health- human-services/Time-Ban-BPA.html. Accessed April 14, 2011.

Leonard, A. (2007). The story of stuff: Annie‘s bio.

The Story of Stuff. Retrieved from

http://www.storyofstuff.com/annie.php. Accessed April 12, 2011.

Leonard, A. (2010). The story of bottled water

materials. Retrieved from

http://storyofstuff.org/bottledwater/downl oads/. Accessed April 12, 2011.

Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and

Research. (2011). Functions of water in the

body. In Nutrition and Health Eating.

Retrieved from

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/medical/I

M00594. Accessed April 12, 2011.

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

– National Institutes of Health (2007).

Sinceyou asked–Bisphenol A. Retrieved

from

http://www.niehs.nih.gov/news/media/que stions/sya-bpa.cfm. Accessed April 14, 2011.

Soechtig, S., Lindsey, J., Walrath, M., Walrath, M.,

Gibson, S., Deeter, J., & Mai, E. (2009).

Tapped: FAQ. Retrieved from

http://www.tappedthemovie.com/. Accessed

April 12, 2011.

The Joint Committee on National Health Education

Standards. (2007). National Health

Education Standards: Achieving Excellence

(2nd ed.). Atlanta: American Cancer

Society.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

(2010). Environmental health objectives.

Healthy People 2020. Retrieved from

http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topicso

bjectives2020/objectiveslist.aspx?topicid=12

. Accessed April 12, 2011.

World Health Organization. (2000). Millennium

development goal 7: Ensure environmental

sustainability. Retrieved from

http://www.who.int/topics/millennium_deve

lopment_goals/mdg7/en/index.html.

Accessed April 12, 2011.

http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/sjanssen/china_bans_bpa_leaving_us_behi.html

http://www.governing.com/topics/health-human-services/Time-Ban-BPA.html

http://www.storyofstuff.com/annie.php

http://storyofstuff.org/bottledwater/downloads/

http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mayoclinic.com%2Fhealth%2Fmedical%2FIM00594&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNE7xdPMveFH-WfvtHZ1li5Npe_b-Q

http://www.niehs.nih.gov/news/media/questions/sya-bpa.cfm

http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tappedthemovie.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFcvhPIu5hc3wPKYCYfqfSSOKD_7w

http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthypeople.gov%2F2020%2Ftopicsobjectives2020%2Fobjectiveslist.aspx%3Ftopicid%3D12&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFqJzlV3-Y3f6W2lWbFn7tA2KcMWQ

http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.who.int%2Ftopics%2Fmillennium_development_goals%2Fmdg7%2Fen%2Findex.html&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFBpqVZlQ00LRCpyQH62wpsijRZIg

The Story of Bottled Water Nowak et al.

115

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Table 1

Lecture Introduction

Water is important for health (Mayo

Foundation for Medical Education and

Research, 2011).

 Moistens tissues (mouth, eyes, nose)

 Protects body organs and tissues  Helps prevent constipation  Helps dissolve minerals and other

nutrients during digestion

 Regulates body temperature  Lubricates joints  Flushes out waste products  Carries nutrients and oxygen to

cells

Access to clean and safe drinking water is an important goal for all nations.

 The United Nations Millennium Development Goals include ensuring

environmental sustainability and

reducing the number of people without

sustainable access to safe drinking

water by 2015 (World Health

Organization [WHO], 2000).

 In the United States, in Healthy People 2020, four environmental health

objectives directly address water access,

quality, conservation, and safety are

identified (USDHHS, 2010).

Bottled water is an environmental health issue.

 Even though 90% of Americans have access to clean and virtually

free tap water, drinking bottled

water has increased dramatically in

the United States over the past

couple decades (Soechtig et al.,

2009).

 A handful of countries, including Canada, China, and the European

Union, and nine U.S. states have

banned bisphenol A (BPA), the

main ingredient of plastic water

bottles, from children‘s products

due to its negative effect on human

reproductive and development

functions (Janssen, 2011; Kim,

2011; National Institutes of

Environmental Science, 2007).

 With increasing bottled water consumption and the fact that most

nations have not banned BPA from

plastic water bottle production, the

simple act of choosing bottled

water over tap water is having

widespread environmental and

health impacts around the globe

(Leonard, 2010; Soechtig et al.,

2009).

The Story of Bottled Water Nowak et al.

116

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Table 2

Lecture Notes (Leonard, 2010)

Bottled Water vs. Tap Water

Cleanliness

In many ways, bottled water is less regulated than tap.  Tap water is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Safe Drinking Water

Act.

o Public water operators must provide reports regarding water source, contaminants in the water, and compliance with government regulations.

 Bottled water is regulated by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA). o Bottled water companies are not required to disclose the water source, how it was treated, or

contaminants in the water.

Taste

In taste tests across the country, people consistently choose tap over bottled water. Cost

Bottled water costs about 2,000 times more than tap water.

DISCUSSION: Can you imagine paying 2,000 times the price of anything else? How about a $10,000 sandwich?

10-15% of the cost of bottled water goes to the bottled water advertising budget.

Marketing of Bottled Water

History of bottled water sales.

If companies want to keep growing, they have to keep selling more and more product. In the 1970s, giant soft drink companies got worried as their growth projections started to level off. Companies found their

next big idea in a fad...Perrier ® designer water.

So how do you get people to buy this product that you can get free through the tap? Through “manufactured

demand.”

Fear/scare tactics: make people feel scared and insecure if they don’t have it.

Fantasy/seduction: pictures of mountains streams and pristine nature  Nature scenes make people think the water comes from pristine natural sources when, in fact, one third

of all bottled water in the U.S. actually comes from the tap.

False/misleading environmental claims  In an ad by a large bottle water company, it was written, ―bottled water is the most environmentally

responsible consumer product in the world.‖

 Make their water sound like something more than just water and better than tap water by boasting about special filtration processes and mineral additives.

Environmental Footprint of the Bottled Water Industry

People in the U.S. buy more than half a billion bottles of water every week—enough to circle the globe more than five times.

Each year, making the plastic water bottles used in the U.S. takes the equivalent of 17 million barrels of oil—enough oil and energy to fuel a million cars for one year. Even more energy is used to ship bottled

water around the planet.

Eighty percent of the bottles end up in landfills, where they will sit for thousands of years, or in incinerators, where they are burned, releasing toxic pollution.

The Story of Bottled Water Nowak et al.

117

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Table 2 (continued)

The rest of the plastic water bottles get collected for recycling. Shiploads of these leftover plastic bottles are sent to India, where mountains of plastic bottles are found. Instead of being recycled into more bottles,

these bottles are down-cycled, which means turning them into lower quality products that will be thrown

away later. The parts that couldn‘t be down-cycled are simply thrown away. That means the plastic water

bottles used in the United States are shipped all the way around the world to be thrown into a dump in

India. DISCUSSION: Would you want other countries to ship their waste to America?

Know Your Rights

Access to clean, safe drinking water is a right.

In 2002, the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights said that water is a human right and that water is necessary for human dignity and the realization of other human rights.

The bottled water industry sees tap water as an enemy to their business:  One bottled water company Vice Chairman publicly said ―the biggest enemy is tap water!‖ Bottle

water companies want consumers to think tap water is dirty and bottled water is the best alternative.

 In many places, public water is polluted due to polluting industries like the plastic bottle industry.

What You Can Do

Make a personal commitment not to buy or drink bottled water unless the water in your community is unhealthy as determined by your local or state health department.

Use a mug, glass, or BPA-free reusable bottle when drinking water.  There are safe, easy-to-clean, and lightweight reusable drinking water bottles.

Install an under-the-sink filter to eliminate bacterial and chemical particles.

Learn more about your water quality by contacting your local water utility.

If there are local water quality issues in your neighborhood, get your neighbors together to figure out what changes are needed for improvements, including contacting your government representatives about how

and why those changes need to happen.

Join a campaign group of people who are working for real solutions, such as demanding investment in clean tap water for all. In the U.S., tap water is underfunded by $24 billion partly because many people

believe drinking water only should come from a bottle. Currently, around the world, a billion people don‘t

have access to clean water. Yet cities all over the world are spending millions of dollars to deal with all the

thrown out plastic bottles. DISCUSSION: What if people all over the world spent that money improving

our water systems or, better yet, preventing pollution?

Lobby your city officials to bring back drinking fountains.  In many states, building codes mandate one source of public water for every 1,000 people that a

building can accommodate.

Work to ban the purchase of bottled water by your school, organization, or entire city.

Your Efforts Make a Difference

In the United States, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Seattle, and Salt Lake City have banned bottled water at city functions to save money and promote their cities‘ tap water.

In Canada, 72 municipalities from 8 provinces and 2 territories have implemented restrictions on bottled water.

Bottled water sales have begun to drop while business is booming for safe refillable water bottles.

Restaurants are proudly serving ―tap‖ and people are choosing to pocket the hundreds or thousands of dollars they would otherwise be wasting on bottled water.

The Story of Bottled Water Nowak et al.

118

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Carrying bottled water is on its way to being uncool, because we know better now.  Consumers are not buying into ―manufactured demand‖ for bottled water as often anymore.

The Story of Bottled Water Nowak et al.

119

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Table 3

Lecture Conclusion (Leonard, 2010)

A. Bottled water does not taste better than tap water. Many times, taste is shaped by

advertising rather than what is good for

consumers. The bottled water industry is not

meeting consumer demand; rather, it is

creating consumer demand by using

misleading advertising strategies.

B. Tap water is regulated by the strict EPA standards while bottled water is regulated by

the FDA, which has no reporting

requirements. The best long-term solution

for healthy drinking water and the

environment is not bottled water; it is

making sure that everyone has access to safe

tap water.

C. Tap water is more convenient, less costly, and better for the environment than bottled

water. Using a reusable bottle and filling it

from public sources is convenient, low-cost,

and does not add to landfill waste or air

pollution.

D. Recyclable does not mean something is ―green‖ or good for the environment.

Drinking tap water has a MUCH lower

carbon footprint than bottled water.

Drinking tap water is one of the best ways to

reduce global warming.

E. There are lots of things we can do as individuals and communities to reduce our

carbon footprint in relation to bottled water

use. DISCUSSION: What things can YOU

do to reduce your carbon footprint due to

bottled water use? What can you do at

home, in your school, or in your

community?

The Story of Bottled Water Nowak et al.

120

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Table 4 Story of Bottled Water Worksheet

Please complete the following statements while viewing the short animations (or listening to the lecture).

1. Tap water is regulated by the _____________ under the Safe Drinking Water Act.

2. Bottled water is regulated by the _____________.

3. Who is required to provide reports regarding water source, contaminants in the water, and compliance with government regulations?

a. Public water operators who oversee tap water sources b. Bottled water companies c. Both public water operators and bottled water companies

4. Bottled water costs about ___________________ times more than tap water.

5. Convincing people to buy products they don‘t really need is a marketing strategy called _________________________ _________________________ .

6. List 3 messages that marketers use to get people to buy bottled water. a. b. c.

7. Americans consume half a _________________ bottles of water each week, which is enough to circle the earth __________________ times.

8. Making plastic water bottles used in the U.S. takes the equivalent of _______ million barrels of oil, which is enough oil and energy to fuel ______ million cars for one year.

9. _________ % of water bottles end up in landfills or get incinerated.

10. What can you do to reduce the environmental impact of bottled water use? a. Make a personal commitment not to buy or drink _______________ water unless the water in your

community is truly unhealthy.

b. Use a mug, glass, or BPA-free reusable bottle to drink _____________ water. c. Work to ban the purchase of _____________ water by your school, organization or entire city.

11. San Francisco, Minneapolis, Seattle, and Salt Lake City have banned ______________ water at city functions to save money and promote their cities‘ ______________ water.

12. Bottled water sales have begun to _____________ while business is booming for safe refillable water bottles.

The Story of Bottled Water Nowak et al.

121

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Table 5 Story of Bottled Water Quiz

Score: ____/50 possible points (5 points per each of 10 questions)

Multiple Choice: Please circle the best answer for each question.

1. True or False? Bottled water companies are required to disclose the source of their water, how the water was treated, and contaminants in the water.

a. True b. False

2. True or False? In taste tests, people consistently chose bottled over tap water. a. True b. False

3. Americans consume _________ bottles of water each week, which is enough to circle the earth ________ times. a. Half a million, 24 b. Half a billion, 5 c. Half a trillion, 12

4. 80% of water bottles: a. end up in land fills or get incinerated b. are recycled c. are down-cycled

Matching: Please place the letter (A, B, C) next to the example (5, 6, 7, & 8) that best describes the term (next to

A, B, and C).

A. Scare tactics

B. Seduction

C. Misleading environmental claims

5. _____ In an ad by a large bottled water company, it is written, ―bottled water is the most environmentally

responsible consumer product in the world.‖

6. _____ Pictures of mountain streams and pristine nature scenes.

7. _____ A local ad in which it is written, ―The label says FIJI because it‘s not bottled in Cleveland.‖

8. _____ A top water executive said, ― When we‘re done, tapped water will be regulated to showers and washing

dishes.‖

Short Answer: Please answer the following questions as thoroughly as possible.

9. Describe one way that environmental factors affect human health.

10. List 3 ways that you or your community can reduce the environmental impact of bottled water use.

The Story of Bottled Water Nowak et al.

122

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Table 6

Answer Key for Tables 4 (Worksheet) & 5(Quiz)

Answer key for worksheet

1. EPA 2. FDA 3. Public water operators who oversee tap water sources

4. 2,000 5. manufactured demand 6. scare, seduce, mislead 7. billion, 5 8. 17, 1 9. 80% 10. What can you do to reduce the environmental impact of bottled water use?

a. bottled b. tap c. bottled

11. bottled, tap 12. drop

The Story of Bottled Water Nowak et al.

123

Health Education Teaching Techniques Journal -2011, Volume 1

Answer key for quiz

1. False 2. False 3. B. half a billion, 5 4. A. end up in landfills or get incinerated 5. C. Misleading environmental claims 6. B. Fantasy/Seduction 7. A. Scare tactics 8. A. Scare tactics 9. Possible answers for ways that environmental factors affect human health. a. Provides natural resources (e.g., air, water, plants), which are essential to life. b. Of all the chemicals used in production today, only 5 percent have been tested for their effects on human health.

c. In working to keep prices low, many businesses employ strategies such as skimping on health insurance for their workers.

d. By putting toxins into our products and environment, we are essentially putting them into our bodies. e. By releasing pollution into the environment, we are increasing our incidence of asthma and certain types of cancers.

f. Toxic chemicals build up in the food chain and concentrate in our bodies. g. Toxins present in our products but also released into the air, land, and water as pollution through

factories production.

h. In the U.S., each person creates about 4 ½ pounds of garbage a day, leaving less healthy and livable environments in which to live.

i. By incinerating products we create super-toxins, which are released into the environment, taken into the body, causing us to be sick.

10. Possible answers for ways you or your community can reduce the environmental impact of bottled water use.

a. Make a personal commitment not to buy or drink bottled water unless the water in your community is unhealthy.

b. Use a mug, glass, or BPA-free reusable drinking water bottle to drink tap water c. Install an under-the-sink filter to eliminate bacterial and chemical particles. d. Learn more about your water quality by contacting your local water utility. e. If there are local water quality issues, organize your neighbors to get improvements by getting people together, figuring out what changes are needed, and telling your government representatives how and

why those changes need to happen.

f. Join a campaign that‘s working for real solutions, such as demanding investment in clean tap water for all.

g. Lobby your city officials to bring back drinking fountains. h. Work to ban the purchase of bottled water by your school, organization or entire city.

with