Effects of Drugs and Alcohol WebQuest

Introduction

Drugs have been part of our culture since the middle of the last century. Popularized in the 1960s by music and mass media, they invade all aspects of society.

An estimated 208 million people internationally consume illegal drugs. In the United States, results from the 2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health showed that 19.9 million Americans (or 8% of the population aged 12 or older) used illegal drugs in the month prior to the survey.

Task

You are to create a short PowerPoint presentation on the information you learned from this webquest. The PowerPoint should include:

A minimum of 15 slides.

Colors and pictures.

Fact sheet.

Process

1. Go to http://www.scholastic.com/headsup/assets/poster.htm and identify how drugs affect every part of the human body.

2. Go to http://www.bloodalcohol.info/how-alcohol-affects-the-brain.php and identify which parts of your brain is affected by alcohol.

3. Alcohol affects teens differently than older adults. Visit http://www.dukenews.duke.edu/2003/10/mm_alcohola.html and answer these questions about the paragraph.

  1. When compared to an adult brain, what two things hold true for adolescents and alcohol? 
  2. What two problems can this cause for adolescents?

4. Go to http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh27-2/186-196.htm and explore the effects of alcohol on memory by reading the article on the page.

  1. What is the difference between passing out and blacking out?
  2. Reflect on the potential consequences either activity could have for an adolescent your age.

5. Visit http://www.nida.nih.gov/scienceofaddiction/addiction.html to explore factors relating to drug abuse and addiction.

      1. Why is drug addiction considered to be a brain disease? 

      2. Why do people take drugs in the first place? 

      3. What factors (biological/environmental/other) increase the risk of addiction for some people and not others?

      4. Why is adolescence such a crucial time for preventing drug abuse? (Will need to click from page 1 to the next pg to complete the entire question).

Evaluation

 100 POINTS TOTAL - PowerPoint Presentation Rubric

Total Possible Points

Your Points

Research (20pts.)

  • answers all questions
  • demonstrates three additional facts
  • printed out three well-written articles

 

10

5

5

 

Content (20pt.)

  • information is accurate and current
  • facts are clearly presented

 

10

10

 

Organization (20pts.)

  • easy to read lay-out
  • logical sequence of information

 

10

10

 

Creativity (20pts.)

  • eye-grabbing graphics
  • colorful
  • neat work
  • appeals to target audience (teens)

 

5

5

5

5

 
Conclusion

What is it that makes drug and alcohol use so appealing to teenagers?  Is it the media, is it the fact that it’s illegal, is it boredom?  Do you think drug and alcohol abuse is a problem in our school or local community?  Write a paragraph on your thoughts on this. Include it in your PowerPoint presentation as your last slide.