WHAT DO STUDENTS LEARN IN WORD OF MOUTH?

If you are reading this newsletter, chances are your child goes to a school that uses the Word of Mouth tobacco prevention program. Students in 4th, 5th or 6th grade will learn skills from Word of Mouth classes that help them make good decisions about tobacco use. Each lesson is interactive, asking students to participate in classroom or computer-based activities. A summary of what the Word of Mouth program teaches at each grade level follows:

Fourth Grade:
In the fourth grade, students learn how their lungs work and how tobacco use hurts their bodies. They discuss how to make decisions based on facts rather than opinions. They also learn a variety of ways to say “no” when they are offered tobacco products. Finally, students evaluate their own strengths to increase self-esteem.

Fifth Grade:
Fifth-grade classes build on fourth-grade lessons. Students learn how much a tobacco habit costs by looking at what they could buy with the amount of money they would have spent if they smoked cigarettes. The classes discuss what addiction means. In the last lesson, students look at how tobacco use could affect future goals.

Sixth Grade: Sixth-graders discuss short- and long-term health effects of tobacco use and practice making good decisions. They explore what addiction means and how not to become addicted. At this level, students use roleplaying to practice saying “no” to their peers.

Students leave the Word of Mouth program armed with information and skills that will help them make good decisions about their health.