Understanding Alcohol: Investigations into Biology and Behavior

  • Helps students understand how alcohol consumption affects the functioning of the body
  • Grades 7–8 | © 2003 | Standards based
  • Six lessons designed to be taught in sequence for one to two weeks, featuring web-based components including interactive database and simulations
  • Developed using the BSCS 5E Instructional Model
  • This complimentary module is available from National Institutes of Health (NIH)

By focusing on the scientific issues that explain how the body reacts to alcohol, Understanding Alcohol: Investigations into Biology and Behavior helps students make informed decisions about the use of alcohol. In order to help students understand important scientific concepts, this module incorporates concepts such as concentration and solubility, observation, critical thinking, experimental design, and data analysis. Additionally, students learn the importance of scientific research and are encouraged to think about the relationships among knowledge, choice, behavior, and human health. The real-life context of the module's classroom lessons is engaging, and the knowledge gained can be applied immediately to students' lives.

This curriculum supplement was funded by the National Institutes of Health Office of Science Education (NIH OSE). It was developed by BSCS in cooperation with the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, part of the NIH.

Student Lessons

  1. Alcohol: Separating Fact from Fiction
  2. A Drink Is a Drink, but People Are Different
  3. Responding to Alcohol: What’s Important?
  4. Alcohol Use, Abuse, and Alcoholism
  5. Alcohol and Driving: When to Say No
  6. Using Alcohol: Setting Limits

To order your complimentary copy of this supplement or for more information, visit the NIH OSE website.