Lesson

"E-Cigarettes: What You Need to Know"

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First published 2015

Electronic cigarettes—which deliver nicotine (a highly addictive drug) without smoking—have emerged in the past decade as a popular alternative to tobacco cigarettes. They may offer benefits to some smokers already addicted to nicotine. However, e-cigarettes also deliver a set of risks and unknowns—especially for teens. In fact, recent research suggests a link between teen use of e-cigarettes and tobacco cigarettes. We urge you to share these timely resources with your students.

MATERIALS:

Student Article/Informational Text:
Students will gain a scientific understanding of the known hazards and potential risks of e-cigarettes.

> HTML version
> PDF version
> Digital interactive version
> Leveled version (PDF) - grades 4-5 reading level

Student Work Sheet:
The work sheet takes the form of a media literacy evaluation, encouraging students to analyze how e-cigarette marketing strategies are designed and how they might influence teens, reinforcing and expanding on the article. Additional critical-thinking questions help students evaluate the information contained in ads.

> PDF version
> HTML version

Additional Tools (PDF):
Grade-tiered resources to support teaching the lesson and student article:

Answer Key for Critical-Thinking Questions and Student Work Sheet
Academic and Domain-Specific Vocabulary Lists
Additional Writing Prompts
Expanded Paired-Text Reading Suggestions
Expanded Standards Charts for Grades 6-12

The PDFs above meet Section 508 accessibility guidelines.

STANDARDS:

SUBJECT	COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS	NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS	NATIONAL SCIENCE EDUCATION STANDARDS	NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR THE SOCIAL STUDIES
Science Literacy	RI.1 Cite textual evidence	PS1.B Chemical Reactions	Structure and Function in Living Things	Production, Distribution, and Consumption
English Language Arts	RI.2 Central idea and details	PS3.D Energy and Chemical Processes in Everyday Life	Personal and Community Health	Science, Technology, and Society
Health/Life Skills	W.2 Write informative texts	LS1.D Information Processing
Media Literacy

LESSON:

CRITICAL-THINKING QUESTIONS:

Grades 6-8:

a. How are e-cigarettes similar to tobacco cigarettes, and how are they different?

b. What are some of the risks of e-cigarettes to teens?

Grades 9-10:

a. Compare and contrast e-cigarettes and tobacco cigarettes.

b. How might e-cigarettes negatively affect teens?

Grades 11-12:

a. Analyze the ways in which e-cigarettes and tobacco cigarettes differ, as well as the traits they share.

b. Articulate the risks e-cigarettes pose to teens.

WRITING PROMPTS:

Instruct students to use evidence from the article in their responses to the writing prompts.

Grades 6-8: Why is it important for scientists to research e-cigarettes?
Grades 9-10: Should e-cigarettes be illegal for teens?
Grades 11-12: Evaluate the appropriateness of laws that mandate that e-cigarette users be at least 18, and discuss how scientists might aid lawmakers in setting policy.

PAIRED READING: