Standard of Learning

10.3 The student will implement personal injury prevention and self-management strategies that promote personal, family, and community health throughout life. Key concepts/skills include:

1. strategies to reduce and prevent violence;
2. peaceful resolution of conflicts;
3. administration of emergency care;
4. recognition of tendencies toward self-harm;
5. recognition of life-threatening situations;
6. crisis-management strategies;
7. methods of avoiding gang-related activity and the use of weapons to commit violent acts of aggression;
8. recognition of when to seek support for self and others.

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Understanding the Standard

The student will identify methods of avoiding gang-related activities and the use of weapons to commit violent acts of aggression.

Essential Knowledge and Skills

The student will:

• identify gang-related behaviors.
• recognize and explain risks associated with gang-related activities.
• select methods to avoid violence. (choose friends wisely, if a situation feels unsafe it probably is, etc.)
• explain the effects of negative peer pressure. (someone encourages you to do something wrong)
• explain and employ resistance skills. (strategies that help you say NO)
• explain how anger contributes to weapons and violent behaviors. (heart beats faster, blood rushes to your face, muscles tense up, etc., so your body is ready to defend itself – without your brain channeling this energy into something positive, the situation can easily escalate into a serious conflict)
• show the relationship between alcohol and other drug use and injury and violent crimes. (lose ability to control anger, make poor judgments and decisions, susceptible to negative group pressures, engage in drunk driving, fall, etc.)

Sample Lessons

Do the Right Thing: Finding Solutions for the Causes of Gang Violence
Grade(s): 6-12
In this lesson, students will consider the relationship between gang violence and the factors that can contribute to its increase. After researching the issues behind one such factor, students will make recommendations for implementing changes in local government, law enforcement, and other local agencies, that may help reduce gang violence.
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/20021025
Free

Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE)
Grades: High School
Law enforcement and the school district join to educate students about the personal and social consequences of substance abuse. Includes strategies for anger management, violence prevention, making healthy choices.
Contact: http://www.dare.com

Great Ideas!: "Using Violent and Nonviolent Methods to Solve Problems"
Grade(s): 7-12
Students will identify situations in which violent and nonviolent methods can be used.
http://education.indiana.edu/cas/tt/v2i3/violent.html
Free

In the Mix: "Dealing with Death"
Grade(s): 7-12
In this lesson questions are provided to be used to open up more analytical discussion about related concepts. Also included are in-class activities and longer-term projects that are presented in bold type. It is also suggested to show the entire program to all the students as a whole and then running individual segments followed by discussion.
http://www.pbs.org/inthemix/educators/deathguide.html
Free

"The Last Spin"
Grade(s): 9-12  
In this lesson, students will define the term street gangs by answering questions about what they are, their problems, how schools can help out and violent and non-violent ways to solve problems.
http://www.lessonplanspage.com/OLACITheLastSpinTeenGangWebquest912.htm
Free

Tough Truces: A Lesson on the Causes and Prevention of Gang Violence
Grade(s): 6-12
In this lesson, students will learn about the factors contributing to the growth of gangs and gang violence. Groups will discuss causes for gang violence and suggest measures that can be taken by various community groups to reduce such activity.
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/
Free

Additional Instructional Resources

• Blueprints for Violence Prevention, the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence - http://www.colorado.edu/cspv/blueprints/
• Bullying Resources compiled by the California Department of Education - http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/ss/se/bullyres.asp
• Center for Disease Control - http://www.cdc.gov
• Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence - http://www.colorado.edu/cspv
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control - http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc
• Drug and Violence Prevention - http://dave.esc4.net
• Gangs or Us - http://www.gangsorus.com
• Kansas Bullying Prevention Program, Statewide Bullying Campaign - http://www.kbpp.org/
• Local Police Department
• National Bullying Prevention Campaign Webcast - http://www.mchcom.com/archivedWebcastDetail.asp?aeid=250
• National Crime Prevention Council - http://www.ncpc.org
• National Youth Gang Center - http://www.iir.com/nygc/maininfo.htm
• National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center (NYVPRC) -http://www.safeyouth.org
• Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention -http://ojjdp.ncjrs.org
• Olweus Bullying Prevention Program - nationally recognized model program to reduce opportunities and rewards for bullying -http://www.clemson.edu/olweus/
• Partnership Against Violence Network - http://www.pavnet.org
• Prevention Pathways Online Courses, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention - http://pathwayscourses.samhsa.gov/bully/bully_intro_pg1.htm
• PREVENT, Preventing Violence Through Education Network and Technical Assistance, University of North Carolina - http://www.prevent.unc.edu/
• Resource Officer
• Stop Bullying Now! Campaign, Human Resources And Services Administration - http://www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov
• Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) - http://www.saddonline.com
• U.S. Department of Education, Safe & Drug-Free Schools Program - http://www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/SDFS/
• U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Criminal Justice Reference Service - http://www.ncjrs.org
• U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention - http://www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org
• Violence Prevention - http://www.evergreenhouse.org/ecommc.htm
• Virginia Best Practices in School-Based Violence Prevention, Virginia Department of Health - http://www.preventviolenceva.org
• Virginia Center for School Safety - http://www.virginiaschoolsafety.com
• Virginia Department of Education, Safe & Drug-Free Schools Program - http://www.safeanddrugfreeva.org
• Virginia Youth Violence Project, University of Virginia - http://youthviolence.edschool.virginia.edu/
• What New Zealand Police are doing about bullying - http://www.police.govt.nz/service/yes/nobully/whats_bullying.html
• Youth Violence Fact Sheet, Center for Disease Control and Prevention - http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/yvfacts.htm

Assessment Ideas

The student will:

• create an advertisement promoting the benefits of a safe community.
• list causes of violence, particularly among teens.
• describe ways to make the school a safer place.
• role-play demonstrating strategies to diffuse potentially violent situations.
• create a pamphlet for elementary or middle school students on the dangers of gang-related activities.

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