Lesson video

Hello, my name is Miss Willow, and I'm going to be your teacher for today's lesson.

Today's lesson is called "The Facts About Smoking and Vaping," and it's part of the unit "Risky Substances: Why Do People Get Addicted?" During this lesson, we are going to be talking about some sensitive content.

So for this lesson, we recommend that you have an adult with you.

If at any point during this lesson you feel worried or uncomfortable, it's really important that you stop the lesson and that you speak to a trusted adult.

Okay, let's make a start with today's lesson.

By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to describe the health risks of smoking and vaping, and you'll be able to explain why some people choose to smoke and vape.

Before we get started with today's lesson, we need to go over some ground rules.

These help make sure that everyone feels safe and comfortable during today's lesson.

First of all, Laura says that we need to listen to others.

This means that if someone else is speaking, we're not going to talk over them.

Jacob says, "No judgment!" This means that if someone chooses to share a story, feeling, or experience, we're not going to judge them for it.

Andeep says that we need to respect each other's privacy, and this means that we're not going to ask anyone any personal questions, as this can make some people feel uncomfortable.

And finally, Izzy says that we can choose our level of participation.

This means it is up to us how much we want to join in.

We're now going to take a look at the keywords in today's lesson.

These are gonna pop up quite a few times in today's lesson, so it's really important that we have a good understanding of what each of these words mean.

First of all, we have the word "tobacco." This is a plant used in cigarettes that contains nicotine and produces harmful smoke when burned.

Next, we have "nicotine." This is an addictive drug that cigarettes and some vapes contain.

Next, we have "addictive." If something is addictive, it makes you want to keep using it or doing it, even if it's not good for you.

Next, we have "vape." This is an electronic device that produces a vapor containing chemicals, which is then breathed in.

And finally, we have vaping.

This means breathing in vapor from an electronic device that may contain nicotine and other chemicals.

As we go through today's lesson, keep an eye out for these keywords, and when you spot them, see if you can remember what they mean.

Today's lesson is split into three learning cycles.

Our first learning cycle is called "What harm do cigarettes do?" Our second learning cycle is called "What harm do vapes do?" And our last learning cycle is called "Why do people smoke and vape?" Let's make a start on our first learning cycle: "What harm do cigarettes do?" Sometimes we might make choices that we know aren't healthy for us.

For example, having too much screen time or consuming too much sugar.

Jun asks, "What other examples can you think of?" Maybe you want to talk to people around you, tell me, or have a think to yourself.

You might have said that other unhealthy choices that we could include are not getting enough sleep or not doing enough exercise.

It's normal not to make healthy choices all the time, but it is important to try to make healthy choices when we can.

Smoking cigarettes is an example of an unhealthy choice.

Most people in the UK don't smoke, but some people do.

According to the House of Commons Library, in 2022, only around 12% of adults in the UK were smokers.

Cigarettes contain tobacco, which, when lit, produces a dangerous smoke.

This smoke contains different chemicals, including nicotine, tar, and carbon monoxide.

Nicotine is the chemical that makes smoking addictive.

This means that people who smoke regularly can find it very difficult to stop, even when they want to.

Nicotine can also affect the body in other ways.

It can make your heart beat faster.

It can make you feel sick or dizzy, and it can cause headaches.

Because nicotine is addictive, people who smoke can feel a strong urge to have a cigarette, and they can find it difficult to resist this urge.

If somebody is addicted to something, this means that they struggle to not have it for a period of time.

People who want to quit smoking can have nicotine in certain medicines to relieve the feeling of wanting to smoke cigarettes or vapes.

Let's do a check for understanding to see how you are doing with this lesson so far.

What is the substance that makes smoking addictive? Can you remember? Is that A, nicotine; B, tar; or C, carbon monoxide? Pause the video.

Talk to the people around you, tell me, or have a think to yourself.

Well done if you said that A, nicotine, is correct.

Nicotine is the substance that makes smoking addictive, and it's found in cigarettes and some vapes.

Well done if you said the same thing.

Tar damages your lungs, so it makes it more difficult for your lungs to take air in.

It can also stain your teeth, stain your fingers, and increase the risk of lung cancer.

Carbon monoxide is a very dangerous gas.

It damages your heart and your lungs.

This can increase the risk of heart disease, a stroke, and carbon monoxide poisoning.

This can make us really poorly.

Smoking can increase the risk of many health conditions.

So it can increase the risk of someone having a heart attack, someone having cancer, blood clots, strokes, lung disease, and artery disease.

Smoking can also lead to poor mental health.

Dr.

Elsie tells us that smoking cigarettes can increase the risk of anxiety, depression, and stress.

This can result in a decline in mood and quality of life, and it can lead to poor mental health, too.

Let's do another check for understanding to see how you're doing.

Which of these can be caused by smoking? Can you remember? A, reduced heart rate; B, cancer; or C, increased life expectancy? Which of those can be caused by smoking? Pause the video.

Talk to people around you, tell me, or have a think to yourself.

Well done if you said that B, cancer, is correct.

Unfortunately, cancer can be caused by smoking.

Well done if you remembered this.

Nicotine pouches are small bags placed under the lip that release nicotine, the same addictive chemical that's found in cigarettes and vapes.

Here you can see an illustration of what nicotine pouches can look like.

Even though they don't contain tobacco and they don't produce smoke or vapor, they're not safe for children because the brain and body are still developing.

David, who's a youth worker, says that it's important to remember that just because something looks harmless doesn't mean that it is.

If you ever see something like this and wonder what it is, you can always talk to a trusted adult for support.

Let's do another check for understanding.

What's true about nicotine pouches? A, they are sweets that are safe for children; B, they can harm growing bodies; C, they help you to stay healthy; or D, they are just mint pouches with no effect? Which of those is true about nicotine pouches? Pause the video, talk to the people around you, tell me, or have a think to yourself.

Well done if you said that, B is correct.

Nicotine pouches can harm growing bodies.

They are not safe for children.

They can cause damage, and they can cause addiction.

Well done if you remembered this.

We're now moving on to our first practice task, and well done for your hard work so far.

I'd like you to label the diagram showing how smoking can affect the body.

One has been done for you, so lung cancer is already labeled on our diagram.

Pause the video, and we'll go through what you might have said in a few minutes.

Okay, let's see what you might have said.

As well as lung cancer, smoking can affect the body by causing dizziness and headaches, heart disease, and stained fingers.

Well done if your diagram looks anything like this, or if you had some similar ideas from this learning cycle.

We're now moving on to our second learning cycle: "What harm do vapes do?" Vapes are electronic cigarettes.

Vapes work by heating up chemicals to create a vapor.

All vapes contain chemicals, and many of them also contain nicotine.

Dr.

Elsie tells us that, according to the HMRC, only around one in eight people in the UK vape.

Breathing in vapor from vapes can cause several health problems. Breathing problems, coughing, feeling sick, headaches, and dizziness are just some of the issues that vapes can cause.

Dr.

Elsie says that the chemicals in vapes can also harm the lungs and the heart.

If a vape contains nicotine, this adds extra risks because nicotine is addictive and affects how the body works.

Remember that nicotine is also found in cigarettes.

Vaping is considered safer than smoking, but it isn't risk-free.

This means that there are still potential dangers.

We know that vapes can cause short-term harm, but unlike cigarettes and tobacco, we don't know all the health risks of vaping for a long period of time, for example, over many months and years.

This is because vaping is a relatively new product.

It hasn't been around for as long as tobacco and cigarettes.

Sam asks a really good question.

She asks, "Why is it dangerous not to know the long-term effects of vaping?" Many of the long-term health risks of vaping are still unknown, meaning that it could be even more harmful than we currently know.

For young people, vaping is especially risky, as nicotine can harm the developing brain and make it harder to concentrate or to sleep, which are really important for young people in particular.

Let's do another check for understanding to see how you're doing with this learning cycle.

I'd like you to decide if this statement is true or false.

Vaping is not dangerous, as it has no health risks.

What do you think? Is this true or false? Pause the video.

Talk to the people around you, tell me, or have a think to yourself.

Well done if you said that this is false.

But why? You might have said that vaping does have health risks.

We know it can cause breathing problems, coughing, and other health effects, too.

There may also be health risks that we don't even know about yet, because vaping is relatively new.

Well done if your answer was something like this.

Vapes are not safe or suitable for children.

It's illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to buy cigarettes or vapes, or for adults to buy cigarettes or vapes for them.

Dr.

Elsie says that children can experience very severe health effects from vaping, as their bodies are still changing and developing.

If someone doesn't smoke, it's advised not to start vaping because of the possible health risks and risk of addiction.

So, when can vaping help someone? Dr.

Elsie says that vapes can help adult smokers who already smoke to quit cigarettes by reducing nicotine slowly.

But vaping is not meant for young people or for non-smokers.

It's a tool to help some adults stop smoking, not to start a new habit.

Let's do another check for understanding.

At what age can someone legally buy vapes and cigarettes? Can you remember? A, is it, 16; B, 18; or C, 21? At what age can someone legally buy vapes and cigarettes? Pause the video.

Talk to the people around you, tell me, or have a think to yourself.

Well done if you said that B, 18, is correct.

At the age of 18, someone can legally buy vapes and cigarettes.

If someone is under this age, it's illegal for them to buy vapes and cigarettes or for an adult to buy them for them.

We're now gonna move on to your second practice task, and well done for your hard work so far.

For this task, I'd like you to fill in the paragraph about vaping, and I'd like you to use the word bank to help.

So let's take a look at our paragraph first.

"Many vapes contain 'blank,' which can make them 'blank.

' This means that they're difficult to stop using.

Vaping can cause 'blank' problems, coughing, and headaches.

Vaping is considered 'blank' harmful than smoking, but we don't know all the 'blank' -term health risks yet.

According to the law, buying vapes is 'blank' for anyone under the age of 18." Now let's take a look at the words in our word bank: "tobacco," "more," "healthy," "short," "long," "illegal," "breathing," "addictive," "nicotine," and "less." Using the word banks to help you, can you fill in the paragraph about vaping? Pause the video, and we'll go through the completed paragraph in a few minutes.

Okay, let's have a look at what your completed paragraph should look like.

You should have that "Many vapes contain nicotine, which can make them addictive.

This means that they're difficult to stop using.

Vaping can cause breathing problems, coughing, and headaches.

Vaping is considered less harmful than smoking, but we don't know all the long-term health risks yet.

According to the law, buying vapes is illegal for anyone under the age of 18." Well done if you said that the words "short," "tobacco," "healthy," and "more" don't fit into our paragraph.

Well done if you got this correct.

We're now moving on to our final learning cycle: "Why do people smoke and vape?" Smoking and vaping can be addictive if they contain nicotine.

So for some people, nicotine can reduce stress, fill a person with energy and excitement, and it can increase concentration.

Nurse Daniel explains that for some people, the nicotine makes vaping and smoking very difficult to stop because they like the effect that it has on them and their body.

Sometimes people who are trying to stop smoking will vape instead to help them to quit smoking.

Vaping can help adult smokers to reduce the amount of nicotine in their body slowly.

Nurse Daniel says that, however, the NHS recommends that people who use it to stop smoking still eventually stop vaping too.

Laura says that some people experience peer pressure to smoke or vape, and Sofia says that some people think that smoking and vaping will impress their friends.

And Lucas says that some people think that smoking and vaping aren't dangerous.

Let's do a check for understanding to see how you're doing.

Which are reasons why someone might smoke or vape? A, they like the effect the product's nicotine has on them; B, they know smoking and vaping have dangerous effects; or C, they have an addiction to the nicotine in the products? Which of those are reasons why someone might smoke or vape? Pause the video.

Talk to the people around you, tell me, or have a think to yourself.

Well done if you said that A and C are correct.

Someone might smoke or vape because they like the effect that the product's nicotine has on them, and they have an addiction to the nicotine in the products.

Well done if you said the same thing.

Most people in the UK don't smoke or vape, but as you get older, you might find that people around you do smoke or vape.

You might be asked in the future if you want to try smoking or vaping.

Children should not smoke, vape, or use nicotine pouches, because these products aren't safe for them to use.

If you're asked if you want to vape or smoke, you could say no firmly and walk away.

You could tell a trusted adult, especially as it's illegal for anyone under 18.

Say no and explain the health risks if you feel confident to do so.

Remember that friends should always respect your decision and your boundaries, and they shouldn't continue to pressure you to vape or smoke or to do anything that you don't want to do.

Saying no to smoking and vaping helps children to keep themselves safe.

Knowing how to say no and understanding what someone is comfortable with is important.

Each person's boundaries are something that only they can define.

Aisha says that it can be difficult to say no sometimes because of peer pressure and wanting to fit in with other people.

Let's do another check for understanding.

Is this statement true or false? If someone is under 18, they should tell a trusted adult if another person asks them to try smoking or vaping.

What do you think? Is this true or false? Pause the video.

Talk to the people around you, tell me, or have a think to yourself.

Well done if you said that this is true.

But why? You might have said that they should do this because it is illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to smoke or vape, and it is dangerous for children.

Well done if you got this right.

We're now moving on to our final practice task, and well done for your hard work in this lesson.

For the first part of this task, I'd like you to explain to Laura why people might decide to smoke or vape.

Laura says, "If smoking and vaping are so bad for you, why do people do it?" Pause the video, and we'll go through what you might have said in a few minutes.

Okay, let's see what you might have said.

You might have said that people might decide to smoke or vape because cigarettes and vapes can contain nicotine, which is addictive.

This means that people find it very difficult to stop using them.

People might also like the effect that nicotine has on them, such as reducing stress or helping concentration.

And finally, they might experience peer pressure from people around them to smoke or vape.

Well done if you had some ideas similar to this.

For the second part of this task, I'd like you to answer this question.

If someone offers Laura a cigarette or a vape, what does she need to do? I'd like you to write down three to four ideas, and remember that Laura is under 18.

Pause the video, and we'll go through what you might have said in a few minutes.

Okay, let's see what you might have said.

You might have said that if someone offers Laura a cigarette or a vape, she should say no firmly and walk away.

She should tell a trusted adult.

She could explain the health risks if she feels confident, and she should remember that friends should always respect her decision.

Well done if you had some of these ideas.

We're now gonna summarize the key learning from today's lesson.

In today's lesson, we've learned that it's illegal to buy cigarettes or vapes under the age of 18.

That smoking can lead to many health conditions.

That most people don't smoke or vape in the UK.

That vaping is considered less harmful than smoking cigarettes, but it also carries health risks, especially as we don't know the long-term health effects of using them.

We have learned that many vapes contain nicotine, which is an addictive substance.

And finally, we've learned that children shouldn't smoke, vape, or use nicotine pouches, as they're not safe for them to use.

During today's lesson, you might have found that you've got some worries or questions, and if you do, it's really important that you share these with a trusted adult.

There's also some resources on the screen that are there to help you too.

Well done for your hard work today.

I hope to see you again soon.