Lesson 10.2: The Effects of Alcohol

Overview

This lesson focuses on the physical, mental, and emotional effects of alcohol as well as the risks associated with underage drinking.

Learning Targets

  • Identify signs of alcohol use.
  • Explain short- and long-term effects of alcohol use on the body.
  • Describe what alcohol may do to an unborn child if the mother drinks during pregnancy.
  • Discuss two social consequences of underage drinking.

Preparation

For the Warm-Up Activity: Write the journal question on the board, or identify (and copy as needed) the worksheets you plan to use:

For the Content Focus: Open the Lesson 10.2 PowerPoint slides, or make copies of the Lesson 10.2 Note-Taking Guide.

For the Lesson Focus: Copy the Lesson 10.2 Deciding to Be Alcohol Free Skill-Building Challenge Worksheet.

Warm-Up Activity

Select a warm-up activity to help get your class focused and on task.

  • Journal Question: What do you know about the physical, mental, emotional, and social effects of drinking alcohol?
    • Option: Write or project the question, and have students respond in their journals as they enter class.
    • Option: Have students discuss the questions with a partner or in a small group.
  • Vocabulary Review: Have students work individually, in partners, or in small groups to complete the Lesson 10.2 Vocabulary Review Worksheet.
  • Quiz: Have students complete the Lesson 10.2 Quiz to assess their prior knowledge.
    • Option: Collect the quizzes, and use them alongside posttests to demonstrate student learning.
    • Option: Have students share their answers with a partner and then go over the answers together as a class.

Lesson Content

Review the content from the textbook lesson.

Option: Use the Lesson 10.2 PowerPoint slides to review the chapter content.

Option: Have students use the Lesson 10.2 Note-Taking Guide to review chapter content. Ask students to work alone, in pairs, or in small groups. Review the questions as a class if time permits.

Lesson Focus: Deciding to Be Alcohol Free

  1. Provide each student with a copy of the Lesson 10.2 Deciding to Be Alcohol Free Skill-Building Challenge Worksheet. Have students work individually to complete the worksheet.
  2. Create a topic web on the board titled “Consequences of Choosing to Drink.” Ask students to share their consequences. Write each shared consequence on the outside of the web. Follow up with each student, and ask whether the consequence is physical, mental, emotional, or social.
  3. Create a topic web on the board titled “Positive Outcomes of Choosing NOT to Drink,” and write student responses on the outside of the web. As each method is listed, ask the other students in the class to raise their hands if they listed the same (or a similar) outcome.
  4. Once all student responses are listed on the board, have each student revisit their worksheet and add any items on the board they would like to their worksheet. Have students circle the consequences or positive outcomes on their worksheet that are most meaningful to them.

Challenge Activity

Have students who need an additional challenge work on the following critical-thinking task.

With all the negative effects that alcohol can have on a person, why do you think some teens still choose to drink? Begin by listing as many influences as you can think of, and then use that list to help you write a one-paragraph response to the question.

Reflection and Summary

Review the critical content from today’s lesson. Review the learning targets, and ask students to answer each question posed.

Can you…

  • Identify signs of alcohol use?

    Signs include change of friend groups, not caring about a lot of things, no longer involved in favorite activities, difficulty concentrating, low energy, uncaring or overly argumentative with people, and a deteriorated physical appearance.

  • Explain short- and long-term effects of alcohol use on the body?

    Short-term effects may include blurred or double vision, sweating increase and skin becoming flushed, dehydration, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and indigestion. Long-term effects may include brain damage, memory loss, stroke, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, cirrhosis of the liver, less ability to fight off infections, and inflamed lining and bleeding of the stomach.

  • Describe what alcohol may do to an unborn child if the mother drinks during pregnancy?

    Effects include miscarriage, stillbirth, and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD).

  • Describe two social consequences of underage drinking?

    You may lose friends, and family and friends may not trust you; you may have hangovers; or you may act more impulsively and embarrass friends and family; or worse, you or someone else may be hurt or even be killed by your actions.

Assessment

Complete one or more of the following assessment tasks for this lesson.

  • Quiz: Have students take the Lesson 10.2 Quiz.
  • Vocabulary Review: Collect the Lesson 10.2 Vocabulary Review Worksheets, and evaluate them for accuracy.
  • Note-Taking Guide: Collect the completed Lesson 10.2 Note-Taking Guides, and spot check one or more items for completion and accuracy.
  • Skill-Building Worksheet: Have students submit the Lesson 10.2 Deciding to Be Alcohol Free Skill-Building Challenge Worksheets, and use the Decision-Making Holistic Rubric to evaluate their skill development.
  • Journal Question: Ask students to respond to the journal question again, adding information they learned from today’s class. Require a one-paragraph response that uses proper grammar.

Take It Home

Find a show or movie that is showing people drinking alcohol. While watching, see how many short- and long-term effects of alcohol you can list that were discussed in this lesson. What were some of the consequences of drinking that affected the person or people on the show?