Cigarette Smoking: No Smoking Please

Objectives:

• Students will be able to describe the effects that smoking has on the body and health.

• Students will be able to name diseases caused by cigarette smoking.

• Students will understand why cigarette smoking can be addictive.

• Students will be able to state reasons why people start smoking and why it may be hard to quit.

Suggested Grades:

3rd Grade - 4th Grade - 5th Grade

Lesson Procedure:

Print the reading comprehension passage and questions (see below).

Students should read the passage silently, then answer the questions. Teachers may also use the text as part of a classroom lesson plan.

Lesson Excerpt:

Have you ever been in a restaurant or a hotel and seen a sign that says "No Smoking"? Have you ever been in public and had someone blow cigarette smoke into your face? Where would you rather be? If you want to stay healthy, choose to stay away from cigarette smoke. That's because smoking pollutes the body. People who smoke pour poison into their bodies and also into the bodies of people close by. Cigarette smoking is the most common type of smoking.

People who smoke cigarettes inhale the smoke from burning tobacco leaves. Tobacco contains nicotine, a strong, addictive poison that speeds up the nervous system. One tablespoon of pure nicotine can cause death. Nicotine shrinks blood vessels, causing the heart to work harder than it should. Because of this, people who smoke are more likely to have heart disease than those who do not smoke. Also, the gases in cigarette smoke take the place of oxygen. Without oxygen, the cells of the body cannot function properly.

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