Subjects
Subject(s)
Arts & Humanities
--Language Arts
Mathematics
--Statistics
Health
--Our Bodies
Science
--Life Sciences
Social Studies
--Civics
--Current Events
--Economics
--Geography
--Government
Grades
Grades 2-up
News Content
Have smoking bans in apartments and communities gone too far?
Anticipation Guide
Before reading, write the word ban on a board or a sheet of chart paper. Ask students What is a ban? They might say it is a rule or law that stops people from doing something. Ask students to give examples of bans with which they are familiar. Write down the ideas they share. For example, they might share that chewing gum is banned from school; loud talking is banned in movie theaters; or smoking is banned in hospitals. After completing the class list, ask Why are bans put in place? (Often bans are intended to protect peoples health, safety, or enjoyment.) Are bans a good idea? Can they go too far?
News Words
Next, introduce these words that appear in the News Word Box on the students printable page: apartment, resident, landlord, insurance, and government. Discuss the meanings of any of those words that might be unfamiliar. Then ask students to use one of those words to complete each of these sentences:
Read the News
Click for a printable version of this weeks news story Apartment, Community Smoking Bans Debated.
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More Facts to Share
You might share these additional facts with students after they have read this weeks news story.
Comprehension Check
Revisit the Anticipation Guide at the top of this lesson; ask students to respond again to the questions you asked. Did the news story change any ideas expressed before reading it?
Think About the News
Discuss the Think About the News question that appears on the students news page. You might use the think-pair-share strategy with students to discuss this question. If you use this strategy
Note: This particular issue, if viewed strictly from a health angle, is pretty clear. But, for many people, this issue is not so black and white. It is about freedom of choice. Thats where the fuzziness comes in. Many smokers and non-smokers alike dont support apartment or community bans on smoking; they see those bans as legislating freedom. Younger students will probably not see clearly the freedom" issues that surround this debate, and that is ok; you should not expect a sophisticated or nuanced discussion of the gray areas of this debate. Your young students focus on the health aspects of the issue are grade-appropriate and should be supported. As the teacher, it is simply your job to make sure students are aware that some people fear that bans such as those introduced in this news article could be signs that government is getting too involved in aspects of peoples lives where they do not belong.
Think some more. Write the following expression on a board or a sheet of chart paper:
"The wind can come into a man's house, but the king cannot."Ask students to explain what they think that expression means. For example, to some it might mean that government has no business in someones house (unless a crime is being committed); or that smoking is not a criminal act so smokers should not be treated as criminals.
Follow-Up Activities
Health smoking. You will find activities related to smoking in the Education World article, Anti-Smoking Activities 'Permeate' the Curriculum. See other activities too, including a Smoking Danger Demonstration and a review of the childrens book Smoking Stinks.
Geography smoking bans in your state. Share with students a U.S. map of states with smoke-free laws on the books. Ask students to identify the states that have no 100% smokefree" laws. See additional smoke-free maps.
Math how much does it cost to smoke? How much does a pack of cigarettes cost in your community? If a smoker smokes two packs of cigarettes a week, how much money will he or she spend in a year?
Geography cigarette taxes by state. Have students refer to this chart to learn how much tax each state levies on a pack of cigarettes sold in that state. Provide each student with a blank outline map of the United States. Then have each student create a color key for his or her map. The key will show three different colors:
1) states that charge $.99 (99 cents) or less tax on a pack of cigarettes,
2) states that charge $1.00 to $1.99 tax per pack, and
3) states that charge $2.00 tax per pack or more.
Have students color their map based on the color key they created.
Assessment
Have students work on their own (in their journals) or in their small groups to respond to the Think About the News question on the news story page or in the Comprehension Check section.
Lesson Plan Source
Education WorldNational Standards
LANGUAGE ARTS: English
GRADES K - 12
NL-ENG.K-12.1 Reading for Perspective
NL-ENG.K-12.2 Reading for Understanding
NL-ENG.K-12.3 Evaluation Strategies
NL-ENG.K-12.4 Communication Skills
NL-ENG.K-12.11 Participating in Society
NL-ENG.K-12.12 Applying Language Skills
PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND HEALTH: Health
GRADES K - 4
NPH-H.K-4.1 Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
NPH-H.K-4.3 Reducing Health Risks
NPH-H.K-4.4 Health Influences
NPH-H.K-4.7 Health Advocacy
GRADES 5 - 8
NPH-H.5-8.1 Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
NPH-H.5-8.3 Reducing Health Risks
NPH-H.5-8.4 Health Influences
NPH-H.5-8.7 Health Advocacy
GRADES 9 - 12
NPH-H.9-12.1 Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
NPH-H.9-12.3 Reducing Health Risks
NPH-H.9-12.4 Health Influences
NPH-H.9-12.7 Health Advocacy
SCIENCE
GRADES K - 4
NS.K-4.3 Life Science
NS.K-4.6 Science in Personal and Social Perspectives
GRADES 5 - 8
NS.5-8.3 Life Science
NS.5-8.6 Science in Personal and
GRADES 9 - 12
NS.9-12.3 Life Science
NS.9-12.6 Science in Personal and Social Perspectives
SOCIAL SCIENCES: Civics
GRADES K - 4
NSS-C.K-4.1 What Is Government?
NSS-C.K-4.3 Principles of Democracy
NSS-C.K-4.5 Roles of the Citizen
GRADES 5 - 8
NSS-C.5-8.1 Civic Life, Politics, and Government
NSS-C.5-8.3 Principles of Democracy
NSS-C.5-8.5 Roles of the Citizen
GRADES 9 - 12
NSS-C.9-12.1 Civic Life, Politics, and Government
NSS-C.9-12.3 Principles of Democracy
NSS-C.9-12.5 Roles of the Citizen
SOCIAL SCIENCES: Economics
GRADES K - 4
NSS-EC.K-4.11 Money
NSS-EC.K-4.16 Government in the Economy
GRADES 5 - 8
NSS-EC.5-8.11 Money
NSS-EC.5-8.16 Government in the Economy
GRADES 9 - 12
NSS-EC.9-12.11 Money
NSS-EC.9-12.16 Government in the Economy
SOCIAL SCIENCES: Geography
GRADES K - 12
NSS-G.K-12.1 The World in Spatial Terms
See recent news stories in Education World's News Story of the Week Archive.
Article by Gary Hopkins
Education World®
Copyright © 2009 Education World
05/21/2009