Curricula and Lesson Plans

These lesson plans are designed to assist you in educating your students about the science behind drug abuse. Many of the tools are geared to specific grade levels and were developed by educators who understand the developmental milestones of youth. The tools provide very clear information about what specific learning can occur, making it easy to integrate the modules and lesson plans into your science and health curricula.

• Mind Over Matter (Grades 5‒9)
  • Description: Lessons about the effects of drug abuse on the body and brain.
  • Use this curriculum as a guide for developing lessons or as supplemental material.
    • Explorando la Mente (En español)

• Brain Power! The NIDA Junior Scientist Program (Grades 6‒9) (links to the main NIDA Web site)
  • Description: Interactive science education modules about the brain and the effects of drugs on the body.
  • Use this curriculum as a guide for developing lessons or as supplemental material.

• Heads Up: Real News About Drugs and Your Body (Grades 6‒10) (links to the main NIDA Web site)
  • Description: Articles and activities from NIDA and Scholastic magazine to educate teens on the repercussions of drug use.
  • Use these materials to help develop lessons, as handouts, and as resources for parents.
    • Supplemental material: Compilations and Posters (links to the main NIDA Web site)

• PEERx: Teen Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention
  • Description: NIDA’s program to raise awareness about and prevent teen prescription drug abuse. PEERx includes interactive videos and activities as well as science-based information about the harmful effects that prescription drug abuse has on the brain and body.
  • Use the PEERx videos and activities to engage students in the classroom.

• The Sara Bellum Blog (Grades 6‒12)
  • Description: Short and topical posts about drug abuse, brain science, and addiction to help teens learn to make healthy, smart decisions.
  • Use specific posts as in-class handouts or short readings for homework.