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Curriculum: Strive to Survive
Lessons cover such topics as brain structure and function, how we learn, how we perceive the world around us, the biology of drug dependency decision making and health-related choices.
Concepts:
The brain's reward system is responsible for survival instincts which reinforce our feelings of pleasure and well being. Drug use affects the brain's reward system, and fools it into thinking our basic needs are being met.
Objective:
Students will identify the effects of drugs on the reward system by completing a collection activity.
Materials:
For each group of four students, 96 colored chips 16 of each color six different colors - red, blue, green, yellow, purple, orange glasses with colored lenses, one pair for each student data sheet (image) stopwatch one collection container per student (a paper cup with a slot cut in the bottom and turned upside down)
Activity:
Give each group of four students 96 colored chips Food and Water - Red (16) Sleep - Blue (16) Shelter - Green (16) Responsibilities - Yellow (16) Extra - Purple (16) Extra - Orange (16)
The object of the activity is for each student to collect exactly four chips of each color (red, blue, green and yellow), the colors representing basic necessities for survival. Students will have 45 seconds to collect the chips. They must pick up each chip one at a time, placing them into the slot on the collection cup. Students may only use one hand for collecting chips. There will be a total of five trials (three without wearing the colored lenses and two trials wearing the colored lenses, representing the effect of being on drugs). After each trial, students should fill in their data sheets, recording the number of each color chip collected.