Healthy Choices

Overview

This 30-minute session is designed for two nonverbal students who cannot write, focusing on understanding substance use and prevention through sensory, visual, and interactive learning methods. The lesson aligns with the California Health Education Content Standards (CA HES) for personal and community health, specifically addressing drug use prevention (Standard 1: Students acquire knowledge and skills to maintain and promote health).

Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students will:

• Recognise substances that can be harmful to the body (e.g., cigarettes, alcohol, medications when misused).
• Express preferences and make choices demonstrating refusal or avoidance skills related to substances.
• Engage in communicative and sensory activities to build awareness of prevention strategies.

Standards Alignment

• California Health Education Content Standards - Kindergarten through Grade 2
  • Standard 1.1: Identify safe and unsafe environments and behaviours.
  • Standard 1.4: Demonstrate basic health-enhancing behaviours (e.g., saying no, choosing safe alternatives).
  • Standard 1.3: Communicate needs and wants clearly using appropriate methods.

---

Materials

• Picture cards of common harmful substances (cigarettes, alcohol, unknown pills, sugary drinks vs. water, fruits) with clear, large images.
• Realistic tactile models or safe replicas, e.g., plastic capsules (to represent pills), water bottle, fruit, toy cigarettes (without smoke).
• Interactive choice board with Velcro symbols for “Yes” and “No” for students to indicate preferences.
• Sensory objects related to healthy choices (e.g., fruit-scented stress balls, water spray mist for refreshment).
• A simple “Feelings” chart with facial expressions to show “happy,” “sad,” and “sick”.

---

Lesson Plan Breakdown

Introduction (5 minutes)

• Greet students and use simple greeting cards with name and “Hello” symbols.
• Introduce the topic using picture cards showing healthy and unhealthy items. Use exaggerated facial expressions to show liking healthy (smiling) and disliking harmful items (frowning).
• Use tactile objects to let students touch and explore safe items (fruit) vs. unsafe (toy cigarettes).

Activity 1: Identification and Choice (10 minutes)

• Present each picture card and tactile object one at a time. Say the item name clearly, e.g., “This is water,” “This is medicine.”
• Encourage students to use their communication device, gesture, or the choice board to indicate “Yes” if they like or want the item or “No” if they do not.
• Reinforce “No” responses towards harmful substances with positive feedback and a refreshing sensory activity (e.g., misting spray to simulate a fresh, healthy choice).
• Use the feelings chart to associate how substances might make someone feel: point to “sick” for harmful substances, “happy” for healthy ones.

Activity 2: Role Play Prevention (10 minutes)

• Use puppets or staff as characters to present a simple scenario: “Someone asks you to try this (show substance). What do you say?”
• Model refusal techniques using simple phrases or nonverbal signals (shaking head, hand stop). Use the "No" symbol from the choice board.
• Allow students to respond with gestures or the choice board. Provide positive encouragement and praise for participation.
• End role play with a fun reward, like a gentle hand squeeze or favourite sensory toy, linked to making a healthy choice.

Conclusion & Reflection (5 minutes)

• Recap using images and tactile objects - which items are okay and which are not.
• Use the feelings chart again: ask students to point or indicate how they feel about making healthy choices.
• Provide a calm sensory break using the fruit-scented stress balls or water spray as a reward for engagement.
• Close with a “Goodbye” card and a consistent goodbye routine to reinforce positive closure.

---

Assessment

• Informal observation of student engagement, use of communication methods to indicate choices, and participation in role play.
• Use a simple checklist for educators to note responses to “Yes/No” choices on substances and refusal skills demonstration.
• Celebrate any attempts to communicate preferences or refusal, regardless of modality (gesture, device, facial expression).

---

Adaptations & Considerations

• Ensure visuals are clear, culturally sensitive, and represent diverse individuals.
• Use each student’s preferred method of communication (AAC devices, eye gaze, gesture) throughout.
• The sensory components support students with limited verbal and motor skills, enabling active participation and comprehension.
• Encourage consistent vocabulary or symbols across home and school for reinforcement.

---

Reflection for Teachers

This lesson emphasises multimodal communication, sensory integration, and social-emotional learning tailored for students with complex needs. Implementing routines, explicit modelling, and immediate positive reinforcement supports foundational health literacy and prevention behaviours even without traditional verbal abilities.

---

End of plan