Things You Might Not Know 
About Tobacco
Steven Leffert

Introduction
This lesson is intended to have students search for less known information about smoking and ways it can affect the human body.  They will survey other students about their tobacco habits, graph their data and compare it to national data they find on the internet.  They will visit the site of the Center for Disease Control to get data on tobacco related death rates by state as well as the per pack tobacco taxes.  Analyzing the data they will draw a conclusion about any relationship between the two.  They will read about the "tobacco settlement agreement," then create a MS Word document where they write, save and print their answers.  They will search for a law relating to another hazard of smoking, that of home fires, and find information about the numbers of deaths and injuries from it.  This lesson could be used in Health classes as well as Biology. 
 
  • Subject:  Biology, Health
  • Topic:     Drugs and their effects on the human body
  • Grade Level: 9-12
  • Student Lesson name/URL:Things You Might Not Know About Tobacco   http://berners.bcoe.butte.k12.ca.us/~sleffert/student
Standards Addressed
Grade nine through twelve, 
Life Sciences  Investigation and Experimentation
  • 1. a. Select and use appropriate tools and technology to perform tests,  collect data, analyze relationships, and display data.
  • 1. d.  Formulate explanations by using logic and evidence.
  • 1. m. Investigate a science-based societal issue by researching the literature, analyzing data, and communicating the findings. 

 
Instructional Objectives

Given a web site, the student will be able to collect their own data via a student survey on tobacco use, then be able to draw conclusions based on their findings and the web site data. 

Given a web site, the student will be able to interpret relationships between state cigarette tax and deaths from smoking related disease by producing a table showing the correlation.

Given directions to find a particular state law, the student will be able to use the Internet to find the referenced law, explain the purpose for the law, research statistics on fire-related deaths, and conclude whether or not the law will be effective.

Given a web site, the student will be able to analyze the Tobacco Settlement Agreement, and either defend or criticize it.  Students will be able compute the value of the settlement in a meaningful manner.

Student Activities

Introductory Activities

Students will take a pre-test to create baseline data of their ability to draw conclusions from given information.

Students will conduct a survey of other students at their school about their use of tobacco.  They will then go to a given web site and find the comparable national data.  They will then construct a graph, similar to the one on the web site and compare their results with the National Youth Tobacco Survey 1999 and answer questions about their results and tobacco products.
 
 
 


 Enabling Activities

Students will take the old expression “Nothing is certain but death and taxes” and relate death and tobacco taxes. They will create table or graph showing the correlation between high death rates from tobacco related diseases and low tobacco taxes.

Students will search for a New York State law that requires cigarettes sold in New York to be “fire-safe.”  They will then use information about the law and research the number of deaths from fires caused by lit cigarettes. They will then draw their own informed conclusions as to the possible effectiveness of the law.
 

Culminating Activities

Using a web site the students will take a look at the Tobacco Settlement Agreement, analyzing its good points and faults. They will then answer questions and write a conclusion as to the value of the settlement to the health of U.S. residents. 

Students will complete a post-test to verify that they have learned how to organize data to draw proper conclusions.
  


Assessment
To see the grading rubric, click here. 
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Results
The data from the first group of my students to complete the Tobacco Lesson can be found by clicking here. 

Web Resources & Supplementary Materials

Introductory Activity
To view a short PowerPoint presentation about this lesson click here.  Students will complete a pre-test.  Students will then look at this web site from the Center for Disease Control to compare students' survey to national data.  They can obtain definitions of Bidis and Kreteks from these sources.  They will then complete the Tobacco Use Survey Activity. 
 

Enabling Activity
Students will look at this web site of the tobacco death rates by state and tobacco tax rates by state, then answer the questions in the Death and Taxes activity assignment.

Students will look at the web site of the New York State Government to find the text of an Executive Law enacted in 2000.  They will then look at information about causes of deaths and injuries from home fires.  They will then complete the New York State Law activity assignment.

Culminating Activity
Students will look at the Summary of the Tobacco Settlement Agreement  and an analysis of it.  They will then complete the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement activity assignment.  Students will then take a Post-Test which the teacher will print out for them.  Click to get the Post-Test.
 

Final Presentation
For PowerPoint presentation click  here and then click "Slide Show".
                                                                                                                         
 

School Name: Zane Grey High School (Retired)
School Location: 6510 Etiwanda Avenue, Reseda, CA 91335
Steve Leffert 
E-mail sleffert@lausd.k12.ca.us
Last Revised: 12/23/2002