Drug Discussion Questions

We had some great discussion during our drug health lessons this week! Here are some of the students' questions we didn't get to answer...great starting points to talk to your kid about drugs!

-Why did people make drugs?
-If drugs are bad, then why do people try and use them?
-Will people that sell drugs destroy you if you don't buy the drugs?
-(We learned that some of the street names for marijuana are pot, weed, dope, herb, etc.) What are all the street names?
-How can you eat marijuana? Can you eat cocaine?
-What happens if someone puts a drug in your bag and you don't know and the police catch you and you tell the truth but they don't believe you?
-Are tobacco and alcohol related?
-Is a gun powered by any alcohol or drug or tobacco?
-What does a tobacco plant look like?
-Would nicotine affect children more that adults?
-Can the tobacco stains on your teeth go away?
-What if someone offers you tobacco and you say "No", but the person doesn't take no for an answer and hit you (or threatens you in another way) and made you do it?
-Is there caffeine in nicotine?
-How does alcohol get into your blood?
-Does alcohol cure people and make them go crazy?
-Would a sip of wine affect a child?
-Should I tell my parents to stop drinking alcohol if they only drink one glass? What happens if you drink alcohol every Friday?
-Do you know someone who drinks alcohol?/Do any of your family members get drunk?

Fall 2011 Photos

Check out our Shutterfly album for class photos...beginning of the year, science workshop, Hispanic Heritage Month art project, Naval Station Mayport field trip.

A PERFECT day for a field trip!

Today we were privileged enough to tour the USS Stephen Groves, a Navy frigot ship (and even a few helicopters) at Mayport Naval Station. I will be posting more pictures soon! A BIG thank you to all of our chaparones!

Medicines and Other Drugs

We have started preparing for Red Ribbon Week by participating in our first of seven health lessons about medicines and other drugs. We defined drugs as anything that changes the way your body acts, feels, or thinks. We looked at the difference between over-the-counter (OTC) medicines and prescription medicines, and were also introduced to what side effects are. We also learned that by definition, caffeine is a drug found in coffee, many soft drinks and teas, and chocolate.

We should enjoy it in moderation, knowing how it affects our body. :-) Next week, we will talk about how to use medicine safely, inhalants, marijuana, cocaine, tobacco, alcohol, and most importantly, how to say NO!

Here's a fun site to find out the caffeine content of your favorite beverages!

Surrounded by Rounding!

Sorry it has been so long since I've blogged...our days have been spent working towards our goal of conferencing with every student's parent and getting adjusted to our three-teacher team. We're loving meeting with you guys and are thankful for your interest in your student's progress and the concerns you've shared. We value your feedback and consider it when planning instruction. I especially want to thank everyone for hanging in there this first quarter of math...as I've said to many of you during our conferences (and just about every parent over my last 8 years teaching third grade), it's a big jump from second grade math, especially in the areas of number and operations. We're just going to keep working...taking our time in these areas this first quarter and then constantly reviewing!
On Friday, I introduced students to rounding in a fun and practical way...we looked at a receipt from one of my recent trips to the grocery store and practiced rounding the cost of several items to the nearest dollar. We had some great conversation about how to use the half-way point ($0.50 in our practice rounding to the nearest dollar), thinking about if the cost of the item was less/greater than half-way to help us round. We will continue to use this strategy this week as we ramp up instruction, rounding through hundred thousands (hopefully) by the end of the week. I posted a few good websites I've found on here for some additional practice with rounding. :-)