The Just Think Twice website was created by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), a government agency that enforces laws and regulations relating to the production and distribution of drugs in the United States. Another mission of the DEA is to discourage drug use among the U.S. population by sharing information about the risks of drug use and the effects of drugs on society. As part of this mission, the DEA created the Just Think Twice website as a resource for teens that provides accurate information about drugs—with the hope that this information will serve as the basis for healthy decisions.
Click here to view the Just Think Twice Teacher's Guide Overall, this program encourages students to think critically about the messages they hear about drugs through the media or from peers. In particular, this program challenges the idea that drugs are harmless and reinforces the societal benefits of enforcing laws against drugs. Through this program, you can work with your students to help them learn the truth about drugs, enabling them to make healthy decisions in the future. The Just Think Twice program has been created so that it can be used by students of varying abilities. With the exception of the first module, each module of the program includes two possible activities that can be used to explore the website. The basic activity is intended for middle school students (grades 6-8), and the advanced activity is intended for high school students (grades 9-12). However, you should use your judgment in determining which activity to conduct. For instance, the advanced activity may be appropriate for a particularly sophisticated middle school classroom. In addition, some activities may be more relevant to your students, regardless of their grade level. You can feel free to choose either activity for any given lesson. In general, basic activities require students to simply review and report on information from the website. On the other hand, advanced activities require students to manipulate and analyze the information in more complex ways. In addition, advanced activities may require more reading or writing by students. |
The Just Think Twice teacher’s guide provides lesson plans for students in grades 6-12 based on the website. The guide includes a module for each of the seven main sections of the website, and an introductory module that introduces the students to the website. Every module of the teacher’s guide provides step-by-step instructions for how to conduct a lesson related to that section of the website with your class. The structure of each lesson is similar: an introductory discussion followed by a classroom activity that challenges students to use the website in different ways. The lesson concludes with a final discussion, and assessment questions and extensions to other areas of the curriculum are also provided. A quiz is also included at the end of each module.