Lesson Plan: “I’m Fighting Fake Pills”

Essential Questions

• How can we make decisions that keep us safe and healthy? 
• What problems can result from drug use? 

Literature Connection

• Novel: What About Will by Ellen Hopkins (for younger readers)
• Novel: Heroine by Mindy McGinnis (for older readers)

Build Background Knowledge (10 minutes)

Help students prepare to read by projecting our Background Builder Slideshow, which provides general information  about the dangers of misusing opioids. After viewing the slideshow, briefly discuss why a doctor might order opioids for a patient, why pharmacies don’t sell opioids to just anyone, and why someone might buy opioids illegally.

Preview Text Features (10 minutes)

Have students locate the article in their magazines or at Action Digital. Then preview the text features by asking the following questions:

• Read the article’s title and subtitle (the text beneath the title). What do you think a “fake pill” is? Answers may vary. Students might say that a fake pill is a pill that contains something other than what it appears to contain.
• Look at the large image of Ashley Adams. What is she doing in the photo? Ashley is holding a sign that seems to have a quote on it. She is smiling. She appears to be at a rally or a similar event.

Preview Vocabulary (10 minutes)

• Point out the vocabulary box. Read the words (prescription, prescribe, overdose, potent, threat) aloud and discuss their definitions. Ask students which two words from the list appear to be part of the same word family (prescription and prescribe). 
• Play the Vocabulary Slideshow.

Make a Plan for Reading 

Before students start to read, walk them through a reading plan:

• Set a purpose for reading by explaining to students that the article “‘I’m Fighting Fake Pills’” provides information about a dangerous drug and how to avoid taking it. 
• Point out the Pause and Think boxes. Tell students they can check their understanding of what they’ve read by answering these questions.
• Point out the activity at the end of the article, and tell students they will complete it after reading. Encourage them to briefly scan the questions and to keep them in mind as they read.

Read the article. (Higher- and lower-Lexile versions are available on the Story page at Action Digital. Click Presentation View to access an audio read-aloud.) Then discuss the following close-reading and critical-thinking questions.

Close-Reading Questions (15 minutes)

• What are opioids? What is their intended use? (key details) Opioids are painkillers that are usually prescribed to people with serious injuries or illnesses.
• The article says that Emily’s dream was to become a drug counselor. What might have inspired her to choose this type of work? (inference) Emily once had a drug problem. You can infer that the experience of overcoming her drug problem made her want to help others who struggled with similar issues.
• At the end of the article, Ashley states that by telling Emily’s story, she might be saving lives. What does she mean? (interpreting text) Ashley means that the information she’s sharing might help teens avoid taking fake pills. Emily died from taking a fake pill, and Ashley wants to keep others from doing the same. 

Critical-Thinking Question (5 minutes)

• When Emily died, she had a card in her wallet that read “You matter.”  The article says that Ashley is spreading that message to teens. How might believing that they matter affect a person’s decisions? (critical thinking) Answers may vary. Students might say that a person who knows they are loved and needed might be more careful with their health and safety than someone who doesn’t. The idea that you matter might make you think twice before taking a risk. 

3. Skill Building and Writing

• Have students work in pairs to complete the Spotlight Skill activity at the end of the article.
• Go further: Assign students to work independently on our Summarizing Skill Builder, available in higher- and lower-level versions. (Click here to view all your Skill Builders for this article.)
• Writing prompt: Imagine that Ashley came to visit your school. What would you write on an index card to put in Emily’s old backpack? Think about what you learned from reading about Emily and about fentanyl. How does the article make you feel? Is there anything you might do differently after reading the article? Write a few sentences describing your reaction to what you’ve read.