Independent Site Visits Elementary

Grades

 

What are the Physical Effects of Cigarette Smoking on the Body?

Grade Levels: 5^th-8^th

Learning Standards: S2, S16, S5, S7, S8

Time Requirements: Approximately 90 minutes preparation time and 90 minutes class time

Topics Covered by this Lesson: Nicotine chemistry, mucous, respiration, tissues, pathology, emphysema, cilia, nicotine pathway

Pre Visit:

Purpose: To explain to students the normal functioning of respiratory tissues and the effects of smoking on these tissues. 

Objectives: To explain to students what the drug nicotine is.  To understand the addictive nature of nicotine.  To understand the physiological effects of nicotine on changes in respiration and blood pressure, constriction of arteries and increased alertness.

Materials required: graph paper, statistics related to smoking, advertisements depicting smoking, newspaper articles citing smoking facts

Student Learning Prerequisites: have general physiological understanding of the respiratory system and how oxygen and carbon dioxide are transported from the lungs to the blood

Visit: Students will have an opportunity to actually look at a demo of how cigarette smoke is absorbed by the cells and tissues of the body by visiting this special exhibition at the NY Hall of Science.  The exhibition also involves a lot of detail on the pathology of lung disease such as emphysema and lung cancer.  The students should record normal vs. abnormal observations made on the specimens provided at the exhibition.  Also, they should record microscopic details of normal vs. abnormal tissues.

Post Visit:

Assessment: Students will be asked to explain the physiology of nicotine transport in the body and the cellular effects of its pathology. 

Possible Questions that may be brought up: