Unit

Timeframe

Big Ideas (Statements or Essential Questions)

Major Learning Experiences from Unit (what do you want kids to know and be able to do)

Unit 1- Introduction, Course syllabus expectations, Common Language

3 Class periods

A Common Language

What is addiction? What are the behaviors of addicts? What are key terms when talking about addiction

Definition of Drug use/Misuse/Abuse, distinguishing between substance abuse and misuse, key terms related to addiction and what is addiction, psychoactive vs. non-psychoactive 

Unit 2- Drugs and the Brain.

How Drugs act on the brain

5 Class Periods

How do drugs affect the brain? What causes the high? Neurotransmitters

Distinguishing parts of the brain

Distinguishing between  emotions, how we feel when we see pictures that make us happy/sad/angry and how it relates to addiction

Overview of the nervous system

Neurological responses

Long term health effects of drug use on the brain

Short term health effects

Overview of the anatomy of nervous system

Unit 3- The process of Addiction

2-3 class periods

What happens when individuals become addicted to drugs?

Physical Dependence, Route of Administration, Tolerance, Withdrawal, Set an setting, Cross Tolerance, Synergism, Antagonism

Unit 4- Classifications of Drugs

4 Class periods

What are different drug classifications and what drugs go into each classification?

Research different drug classifications

Research street names of drugs

Health effects of  commonly abused drugs

Unit 5- Stimulant Drugs

5 class periods

What are the major stimulant drugs? How many overdoses a year? Dangers of Vaping and Tobacco products

What are stimulant drugs?

Cocaine/Crystal meth fact sheets- note taking

Vaping Cigarette/nicotine tobacco

Dangers of vaping products

Unit 6- Depressant /Narcotic 

5 class periods

What are depressant drugs?

What is the difference between depressants and narcotics?

How do narcotics contribute to the heroin epidemic? 

What are depressant drugs?

Street names for Depressant drugs

What is Fentanyl?

How does alcohol affect drunk driving? 

Physical effects of depressants/narcotics

Why overdoses occur

How narcotics work in helping with pain management

Unit 7- Marijuana/Cannabis

3 class periods

Dangers of Marijuan/Cannabis

Medicinal uses

Legalization

Physical Effects of Marijuana

Legalization-controversy (debate)

What states are legalizing marijuana and what are their policies?

Dangers of Marijuana

Medicinal use of Marijuana

Unit 8- Club Drugs and Case Studies

3 class periods

Dangers of Club Drugs, MDMA, MOLLY, review of all drugs and effects

What are club drugs?

Effects of Club drugs?

Review of all previous drugs, physical effects through case studies

Create RAFT project

Assessment

Unit 9- Social Structures and Drug Use

5-6 class periods

What communities are affected by drug use the most and WHY?

Social Structure

Economic Structure

At “risk population” what are they?

What does it mean to be “at risk”

Immigrant communities and drug use

Low income communities and drug use

Unit 10- Drug culture









Unit 11- War on Drugs








Unit 12- Support and Drug Prevention

3 class periods








5 class periods







6 periods

How does the media, Tv, social media, music impact drug use








War on Drugs

Drugs and Crime







Public Health Policies and approaches to drug policy and treatment

Drug culture in music,youth, hippies, raves

Why is it so popular in these areas?








What is the war on drugs?

Over of war on drugs

Historical timeline

Myths Vs Facts

U.S. Prison population and the drug war

Different communities and the war on drugs



Local support and Drug prevention

Public health policy

AA/NA meetings

Support groups

The role of a drug/alcohol counselor

Research Acts

What does Waltham have?

What does Massachusetts have?

What does the US have?