[Type here] Why Comics? KS3 Science Lesson Plan

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[Type here] Why Comics? KS3 Science Lesson Plan

Why Comics? Key Stage 3 (age 11-14) Science Lesson Plan for Shamso’s Story: Alcoholism

Relevant to Biology / Health

Introduction

Looking to engage your students in contemporary human rights and social issues? Based at SOAS University   of   London, Why Comics? Education Charity brings contemporary   humanitarian   and social issues into the classroom (such as racism, conflict, migration, trafficking and climate change) through interactive literary comic books based on real-life testimony. Our free   easy-to-use   KS2-5   resources build   empathy   and   enhance   learning   for   7-18-year-old students  and  teachers  alike, alongside UK national-curriculum relevant   lesson  plans to support multiple subjects.

Each sample UK National Curriculum based Lesson Plan is provided as a Word.doc – so you can use it as a building block. Please feel free to adjust the content to suit your teaching style and students’ needs, all the content is only suggested.

Our innovative resources help enhance learning to support multiple subjects (such as English, ESOL, Personal,   Social,   Health   and   Economic [PSHE] education,   Citizenship   Studies,   Art,   Media Studies and Geography). Our support materials are intended to   inspire   teachers   and   enhance teaching practices and different ideas.

Why Comics? resources are embedded with a   wealth   of   age-appropriate contextual multimedia (such as news articles, maps, videos, infographics and reports) to educate and inspire pupils across a wide demographic.

Our materials encourage learners to make connections between their own lives and the lives of others throughout the world, promoting critical and reflective thinking on vital global themes. In this way, Why Comics? can help combat racism and intolerance in schools.

Already, over 600 schools in 27 countries have provided detailed feedback on our free interactive educational resources to overwhelmingly   positive   feedback. From September 2017, our materials will be disseminated to over 25,000 schools worldwide.

Please help us by filling out a short anonymous      SurveyMonkey      questionnaire    after you have used

our materials for our funders. This helps ensure that our great resources remain free.

Please email info@whycomics.org for more information. Thank you.

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[Type here] Why Comics? KS3 Science Lesson Plan

Why Comics? Charity number – 1172791

Table of Contents Introduction.......................................................................................................................2

UK National Curriculum KS3 Science requirements.............................................................3

Aims...........................................................................................................................................4

Learning Objectives....................................................................................................................4

Lesson plan 1..............................................................................................................................4

Additional Follow on Lesson...............................................................................................6

Aims...........................................................................................................................................6

Learning Objectives....................................................................................................................6

Lesson plan 2..............................................................................................................................7

Feedback............................................................................................................................9

Future Plans.....................................................................................................................10

UK National Curriculum      KS3 Science      requirements:   [Source: Gov UK KS3 National Curriculum]

Scientific attitudes

pay attention to objectivity and concern for accuracy, precision, repeatability and reproducibility

understand that scientific methods and theories develop as earlier explanations are modified to take account of new evidence and ideas, together with the importance of publishing results and peer review

evaluate risks. 

Experimental skills and investigations

ask questions and develop a line of enquiry based on observations of the real world, alongside prior knowledge and experience

make predictions using scientific knowledge and understanding select, plan and carry out the most appropriate types of scientific enquiries to test 

predictions, including identifying independent, dependent and control variables, where appropriate

use appropriate techniques, apparatus, and materials during fieldwork and laboratory work, paying attention to health and safety

make and record observations and measurements using a range of methods for different investigations; and evaluate the reliability of methods and suggest possible improvements

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[Type here] Why Comics? KS3 Science Lesson Plan

apply sampling techniques.

Analysis and evaluation

apply mathematical concepts and calculate results present observations and data using appropriate methods, including tables and

graphs interpret observations and data, including identifying patterns and using 

observations, measurements and data to draw conclusions  present reasoned explanations, including explaining data in relation to predictions 

and hypotheses evaluate data, showing awareness of potential sources of random and systematic

error identify further questions arising from their results.

Relevant Course Content: Health

the effects of recreational drugs (including substance misuse) on behaviour, health and life processes.

Please note teaching notes are in purple.

Suggested      Why Comics?      Science      Lesson Plan   :   Alcoholism Here is a suggested Science   lesson   plan about Alcoholism relating to Daria’s Story or Shamso’s story and a suggested follow-up lesson plan. Both lessons are 45 minutes long, consisting of a reading of the comic in class, followed by group discussion and an assigned homework. Alcoholism and alcohol abuse are both huge issues in the UK, as well as globally, and it is an important risk factor for death, disability and illness. Furthermore, as shown in the comic, the excessive use of alcohol can lead to behavioural problems, impacting family (and other) relationships negatively. The class can either read the comic collectively via projector, or at home via the web (www.whycomics.org /comics ).

Aims: This session will focus on Alcoholism as embedded in your chosen comic. Students will:

Think about the impact that alcohol had on Daria’s or Shamso’s life Learn why alcohol (in scientific terms), can cause behavioural issues Learn about the health difficulties Daria’s or Shamso’s husband may have

encountered because of his drinking.

Learning Objectives: By the end of this session, students will be able to:

Describe and explain the impact that alcohol addiction can have on a family Explain the effects that alcohol can have on behaviour Describe the short and long term effects that alcohol can have upon the human

body.

Lesson plan 1:

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[Type here] Why Comics? KS3 Science Lesson Plan

1. Read through the comic as a group – Project the story in class and go through the comic panel by panel. Ask different students to read each panel aloud. Draw attention to the area of the comic that mentions alcohol abuse. (20 minutes)

2. Classroom Discussion – Discuss with the class the behaviours associated with alcohol intoxication and abuse. Talk about the influence such behaviours may have on families like that of Shamso. Discuss/explain how alcohol causes these behavioural changes (what a depressant does, impact on organs like the liver, etc.). (20 minutes)

3. Homework – Ask the class to each create an informational poster about what alcohol does to the body and the health risks of drinking alcohol. (5 minutes)

Teacher’s Notes Depressants and their effects [Source: BBC Bitesize ]

Depressants slow down messages in the brain and along the nerves. Alcohol is a depressant. It is found in beer, wines and spirits such as vodka.Other depressants include cannabis, heroin and solvents (e.g. glue and aerosols).Here are some of the typical effects depressants have on the body:

feelings of well-being lowered inhibition slowed thinking slowed muscular activity a distorted view of the world, or hallucinations

Some of the long-term effects of depressants on the body include damage to the liver, brain and heart. Alcohol can also cause weight gain.

Alcohol stats [Source: alcoholconcern.org.uk ]

7% of adults in England regularly drink over the Chief Medical Officer’s low-risk guidelines, and 2.5 million people report drinking over 14 units on their heaviest drinking days.

In 2016, 21% of the population report not drinking at all and overall consumption has fallen by around 18% since 2004.

In the UK, in 2015 there were 8,758 alcohol-related deaths (around 14 per 100,000 people). The mortality rates are highest among people aged 55-64.

In England, there are an estimated 595,000 dependent drinkers, of whom only around 100,000 are currently accessing treatment.

Alcohol misuse is the biggest risk factor for death, ill-health and disability among 15-49 year-olds in the UK, and the fifth biggest risk factor across all ages.

Alcohol harms are estimated to cost the NHS around £3.5 billion annually. While the price of alcohol has increased by 36% since 2005, it remains 60% more

affordable than it was in 1980.

Alcohol and Health

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[Type here] Why Comics? KS3 Science Lesson Plan

• Alcohol is a causal factor in more than 60 medical conditions, including: mouth, throat, stomach, liver and breast cancers; high blood pressure, cirrhosis of the liver; and depression

• In the UK in 2014-5, there were an estimated 1.1 million hospital admissions related to alcohol consumption where an alcohol-related disease, injury or condition was the primary reason for hospital admission or a secondary diagnosis. In the same period there were 339,000 admissions for conditions directly caused by alcohol.

• Males accounted for approximately 65% of all alcohol-related deaths in the UK in 2014.

• The alcohol-related mortality rate of men in the most disadvantaged socio-economic class is 3.5 times higher than for men in the least disadvantaged class, while for women the figure is 5.7 times higher.

• In England and Wales, 63% of all alcohol-related deaths in 2014 were caused by alcoholic liver disease.

• Liver disease is one of the few major causes of premature mortality that is increasing, and deaths have increased by around 40% in a decade.

• The number of older people between the ages of 60 and 74 admitted to hospitals in England with mental and behavioural disorders associated with alcohol use has risen by over 150% in the past ten years, while the figure for 15-59 years old has increased by 94%.

Please help us by filling out a short anonymous SurveyMonkey questionnaire after you have used our materials for our funders. This helps ensure that our great resources remain free.

Please email info@whycomics.org for more information. Thank you.

Additional Follow on LessonAlcoholism

Aims:  This session will focus on Alcoholism. Students will:

• Gain more detailed knowledge on the physical effects that alcohol has on the body• Learn about alcohol concentration of different drinks• Consider what might lead someone to alcoholism.

Learning Objectives: By the end of this session, students will be able to:

• Label parts of the body with the way in which alcohol affects it • Understand that different alcoholic drinks have different alcohol contents• Suggest factors that might cause someone to abuse alcohol

Lesson plan 2: 1. Summarise the previous lesson: recap on the comic and on what the class

discussed. (10 minutes)

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[Type here] Why Comics? KS3 Science Lesson Plan

2. Classroom Discussion – Explain that different alcoholic drinks contain different amounts of alcohol. Ask students to list alcoholic drinks in order of alcohol concentration, and give information of units, along with the alcohol guidelines for men and women. Ask students to discuss why a person may become dependent on alcohol (depression/life stressor/personality factors etc.). (30 minutes)

Teacher’s Notes The effects of alcohol on heart [Source: Baliga Diagnostics ] Alcohol can affect the heart in a variety of ways, but most importantly it can increase the chances of developing different risk factors that lead to heart disease. Consuming alcohol in moderation is generally okay, but once it crosses a limit, it can start to have damaging effects. It is not possible to state in any way as to who may develop these harmful effects from alcohol, so the general recommendation from the American Heart Association is the not start drinking alcohol if you have never touched a drop before.Some of the cardiovascular effects of drinking large amounts of alcohol include:

• Diabetes mellitus• High blood pressure• High blood triglyceride level (a type of fat in the blood similar to cholesterol)• Weakening of the heart muscle called cardiomyopathy• Weight gain and obesity• Irregular heart rhythms such as atrial fibrillation• Sudden cardiac death

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[Type here] Why Comics? KS3 Science Lesson Plan

Check out this infographic about alcohol effects on your health: [Source: Sober Nation ]

Alcohol Units [Source: NHS Live Well ] To keep health risks from alcohol to a low level, if you drink most weeks:

men and women are advised not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis

spread your drinking over three or more days if you regularly drink as much as 14 units a week

if you want to cut down, try to have several drink-free days each week

FeedbackPlease help us by filling out a short anonymous SurveyMonkey questionnaire for our funders. This will help keep our great resources free. We will be happy to hear about how it works in the classroom, and are keen to receive any comments or feedback.

We are particularly interested if you would like to receive more resources like this. If so please include on the SurveyMonkey questionnaire which topics you would like us to cover (e.g. Divorce, Migration, Racism/Prejudice, Cyber/Bullying, Identity, Memory, Racism, Conflict, Natural Disasters,

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[Type here] Why Comics? KS3 Science Lesson Plan

Human Trafficking/Slavery, Asylum/Refugees, Homelessness, Climate Change, Remittances & Migrant Workers, and Drug Trafficking & Addiction).

We are also interested to have feedback from pupils so if it is possible, please pass on the SurveyMonkey   questionnaire link to them as well. Many thanks again, your help is most appreciated.

Future Plans

Over the coming year, we’re intending to expand our bank of database for KS2 (age 7-11) and KS3 (age  11-14) and KS4-5   (age  14-18)  and  their   teachers, and produce national curriculum based accompanying lesson plans for multiple subjects. You can view all our resources on our Teachers Resources page.

We will continue to design and test our resources to ensure that they are made by teachers for teachers.

If you would like any more information or would like to be involved further, please contact info@whycomics.org. Thank you.

With very best wishes,

Dr Benjamin Dix

Director: Why Comics? Education CharitySenior Fellow: SOAS University of London

Web: http://www.whycomics.org/Email: info@whycomics.org Twitter and Instagram: @WhyComicsOrg Facebook: Why Comics? Education Charity

Why Comics? Education Charity is based at the Faber Building, SOAS University of London.Why Comics? Charity number - 1172791

Who backs    Why Comics?    - About PositiveNegatives   

The award-winning non-profit PositiveNegatives produce literary comics, animations and podcasts about contemporary social and human rights issues. We combine ethnographic research with illustration and photography, adapting personal testimonies into art, education and advocacy materials. Since 2012, PositiveNegatives has worked extensively for an array of international organisations such as United Nations (UN), Overseas Development Institute (ODI), Open Society Foundations (OSF), The Nobel Peace Centre, The Guardian, BBC, and with leading academic institutions such as; Harvard South Asia Centre, SOAS University of London and University of Sussex.

Our work endeavours to combine literature, journalism and education. Visual story-telling engages audiences of all ages, backgrounds and levels of literacy. Approaching subjects like conflict and forced migration through the prism of personal narratives emotionally engages general readers and students alike. We have developed comics from research, policy papers and first hand testimonies for organisations such as these and many more. Each comic has reached millions of viewers, and many have been translated into multiple languages reaching diverse international stakeholders.

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