Welcome to the The Edge: Investigating Healthy Performance Strategies, the first lesson in the Classroom Edition of That's Dope.
This curriculum is designed to equip your students with the knowledge they need to make healthy choices in a variety of situations and to prevent the abuse of steroids and dietary supplements. Your students will gain:
- Skills for responsible and healthy decision-making
- Healthy alternatives to performance-enhancing drug use
- Consumerism skills
- Tools for making balanced food choices
- Heredity and body type knowledge
That’s Dope also meets National Standards in Physical Education and Health, Language Arts (reading and writing) and Science. The curriculum is easily adaptable to a variety of settings, including classrooms of various subject areas, integrated teaching, and even nontraditional classrooms like weight rooms and locker rooms. ThatsDope.org
is a complementary website with further information and more interactive activities.
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Students will look at healthy alternatives to performance-enhancing drugs and effective ways to naturally improve athletic performance without using steroids.
Back to TopPhysical Education and Health
1: Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
4: Influences on Health
6: Setting Goals for Good HealthLanguage Arts K-12
1: Reading for Perspective
3: Evaluation Strategies
6: Applying Knowledge
7: Evaluating Data
12: Applying Language SkillsScience 9-12
6: Personal and Social Perspectives– Personal
and Community Health
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As a result of this activity, students will be able to:
- List the two components of a successful athletic performance: mental and physical.
- Use the hourglass analogy to describe the basics of weight gain/loss.
- Identify the three keys to increasing strength: training, nutrition and sleep/recovery.
- Describe how anabolic steroids work in the body.
- List at least three side effects of anabolic steroid abuse.
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- That's Dope: Student Activities
: one corresponding student activities packet for each student
- That's Dope: Facilitator's Guide
: one guide for the facilitator
Using The Edge section of the student activities packet, have students read Coach John Wooden’s quote and work independently to answer the first two questions in the space provided. Discuss their answers.
As a class, read the following three sections from The Edge in the student activities packet. Check for understanding throughout.
You will cover:
- Snapshot of Athletic Performance – Mental and Physical (Student Activities, Pg. 4)
- The Basics of Food and Exercise (Pg. 5)
- Anabolic Steroids (Pg. 6 and 7)
3. After a student reads aloud Steph and Sarah’s story, have each student answer the questions that follow on their own. (Pg. 8)
4. Introduce the Setting Goals section and ask students, individually or in pairs, to write down their goals. (Pg. 9)
: Come together and review the students’ answers to activities 3 and 4.
Questions to check for understanding:
- What are some components of the Mental game? Physical game?
- What does an hourglass teach us about gaining/losing weight?
- What are three side effects of anabolic steroid abuse?
7. Have students take the Edge Assessment on page 15 of the student activities packet.
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1. Ask students for a synopsis of the following web resources:
2. Create an advertising message to take a stand for clean competition.
3. Ask students to read the Kelli White (former track and field 200 meter world champion) story and critically evaluate her decisions. Whether in a discussion group or independently, each student should imagine being in Kelli’s situation, describe the decisions they would make and justify those decisions.
See Spirit of Sport
, April-June 2005 at http://www.usada.org/files/active/athletes/newsletter/TS%202005%20Q2.1.pdf
4. Have students read the Taylor Hooton story. Whether independently or in a group, have students analyze the roles of various people involved in Taylor’s story (Taylor, his coach, friends, etc.). Ask them to identify steps throughout the story where those involved might have made alternative choices that would have potentially changed the ending. Have students consider situations for which they might be uncomfortable taking a stand and create a game plan to communicate rather than remain silent.
For more details and information, visit: http://taylorhooton.org/taylors-story
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That's Dope: Student Activities
: Download the complete corresponding student activities packet.That's Dope: Part 2—Over the Counter: Evaluating Dietary Supplements
: In this second That's Dope lesson, students will examine dietary supplement manufacturing issues, including the potential for contamination, possible health effects and advertising.That's Dope Curriculum Assessment
: Please take a moment to provide feedback on USADA's That's Dope curriculum.
100% Me: Part 1—Decision Making: Why My Choices Matter
: In this first 100% Me lesson, 6th-8th grade students will gain skills for responsible and healthy decision-making.100% Me: Part 2—Athletics: Improving Your Athletic Performance
: In this second 100% Me lesson, 6th-8th grade students will learn about healthy alternatives to performance-enhancing drug use.100% Me: Part 3—Steroids and Supplements: The Truth About Performance-Enhancing Substances
: In this third 100% Me lesson, 6th-8th grade students will develop skills for smart consumerism regarding dietary supplements and energy drinks.
100% Me: Part 4—Our Unique Qualities: Genes, Traits and Body Types
: In this fourth 100% Me lesson, 6th-8th grade students will investigate heredity and gain body type knowledge.
100% Me: Part 5—Nutrition: Putting My Plate into The Picture
: In this fifth 100% Me lesson, 6th-8th grade students will learn about tools for making balanced food choices.USADA True Sport Awards Program
: Teachers, districts and students can enter to win a True Sport Award for their middle or high school program.
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