INFOhio provides this information from various SIRS Discoverer messages and is not responsible for the content or the reliability of Web links. Your INFOhio username and password may be needed to open some links.

November is an excellent month for students to investigate the hazards of smoking. It's Lung Cancer Awareness Month and also features the Great American Smokeout on November 16. The best way to prevent diseases associated with smoking is not to start. The next best way is to stop smoking as soon as possible.

Research has shown that stopping smoking can help to reduce the damage done during the period of smoking. Students in elementary and middle school are at risk for starting smoking, so research activities can help make them aware of the dangers and resist peer pressure to start smoking. These students can also spread the word in the community and in their families to help people who are already addicted to seek help in kicking the habit.

Activity: Create a series of essential questions for critical thinking that can help engage students to explore multiple sources for answers and reasoned opinions about smoking. Here are some examples (teachers can create others):

Click the Subject Heading option and type smoking in the Search box; then focus on results from the following subjects:

Each student should find two or three articles to help address the questions listed above. Notice that some of the questions require students to form and express reasoned opinions and are not exclusively fact-focused. This is important in raising student achievement in essential skills and should be part of all research activities.

A two-minute oral presentation is recommended because it provides students with valuable experiences in developing standards-based essential skills and overall confidence in presenting their ideas to others. Oral reports can also help other students to learn more about the overall topic.

Questions? Contact INFOhio at webmaster@infohio.org.