1. SMOKING Learning objectives Learning outcomes
We are learning about why people may choose to smoke and how to resist the pressure to do so.
By the end of the lesson you will be able to…
Describe the reasons why some people smoke
Understand the harm smoking does to your health
Know who to ask for advice and where to look for guidance on resisting pressure to smoke, including on the Rise Above and NHS Smokefree website
Use different strategies to resist pressure to smoke   
Smoking, habit, risk, dependence, addiction, peer pressure, stress, resist, refuse, confident, assertive, influence, advice
KEY
VOCABULARY

2. SMOKING
WORD BLAST
Write down all the words that come into your head when you hear the word ‘smoking’.
Pupils can start in pairs, then if there is time or if it is appropriate to do so, pupils can group together with another pair and discuss how their word blasts are similar or different.

3. SMOKING SELF ASSESSMENT 10
A. How confident are you that you could refuse a cigarette if offered?
B. How confident are you that you would know where to get help if you had questions about smoking?
C. How confident are you about knowing how to advise a friend or relative if they needed help to quit smoking?
Ask students to answer the three baseline questions on a confidence scale: 0 = not confident, 10 = extremely confident.    10
NOT CONFIDENT
EXTREMELY CONFIDENT

4. SMOKING
IT’S UP TO YOU
This video can be watched individually on devices, or if this is not possible, you can play the video from projector at the front of the class. In this case, you could use an ‘eyes shut, hands up’ system to make each decision and navigate through the activity.
Students should discuss each decision and be encouraged to think about how they would respond to some of the challenging situations. You may wish to carry this activity out verbally or get students to record their decisions on paper.

5. SMOKING IT’S UP TO YOU ALL
What’s it like when someone older puts you on the spot?
Why might someone older ask you if you want to smoke?
What are the reasons you might want to say no to smoking? (Health, social, financial reasons, etc.).
Why could it be hard to say ‘no’ if you’re asked?
Who could help you out if you’ve started smoking and want to stop?
Discussion can be done in pairs/small groups/whole class. If required, you can skip questions to adequately differentiate or ensure suitability for the class. Once again, answers can be verbal or they can be written on paper depending on how you want to run the activity.
Optional: if time permits, ask for feedback as a class.
Why do some people start smoking?
Why might they ask you to join in smoking?
How might they respond if you say ‘no’?
How can you say ‘no’ confidently?
FURTHER CHALLENGE

6. SMOKING WHAT WOULD HANNAH OR HARRY DO? A B
Harry, aged 14, finds cigarettes in his older sister’s bedroom.
Hannah is in the park with her friends, who are smoking. Someone she really likes offers her a cigarette.
Provide A3/A4 paper and ask students to write down ideas about Hannah or Harry’s situations. This part of the activity may require class discussion if students are struggling to think of their thoughts, feelings, or actions. It may be preferable to place students in mixed ability groups rather than continue with teacher facilitation in order to encourage as much student-led work as possible.
What are their THOUGHTS?
What are their FEELINGS?
What are their ACTIONS?

7. SMOKING WHAT WOULD HANNAH OR HARRY DO? Some questions to think about
What might Harry or Hannah do in these scenarios?
Why might Harry or Hannah choose to start smoking?
Why might he or she not want to start smoking? (Health, social, financial reasons)
How are the two scenarios different?
In which one is someone more likely to start smoking? Why?
How does peer influence affect our choices?
You can conduct this activity individually or in pairs depending on what is most suitable to your classroom environment.

8. Join with another pair to share your thoughts.
SMOKING
THINK, PAIR, SHARE
Imagine that Hannah or Harry has started smoking and asked you for your opinions and advice. Browse the Rise Above site to find information that you think would be useful.
The Rise Above website should ideally be accessed individually on devices. However, if this is not possible, you can browse the website from the front of the class and the activity can be carried out as a large group discussion. Alternatively pupils can move straight onto the next task.
You can decide if this activity is carried out verbally or answers written down.
Join with another pair to share your thoughts.
Provide constructive feedback to one another and build positively on the ideas you find and have shared.

9. SMOKING PLENARY: I CAN…
If I get a text from a friend who’s being pestered to smoke, I can…
If my friend is offered a cigarette in front of others, I would advise them to…
If my friend or relative wants to stop smoking I would advise them to…
Ask students to complete one or two ‘I can’ statements that identify how they can now respond to or help a friend.
After plenary if students would like to, they can share their ‘I can…’ to the rest of the class. Ideally students would volunteer rather than being chosen for this activity.
Other options for plenary:
Making a public commitment can make it more likely that a person will stick to their promise. If appropriate, your students can make pledges in their own words, not to smoke and not to encourage others to smoke.

10. SMOKING PLENARY: I CAN…
If you, or anyone you know needs support in this area, speak to a trusted adult, a teacher, tutor or head of year. You can also get support with a local stop smoking service; details can be found here:
Before the end of class, remind students about the importance of asking for help if they need it, and encourage them to visit the Rise Above website in their own time, along with other helpful websites and sources of information.

11. SMOKING SELF ASSESSMENT 10
A. How confident are you that you could refuse a cigarette if offered?
B. How confident are you that you would know where to get help if you had questions about smoking?
C. How confident are you about knowing how to advise a friend or relative if they needed help to quit smoking?
Ask students to think back to the confidence line that they shared at the start of the session and consider the same questions. 10
NOT CONFIDENT
EXTREMELY CONFIDENT