The grade 8 component of
A Question of
Influence covers the three spheres of
influence—personal, social, and
cultural—in the form of three learning
themes: how I influence myself, how others influence me,
and how I am influenced by the world around me. Each
learning theme includes a set of activities and associated
teacher and student materials matched to the Nova Scotia
Healthy Living curriculum outcomes for grade 8.
The three learning themes are
preceded by a First Class session that introduces the
complete unit to the students and lays the foundation for
the learning theme activities. A final wrap-up session,
entitled The Final Session, completes the unit.
It is designed to
encourage students to reflect on what they have learned
about what influences their decisions around alcohol,
cannabis, and other drugs. It also provides the teacher
with an opportunity to assess what students have learned
from the unit as a whole.1
Each of the
three learning themes, the introductory First Class
session, and the wrap-up Final Session begin with
introductory notes to help orient the teacher to the
content of that session or learning theme. A summary table
is provided at the beginning of each session/learning theme
to identify the Healthy Living curriculum outcome links,
specific activity objectives, estimated time frame, and
preparation required to work through each activity in
class. Separate pages for teaching aids, referred to as
slides throughout the unit, and student handout materials
are found at the end of the unit.
1. Suggestions for assessing other aspects of student performance throughout the unit can be found in the Appendix D: Assessment Rubrics.