Dear Healthy
Living Teacher,
The Departments
of Education and Health Promotion and Protection spent over
two years collaborating on the development of a drug
education curriculum supplement. The purpose of the
supplement is to educate Nova Scotia junior high school
students on alcohol and other drugs. The resulting
resource, A
Question of Influence, is ready for use in your Healthy Living
class in the 2006–2007 school year.
The curriculum supplement is directly linked to the most
recent Healthy Living curriculum outcomes for grades 7, 8,
and 9. It has been thoroughly researched and is built on
current best-practice knowledge for school-based alcohol
and other drug education. The enclosed brochure provides
more detail on the contents of the curriculum supplement,
as well as information about how to obtain a copy for your
use.
The resource has been field-tested in Nova Scotia’s
seven English-language school boards and was very
positively received by Nova Scotia teachers and students.
When we spoke to teachers during the development of the
supplement, they told us that the practice in recent years
has been to develop their own content from whatever
materials can be found. A Question of Influence eliminates
the need for you to make up your own learning activities
for alcohol and other drug education, and it provides you
with all the material you need in one resource.
Teachers also told us that they tend to deliver materials
on alcohol and drugs later in the academic year. We are
letting you know about the curriculum supplement at the
outset of the school year so that you can get a copy and
use it to plan ahead for your Healthy Living class content
and activities.
School drug education is an important element in the
overall response to substance abuse issues, and we are
confident that this supplement will be a powerful tool in
promoting the health of Nova Scotia’s youth.
Moreover, there is growing recognition of the relationship
between health and academic performance. We appreciate your
role in addressing the issue in the classroom and are
optimistic that A Question of Influence will enhance your
classroom experience.