Teen Alcoholism

And Dealing with Peer Pressure

A WebQuest for 8th Grade
(Healthful Living)

Teresa Cauley
tgc0527@mail.ecu.edu

Introduction

Have you ever faced a situation where you were asked to do something by a friend and you didn’t want to do it? (Ex. Just won’t time can’t hurt. No one will know.) That’s peer pressure and it can be really tough.

Teen drinking and alcoholism is a big problem facing students your age. One of the problems is that people are afraid of not looking cool in from of their friends. The first thing you can do is to know the facts about alcohol. You and your group mates are going to research teen alcoholism and create a presentation that can be used by others to teach middle school students the serious dangers of alcohol and how to avoid it.

Read poem Experience of a Teen Alcoholic

The Task

In this WebQuest, you will be able to

· Understand the dangers of drinking alcohol including it’s harm to the body

· Identify signs of alcohol addiction

· Learn ways to avoid peer pressure or say no to it

· Create a presentation that can be used to teach others about teen alcoholism and avoidance tactics

You will use PowerPoint to create your project presentation.

The Process

You and two friends will work together to complete this project. You will first decide which role you will perform of the following:

1. Statistician- you will find statistics of teenagers using alcohol and problems related to drinking.

2. Physician- you will find information on the harm that alcohol does to a teen’s body, including addiction and information on available treatment.

3. Coach- you will find information to help coach someone say no to peer pressure

All of you will be responsible for working together to create a PowerPoint presentation that teaches others of your findings.

You will use the websites given below to conduct your research. Make notes as you explore these sites and choose information that you believe will interest people your age. Before creating your presentation, make an outline or content web for your presentation to give you a guide to build from.

Your presentation should have a minimum of ten slides. The text should be viewable on a large screen. Avoid backgrounds and transition that are too “busy” and take away from your focus. Include graphics, as people your age like to see pictures of what you are explaining.

Use these Resources for your research:

Al-Anon/Alateen

Adolescents and Alcohol-Other-Related Drug Issues

Warning Signs

Affects on the Body

How Alcohol Works

Onslow County Treatment Centers and Information

North Carolina Treatment and Information

Myths and the Truth about Alcohol and teen usage

Peer Pressure and Choices (small print but great resource!)

Unstunk, Undrunk, Unflunked

Say No and Keep Your Friends

Evaluation

The following provides you with information on the level of expectations for your work. The group will receive one grade for the project. In the event the project grade falls below a 77 average, students will assign a letter grade to their partners seen only by the teacher. The overall grade will be adjusted based on teacher and peer grading.

	Beginning 1	Developing 2	Accomplished 3	Exemplary 4	Score
Students have provided factual information for presentation	Facts are not sufficient to show support for concept that teenage alcoholism is a serious issue.	Facts are minimal but lead reader to see seriousness of problem.	Facts are sufficient and easily lead reader to understanding the problems facing teenagers and alcohol	Facts are thorough and accurate. Audience is able to develop a clear picture of the topic based on presentation.
Students have provided information on signs of addiction and treatment options if needed	Information on addiction and treatment is unclear	Addiction and treatment options are minimal and lack information for someone to actually be able to access	Provides multiple symptoms of addiction and at least two treatment options. Provides web addresses for further information. Gives encouragement to reach out if help is needed.	Provides multiple signs of addiction. Provides more than two treatment options with address/information for further research if someone is interested. Information is presented in such a way that one would feel comfortable in reaching out for help.
Addresses peer pressure	Does not address peer pressure.	Tells others to say no but doesn’t provide examples and encouragement	Provides information on addressing peer pressure and offers encouragement.	Provides a variety of options for teens to say no peer pressure and along with scenarios encourages them to stand up for themselves
Provides clear PowerPoint Presentation	Presentation is missing one or more elements of guidelines provided	Presentation contains all components but is lacking details of description of alcoholism and it’s effects.	Presentation is clear in the aspects of showing importance of knowledge of alcoholism	Presentation clearly shows importance of alcoholism and it’s effects. Audience clearly sees purpose of project and the value of not giving in to peer pressure.
Quality of PowerPoint presentation	Presentation is difficult to see from a distance Has multiple errors in spelling, grammar Technical errors	Presentation has some visualization errors Has some errors in spelling and/or grammar Some technical errors	Presentation has minimal errors · In visualization · Spelling and grammar · Technical errors	Presentation is easily viewed from a distance No spelling or grammatical errors No technical errors and slides transition smoothly

Conclusion

You have learned that drinking and alcoholism is a serious problem facing teenagers today. You have learned to identify the signs of addiction, what it can do to a body that is still developing, and that there is treatment available although it is not always easy. You have also learned ways to avoid peer pressure and that saying no can be crucial in living a long and healthy life.

Credits & References