Medicines in My Home

Grade level
6

Duration
(2 lessons)

Key learning area and ACARA links

Plan and practise strategies to
promote health, safety and wellbeing
(ACPPS054)

Learning Objectives
To understand what OTC and Prescription medicines are
To be able to read a drugs facts label and recognise the different parts
on the box
To know the importance of safety when storing and taking medicines
Resources required
Strips of cardboard for recording drug/medicine names & sticky tape
PowerPoint- Medicines in my home FDA
Empty medicine boxes
Online Interactive Game- Medicines in my Home FDA

Whole class
5 mins

1. Introduction
Teacher asks students, What is a Drug?

Small Group
10 mins

2. Pre- Assessment
Students list as many drugs as they know. Record these on single strips of
card. One drug per card. (Put cards aside for later activity).

Whole Class
15 mins

3. A Drug Defined
Teacher shares a definition of a drug from the Department of Education W.A.
Adrugisanysubstance(exceptfoodandwater),which,whentakenintothebody,changes
thewaythemindandbodyworks.

Teacherinformsstudentsdrugscanbegroupedinto4categories;
Overthecounterdrugs
Legalinvisible(suchascigarettesandcaffeinateddrinks)
PrescriptionDrugs
Illegaldrugs
Whole Class
15 mins

4. Grouping Drugs
Students categorize the drugs they listed in the pre-assessment activity. The
teacher can make 4 columns on the board and students paste their drug card
into the correct category.
OTC
PRESCRIPTION
ILLEGAL
Panadol
Eye drops

Whole Class
15 mins

LEGAL INVISIBLE

Antibiotics
Asthma puffer

5) Medicines In My Home- PowerPoint

Coffee
Beer

Heroine
Cocaine

Teacher shares the dangers of OTC medicines and the importance of reading a
drugs fact label. This presentation also includes the safety aspect of keeping
medicines out of the reach of children. The presentation contains 36 slides but
could definitely be shortened.
Medicines in My Home: presentation for students - animated

Individual/Partne
r Work
20 mins

Individual or
Partner Work
20 mins

7) Assessment/ Reading a drug Label

Give each student an empty medicine box
Students write 4 questions based on the information from the box e.g.
what is the medicine for? What is the active ingredient? Can children
take the medicine and how much should they take?
Students then give the 4 questions they wrote along with the empty
box to a partner.
Partners answer each others questions and check.
8) Online interactive Game- Medicines In My Home
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/videos/cder/mimh/index.cfm
This program teaches about OTC medicines and how to use them properly. It
also teaches the importance about reading a drugs fact label.

Assessment of student learning

1. Teacher observation of group participation and skills displayed by the students in the preassessment.
2. Questions generated and answered on a medicine box.
Differentiation
Students have opportunities to work with in small groups and with partners. Questions based on the
assessment can be simple or more difficult depending on students literacy level. Teacher intervenes
to construct supporting groups where necessary.

David Clark