ME, MYSELF... AND SMOKING

Suitable for Middle School

Young students who are thinking of-or have already tried-smoking will see what smoking will do to their bodies. And they'll see that smoking is not being 'adult' 'sophisticated,' it's a dangerous habit. (22 min)


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Teacher's Guide

Program Objectives

This program was designed to help students in grades five through eight:

• realize that their decision to smoke or not to smoke has serious consequences;

• recognize and evaluate common reasons for wanting to smoke;

• understand why and how smoking endangers health;

• accept responsibility for protecting their health by rejecting cigarettes.

• Summary of Content

Children in grades five through eight are a particularly important target for information about the ill effects of smoking. It is at this age that children begin to experiment with smoking and often decide whether or not they will continue to smoke. The problem with warning children about the health hazards of smoking is that much of the antismoking message is so familiar that children find it easy to ignore. The two-part program, Me, Myself…and Smoking, uses a lively, humorous approach to the subject that is designed to engage and maintain students’ interest. The program is structured around a debate on the merits of smoking between two young teens, "Denise" and "Tom," and "Flash," a magician and public relations chap for the tobacco industry.

In part one, the television is on at Denise’s house, but Denise and Tom are not really watching. Tom is engaged in teaching Denise how to smoke a cigarette. A few moments pass when suddenly a character from the TV screen materializes in the living room. While the kids are recovering from shock, the sequin-clad character expresses his pleasure at seeing the two kids smoke. He explains that his job is to try to get as many people as he can to start smoking and that he needs their help. Denise and Tom claim they have homework to do, but Flash eliminates that obstacle by making their books disappear.

The kids express some ambivalence about whether or not they should smoke, so Flash proposes that they debate the advantages and disadvantages of smoking and keep score. Flash tries to convince Denise and Tom that smoking will improve their "image," make them look more grown-up. When Tom describes his father as a smoker whose "image" consists of stained fingers and teeth and smelly clothes, Flash concedes the first point to his opponents.

Flash turns his attention to what he sees as the ecological quality of the tobacco industry, citing the fact that the tobacco plant is a natural, non-polluting product. In the middle of Flash’s speech, Denise’s mother arrives home, so Flash must vaporize himself back into the TV set. When Denise’s mother, Dr. Clark, immediately detects cigarette smoke, the kids defend themselves and pass on Flash’s message that the tobacco industry is non-polluting. By having Tom blow cigarette smoke into a tissue, Dr. Clark proves that smoke not only pollutes the external environment; it pollutes a smoker’s internal environment.

As the second part of the program opens, Denise and Tom are watching a television report on smoking that Dr. Clark has talked them into viewing. From a production standpoint, the action in part two alternates between shots of the reporter on the TV screen (with accompanying graphics) and shots of Tom, Denise and Flash in the living room commenting on the TV program. During the program, Flash uses each of the reporter’s pauses as an opportunity to voice his challenges and sarcastic remarks.

The reporter explains how smoking affects the body’s circulatory and respiratory systems. First of all, cigarette smoke paralyzes the cilia, which are microscopic hairs that line the trachea and bronchial tubes and move impurities away from the lungs, increasing the chances of infection and cell changes. And cell changes can lead to cancer.

Smoking interferes with the circulatory system because the nicotine causes the blood vessels to contract, and the carbon monoxide reduces the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood. Faced with all this, the heart must work harder. When the program is over, Flash continues arguing the case for the tobacco industry but his efforts are futile. The information in the TV program has convinced the two young people that they shouldn’t smoke.

The kids claim victory in the debate and offer Flash a pack of cigarettes as a consolation prize. But Flash says no thanks, "Everyone knows cigarettes are bad for you!"

• Review/Discussion Questions "Give It a Try" (Part One):

1. Why did Tom and Denise want to smoke? How did Tom perceive smoking?

2. Why did Flash want to convince Tom and Denise to become "bona fide, lifelong smokers"? What were their reactions to this?

3. What is wrong with Flash’s argument that smoking is part of growing up? Why do you think that young people begin to experiment with cigarettes?

4. Do you agree with Flash that it’s not what you are but what you appear to be that is important in life? Explain.

5. What is wrong with Flash’s statement, "The best argument for tobacco is that it is a natural product? (Put his argument in to axiomatic form: All natural products are non-polluting; tobacco is a natural product; therefore, tobacco is non-polluting.)

6. When Dr. Clark arrived home, how did she react to Denise and Tom smoking?

7. What was the point of having Tom exhale cigarette smoke through a tissue? Why do you suppose that Dr. Clark asked Tom to do this even though she disapproved of his smoking?

8. Dr. Clark told Tom he could stay for dinner if he promised to do what?

• Review/Discussion Questions "Lots of Reasons to Say No" (Part Two):

1. In what ways do cigarette smokers expose themselves to internal pollution? What is a pollutant? What defenses against pollutants does the respiratory system have? What do nicotine and tar do these defenses? What is likely to happen when these defenses don’t work?

2. What effect does nicotine have on the circulatory system? How is this related to heart disease?

3. Why is it a mistake to think that only people who have been heavy smokers for many years need to worry about the ill effects of smoking?

4. What do you think of Flash’s argument that cigarette smoking is good for the American economy? Do you see conflict between the public interest in terms of jobs and the public interest in terms of health? Explain. How could such a conflict be resolved?

5. What is the difference between habit and addiction? How can it be argued that cigarettes are addictive or that they are habit forming?

6. After watching the TV program and listening to Flash, what did Tom and Denise decide to do? What was Flash’s reaction to their decision?

• Related Activities

1. Have each student research and write a brief report on a body system or organ (circulatory system, liver, lungs, nervous system, teeth, etc.) of his choice. What is the function of the system/organ? How does it work? With what other organs does it cooperate? Where, in the body is it located? What are the effects of time (years) on it? How can a person best keep it healthy? And last, but not least, how does smoking affect it?

2. Have students interview a person who smokes, a person who has given up smoking or a person who has never smoked. Ask student to record the interview on videotape. Choose several students to present the interviews to the class. At the end of the tape ask the interviewer to state his own feelings about the decisions his subject has made. Encourage comments and discussion from the rest of the class.

3. Have students create a variety of anti-smoking posters. The posters can be targeted to encourage smokers to quit or to encourage non-smokers to avoid picking up the habit. Hang the posters in high-traffic areas of the school such as the cafeteria, gym/locker room and hallways.

4. Invite a local physician, hospital specialist or representative from the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society or American Lung Association to speak with your class. Have students prepare questions for the speaker. The speaker will be able to explain to the class methods for kicking the habit. Your guest might also supply students with informative flyers that they can pass on to friends and/or relatives who smoke.

5. Have students research state and local laws and ordinances regarding tobacco consumption. At the same time have students research a state (or municipality) whose laws differ from yours. Conduct a class discussion based on the students’ findings. What are the most restrictive laws and where are they in effect? The most lenient? Where are the taxes on tobacco heaviest? How do age restrictions vary? What laws are in effect regarding smoking in public places? Are there any bills governing tobacco/smoking that are currently awaiting passage by the legislature? Encourage students to express personal views on tobacco legislation.

6. Create two teams of five students each to debate the following: "Resolved, the U.S. government should ban the sale of tobacco products to persons under 18 years of age." Choose one student as a moderator. After the debate, invite comments from the rest of the class.

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