Drugs and their risks
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain what drugs are, distinguish between legal and illegal drugs, explain why people might take them and identify the risks involved.
Key learning points
- A drug is any substance that changes how the brain and/or body works.
- Many different people take drugs for many different reasons, including medical reasons.
- Some drugs are legal, some are legal with age restrictions, and some are illegal.
- Drug misuse and taking illegal drugs always carries risks; the risks may increase depending on different factors.
- Drug use and poor mental health are closely linked — each can make the other worse.
Keywords
Drug - a substance that changes the way the brain and body work
Illegal - when something is against the law
Misuse - in this context, using a drug in a way that was not intended, or using an illegal drug
Dependency - when a person's body or mind relies on a drug to feel or function normally
Risk - possible negative consequences
Common misconception
Each drug will affect every person the same way every time.
How a drug affects a person depends on the drug itself, the person's body, their existing health and other individual differences. The same drug can affect different people in different ways — and can affect the same person differently each time.
Teacher tip
Be mindful that some pupils may have personal or family experience of drug misuse. The distancing techniques used throughout this lesson (speaking in the third person, using fictional characters in tasks) are important tools for keeping the lesson safe for all pupils.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Depiction or discussion of mental health issues
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the word to the definition.
Q2.What does the word 'legal' mean?
Q3.What is a prescription?
Q4.Which of these is a reason why someone might take medication?
Q5.The age of legal responsibility begins at ...
Q6.Which of these is an example of looking after your mental health?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What does a drug change?
Q2.Match the word to the definition.
Q3.Which of these correctly describes the legal status of different drugs?
Q4.In which situation is it acceptable to take prescription drugs?
Q5.Which of the following are risks from misusing drugs?
Q6.Which of the following might affect how someone's body might react to a drug?
To help you plan your 9 RSHE (PSHE) lesson on: Drugs and their risks, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 9 RSHE (PSHE) lesson on: Drugs and their risks, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 RSHE (PSHE) lessons from the Risky substances: What do I need to know about illegal and prescription drugs? unit, dive into the full secondary RSHE (PSHE) curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.