Smoking

Outline the objective of the lesson:

We are going to design campaign to help people understand the dangers of smoking. To do this we will start by considering why people might be tempted to start smoking in the first place, and why people who already do so usually regret doing so. Research suggests that two-thirds of adults want to give up, but find it very difficult to do so because nicotine is not only dangerous for the body, but also highly addictive.

• Divide the board into two columns [1] “Why do teenagers start smoking?” and [2] “Why do most adult smokers want to give up?”.

• Put students in pairs or small groups to discuss what we could put in the first column. Share these ideas in a class discussion and write them into the column.

Suggested ideas for "Why do teenagers start smoking?"

• Next, watch this short video clip to see if it confirms our ideas and / or adds anything else:

 

• Repeat this format for the second column:

Suggested ideas for "Why do most adult smokers want to give up?"

Again, follow this discussion with a video to see if it adds further ideas or confirms our existing ones:

 

Main Task

By this stage students should be clear about why people smoke, and why they will probably decide eventually that they want to give up, but will find it difficult to do so.

Next, students will work individually or in pairs to design an advertising campaign to prevent people from starting smoking, either by alerting them to the ways in which they might be tempted to start, or by highlighting the dangers of doing so.

The teacher will judge which of these is the winner.

Step 1: Each pair of students should choose a DIFFERENT slogan from this list (give them a few minutes to choose several, in case another group chooses their preferred one before they have a chance to take it for themselves).

  1. Arsenic kills if you swallow it. Tobacco kills if you smoke it.
  2. Be A Fighter; Put Down The Lighter.
  3. Be Cool – Don’t Be a Smoking Fool.
  4. Be Cool, Don’t be a Fool.
  5. Be important, don’t be impotent.
  6. Be smart. Don’t start.
  7. Breathe healthily, live happily.
  8. Cancer cures smoking.
  9. Choice is yours but don’t be late.
  10. Cigarettes are killers that travel in packs.
  11. Cigarettes burn holes in your pocket.
  12. Cigarettes: You take my breath away.
  13. Did you know your mouth is on fire?
  14. Do it before it’s too late.
  15. Don’t be a Butthead.
  16. Don’t let your future go up in smoke.
  17. Don’t pout, put it out.
  18. Don’t puff your life away.
  19. Don’t smoke you will choke!
  20. Don’t smoke, it’s not a joke.
  21. Don’t burn your life with cigarettes.
  22. Don’t let your life be destroyed by yourself.
  23. Everyone has a right to clean air.
  24. Hang tough, don’t puff.
  25. I don’t dig your cig.
  26. I like smoking. It kills off a lot of stupid people.
  27. If you can’t stop smoking, cancer will.
  28. Kill the cigarettes or they kill you.
  29. Kissing a smoker is like licking an ashtray.
  30. Listen to your lungs, they are crying.
  31. Live it or Burn it…
  32. Make it last forever.
  33. People are haters of smokers.
  34. Please keep smoking. Our planet is overcrowded.
  35. Put it down.
  36. Put it out before it puts you out.
  37. Quit and stay healthy.
  38. Quit smoking before smoking quits you.
  39. Quit smoking. It kills!
  40. Quitting has never felt so good!
  41. Save Money – Quit Smoking!
  42. Save your lungs, save your life.
  43. Say no to smoking.
  44. Say sorry to cigarettes.
  45. Say yes to life.
  46. Share clean air.
  47. Smart folks don’t use smokes.
  48. Smart people don’t smoke.
  49. Smoke and choke.
  50. Smoke away your worries, not your lungs.
  51. Smoke can cause a slow and painful death.
  52. Smoke. Stink. Die.
  53. Smokers are jokers – Don’t smoke.
  54. Smokers are losers.
  55. Smoking – Suicide for Cowards.
  56. Smoking and coughing live together.
  57. Smoking is like paying someone to kill you. They’re rich; you’re dead.
  58. Smoking is one of the leading causes of statistics.
  59. Smoking is very glamorous, if you like deep wrinkles.
  60. Smoking makes you ugly.
  61. Smoking Stinks!
  62. Smoking the dope won’t help you cope.
  63. Smoking? You must be joking…
  64. Smoking…a Grave Mistake.
  65. Stay healthy and stop smoking.
  66. Stop calling cancer.
  67. Stop smoking now.
  68. Stop smoking, or you will be croaking.
  69. Stop smoking. Start living.
  70. Tar the roads, not your lungs.
  71. The cigarette does the smoking – you’re just the sucker.
  72. The Cigarette is dead.
  73. There are cooler ways to die than smoking.
  74. Think smoking is cool then you are a fool.
  75. Tobacco companies kill their best customers.
  76. Tobacco is wacko.
  77. Tobacco or Health: Choose Health.
  78. Too much smoke will leave you broke.
  79. Trash the Ash.
  80. Who says being a quitter is a bad thing?
  81. You can live without it.
  82. You take my breath away.
  83. Your health is in your hands.
  84. Your Money Going Up in Smoke.

Step 2: Each pair of students has to design a poster to accompany their slogan.

Step 3: Each pair presents to the rest of the class, and the teacher judges the winner (alternatively, the teacher could select 3 finalists, and then the rest of the class votes on their favouite).

Step 4: Ask students to vote on which one of the following adverts they think is the best after discussing the meaning of each one:

 

 

Weblinks

https://ourworldindata.org/smoking - fantastic database of information (not yet used in the preparation of this unit)

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