ALEX Learning Activity

After reading, analyzing, and discussing the article “E-Cigarettes: A Dangerous Trend” and using the hyperdoc, students will synthesize information to learn the dangers of e-cigarettes and design, create, and publish a Public Service Announcement video that explains the dangers of e-cigarettes.

This activity was created as a result of the ALEX Resource Development Summit.

Students will produce clear and coherent writing using technology and multimedia tools to produce and publish writing that presents content designed for specific audiences to communicate about issues and problems.

This lesson incorporates a hyperdoc. A hyperdoc is an innovative way to put an entire digital lesson into your students’ hands that allows students to collaborate, think critically, combine information from multiple sources, and create through technology. (Watch the video for additional information: Introduction to Hyperdocs Video.)

1. Students will watch the video PSA: E-cigarette & Vape Marketing Targets Youth.
2. Students will activate prior knowledge by think-pair-sharing what they learned from the article Scholastic Head’s Up for Students “E-Cigarettes: A Dangerous Trend”.
3. Students will Explore at least four of the following:

• NIDA for Teens: Are E-Cigarettes Harmful?

• NIDA for Teens: E-Cigarettes: What You Need to Know

• CDC: Quick Facts on the Risk of E-Cigarettes for Kids, Teens, and Young Adults

• Science News for Students: Vaping

• Teens Health: “Vaping: What You Need to Know”

   

   

• National Institute on Drug Abuse: “Teens and E-Cigarettes”

• The New Look of Nicotine Addiction: Get the Facts

• YouTube Video Playlist

   

         5. The teacher will explain to students: “Teens now use e-cigarettes more than any other nicotine-containing product.
 While e-cigarettes are less harmful than tobacco cigarettes for adult smokers, 
most versions pose a great risk to teens because they contain the same addictive nicotine found in cigarettes. One cartridge can contain as much nicotine as a pack of cigarettes."

6. Students will use Adobe Spark to create a video Public Service Announcement (PSA) to explain why e-cigarettes are not harmless. The PSAs will include at least two of the following:

• How e-cigarettes are similar to tobacco cigarettes.

• The health risks that e-cigarettes pose.

• Why it is important that scientists continue to study the health effects of e-cigarettes.

  7. The teacher will share an example of an example Adobe Spark Video PSA for E-Cigarettes.

  8.  Students will peer edit using a rubric and provide feedback for improving each others’ videos.

  9.  Students will present their completed videos to the class.

  10. The class will vote on the best videos to be shared with other classes, on social media, and on YouTube.

  11. Students Reflect: What were some of the most interesting discoveries you made while working on this project? About drugs and teens? About yourself? About others?

The activity E-Cigarettes: A Dangerous Trend Hyperdoc can be used to assess mastery of student's ability to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience and include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, images, music, sound) and visual displays to clarify information via the use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and link to and cite sources as well as to interact and collaborate with others.

The teacher will use this teacher assessment rubric for evaluating the students' publications. 

The teacher will need to ensure that all students have access to a device and the Internet. The teacher and students will need prior knowledge of Adobe Spark Video. This is an Adobe Spark Video Tutorial.

Teachers can change the amount of required information in the PSA Video for students who need accommodations.

Teachers can allow students to work with a partner.

Teachers can extend the lesson by having students explore the following resources for Project-Based Learning, Genius Hour, or Curiosity Research.

• NIDA for Teens: Tobacco, Nicotine, & E-Cigarettes

• CDC: Know the Risks E-Cigarettes & Young People

• truth - #FinishIT

• Students Against Destructive Decisions (Alabama)

• Heads Up for Students

Teachers could use this activity with other video creators, Google Slides, or Microsoft PowerPoint.

Teachers could use this activity to teach students how to use Adobe Spark to create a video.