You Be the Judge
FAVORIBookmarkLearning and evaluation situations developed by Educ’alcool: a free resource for teachers!
School is an appropriate place to talk about drinking
More than two-thirds of children have their first taste of alcohol before the age of 14. Instead of avoiding the conversation and making alcohol a mystery, which merely makes it more attractive, it’s better to talk to kids about drinking early on. While parental behaviour has the greatest influence when it comes to children’s relationship to alcohol, teachers can play a pivotal role by helping Éduc’alcool achieve its educational objectives.
Created in 2019, the school program “You Be the Judge” is available in the form of downloadable “learning and evaluation situations” (LES). These modules are comprehensive and free. They follow the progression of learning from one grade to the next and allow teachers to evaluate student skills in keeping with the Québec Education Program developed by the Ministère de l’Éducation et de l’Enseignement supérieur. Each LES was created for one 75-minute period (or more), and includes the following:
- a Teacher’s Guide
- a Student Workbook
- Grading and evaluation charts
- other documents related to the LES
Designed for teachers and other educators from elementary grade 5 through secondary 5, these LES modules can be used to talk about alcohol and drinking within the context of topics covered in Ethics and Religious Culture, now now Culture and citizenship in Québec, English Language Arts, and Science and Technology. The content of “You Be the Judge” touches on the following broad areas of learning: Health and Well-Being, Environmental Awareness and Consumer Rights and Responsibilities, Media Literacy, and Citizenship and Community Life.
The goal of the program is to:
- delay the start of drinking as long as possible;
- show young people how to distinguish between abusive and moderate drinking;
- help them learn responsible behaviour when faced with peer pressure;
- help them understand that you don’t have to drink to have fun;
- help them become critical, informed consumers.
The content of the program reflects the reality of the students’ world and is intended to help them develop their critical thinking and a sense of identity. The activities in each module encourage students to express their opinions and take action with a focus on two main aspects:
- understanding the impact of alcohol on growth and development in the human body;
- developing responsible behaviour to resist outside influences and peer pressure.
