FAMILY LIFE EDUCATION
FAIRFAX COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

GRADE NINE PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Ninth grade Family Life Education (FLE) health lessons address Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug (ATOD) Use Prevention Education and are included in the Setting the Pace to Wellness health education curriculum. These lessons are taught as part of the Physical Education/Health rotation. (FLE lessons are also included in Biology, which for most students is a ninth grade class. See Biology: Human Life Education Program Description for information about this unit.)

Grade Nine Instructional Objectives--Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug Use Prevention Education

9.1 The student will review the science of addiction and investigate the negative effects of drugs on the adolescent brain.

9.2 The student will recognize that nicotine is a highly addictive drug that makes the brain more receptive to other drug addiction and assess the relationship between its addictive properties and the cessation process.

9.3 The student will evaluate statistics on adolescent marijuana use showing that most youth choose not to use and analyze current research on the harmful effects of marijuana which affirm its classification as an illegal drug.

9.4 The student will assess the negative effects of underage drinking behaviors, including the impact on good decision making, and research the consequences of illegal alcohol use by adolescents.

9.5 The student will examine the negative effects of the illegal use of prescription drugs and steroids and the misuse of natural supplements.

9.6 The student will investigate the negative effects of club drugs, including the relationship of these drugs to decision-making and risk-taking behaviors, and know that these drugs are not legal or safe.

9.7 The student will identify the negative consequences of illegal drug possession, distribution, or use on future plans and goals.

9.8 The student, knowing that the majority of youth choose not to use illegal drugs, will create a personal plan that illustrates the knowledge and skills needed to lead a drug-free life.

Grade Nine Videotapes--Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug Use Prevention Education

Brain Scans: Alcohol and the Teenage Brain, Human Relations Media, 2000. (22 minutes)

This video takes teenagers on a tour of several labs across the country where doctors are researching the effects of alcohol use on teenage brains. Students learn why alcohol affects younger brains more profoundly than older ones, impairing memory, coordination, and motivation as well as causing addiction.

Ecstasy: The Facts, Human Relations Media, 2001. (21 minutes)

Using MTV documentary style, this video explores the skyrocketing use of the illegal drug known as ecstasy (MDMA), covering its effects, reasons for its popularity, and the reality of its damage to the brain. The video includes the true story of the death of one twin and its impact on his family.

How I Quit Smoking and Saved My Life, Human Relations Media, 2002. (28 minutes)

This video is a dramatization of a teen's battle with cigarette smoking. The program was developed in association with Community Intervention's Tobacco Awareness Program (TAP), which has proven effective in helping young people break their addiction to tobacco products.

Know the Score: The Dangers of Performance Enhancing Drugs, Human Relations Media, 2003. (28 minutes)

This video covers the dangers of many performance-enhancing drugs such as steroids, creatine, Human Growth Hormone, blood doping hormones, and stimulants like ephedrine and amphetamines. Also covered are nutritional supplements used for weight loss and muscle gain. Expert sports medicine doctors explain the adverse effects of these drugs. The message is that sports competitions are meant to be fun, healthy, and drug free.

Teen Files: The Truth about Drinking, AIMS Multimedia, 1998. (30 minutes)

This video explores the physical, emotional, and social dangers associated with drinking. Teens see the first-hand effects of alcohol, including damage to the brain and the lowered ability to make safe choices.

Think Twice: Marijuana and Cancer, Human Relations Media, 2002. (19 minutes)

This program points out new research that links marijuana smoking with head and neck cancers in addition to the more widely known risk of lung cancer. The harmful effects of marijuana use are compared to smoking cigarettes; the issue of medical marijuana is addressed; and the cumulative cancer risk of marijuana use combined with smoking and marijuana use combined with alcohol use are noted.

Uncool: Turning the Tide Against Drugs, Human Relations Media, 2000. (25 minutes)

This video is unique in that it presents the lives of four youth who have chosen not to use drugs, who are actively involved in a specific activity, and who question what it means to be "cool" or "popular."