Curriculum and Contest Guide - Blue Cross and Blue Shield of

Anti-Tobacco Poster
and Multimedia Contest
Blaze the Braggin’
Blue Dragon
Curriculum and
Contest Guide
and Activity Sheets
Use this guide to learn more
about the contest!
Working together for a
healthier Oklahoma!
Brought to you by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma
71060.0114
Brought to you by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma; the American Lung Association, Plains-Gulf Region; the Oklahoma State Department of Education; the Oklahoma State Department of Health; and the Oklahoma
Asthma Initiative. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma is a Division of Health Care Service Corporation, a Mutual Legal Reserve Company, an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
Table of Contents
Meet Blaze............................................................................................................................ 3
Frequently Asked Questions............................................................................................ 4
Entry Form........................................................................................................................... 5
Poster Entry......................................................................................................................... 6
How To Upload Multimedia.............................................................................................. 7
Facts About Tobacco........................................................................................................... 8
Classroom Discussion........................................................................................................ 9
Classroom Activities.........................................................................................................10
Word Search......................................................................................................................12
Blaze Coloring Sheet........................................................................................................13
Crossword Puzzle.............................................................................................................14
Glossary..............................................................................................................................15
Word Search Key..............................................................................................................17
Additional Resources.......................................................................................................18
Meet Blaze the Braggin’ Blue Dragon
I’m Blaze the Braggin’ Blue Dragon,
and I’m not like other
I’m Blaze!
I don’t smoke
dragons. I don’t smoke or
and never will.
use tobacco. I eat right,
get plenty of exercise and feel
great. Kids, you can, too! Be a
braggin’ dragon like me. Live
healthy, and live longer.
It’s fun to be a dragon, especially a healthy one.
Too bad most dragons aren’t healthy. Do you know
why? A lot of dragons smoke and eat unhealthy
foods. Some dragons also play too many video
games instead of playing outside and riding bikes,
which makes them too heavy to fly.
Tobacco products are bad for you and can make
you sick. Second-hand smoke can even hurt the
people around you. Tobacco costs a lot of money.
It has poisons in it and an addictive drug called
nicotine. You can be a hero and be smart by never starting to
use tobacco, and by encouraging others not to use tobacco.
Be Smart–Don’t Start!
3
What is the Be Smart–Don’t Start
Anti-Tobacco Poster
and Multimedia Contest?
An art contest where students demonstrate
why tobacco shouldn’t be used, through a
hand drawn poster or a multimedia message.
Who can participate?
Elementary students in kindergarten through
5th grade attending an Oklahoma public or
private school, or being home schooled.
When is the contest?
Feb. 6 - March 3, 2014
How do students participate?
• Use the back of the contest entry form to
create a poster about why it is smart to never
start using tobacco. Create a poster that is
easy to understand, and draw colorful pictures
to illustrate the message. Please avoid using
copyright characters. If facts are used, they
must be accurate. Poster will be accepted on
the back of the contest entry form below OR
a 11 x 17 sheet of paper only.
• An individual student or entire class can create
a 30-second video or record an audio jingle
about the importance of being tobacco free.
Submissions will be judged on the creativity
and originality of the theme “Be Smart
Don’t Start”. Tobacco-related facts used in
submissions should be accurate and verifiable.
• Mail completed posters to:
Be Smart–Don’t Start Anti-Tobacco Contest
c/o Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma
3817 Northwest Expressway, Suite 300
Oklahoma City, OK 73112-1465
Completed entries must
be postmarked by
Monday, March 3, 2014
4
Teachers and
students can win
iPads, gift cards
and trophies!
Then what happens?
• Judges will choose a winner in three grade
categories (K - 1st, 2nd - 3rd and 4th - 5th
grade) and one overall winner. Entries will be
judged on clarity and effectiveness of message,
artistic merit, accuracy and creativity. All
winners will be notified approximately six
weeks after contest ends.
First, second and third place prizes will be
awarded in each of the three grade categories:
•
•
•
•
1st Place - $100 gift card and trophy
2nd Place - $75 gift card and trophy
3rd Place - $50 gift card and trophy
Overall Grand Prize - One overall winner will
be chosen from among all entries and win an
iPad and trophy.
Questions? Call 405-316-7008
Email: [email protected]
or visit bcbsok.com/dontstart.
Contest Entry Form
Posters must be postmarked by Monday, March 3, 2014.
Questions? Call 405-316-7008, email [email protected] or visit bcbsok.com/dontstart.
Please Print:
Sponsoring Parent’s\Teacher’s name
Grade
Student’s name
Student’s address
City State Zip code
Sponsoring Parent’s\Teacher’s name
Sponsoring Parent’s\Teacher’s e-mail address
How did you hear about the contest?
Mail to:
Be Smart–Don’t Start Anti-Tobacco Contest
c/o Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma
3817 Northwest Expressway, Suite 300
Oklahoma City, OK 73112-1465
5
Poster Entry Page
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How to upload a video or audio entry:
1. Open your Internet browser and type in dropbox.com in the address bar.
2. The web browser should take you to the first page of Dropbox.
3. In the center of the page is a place to sign in. Click it and enter this:
email: [email protected]
password: dontstart
4. The new Dropbox page shows you several folders. Open the folder that is named
“BSDS multimedia”.
5. Click the Upload button from the very top of the window.
6. A
window will appear. Click the Choose File button and then select the file on your
computer that you’d like to add to your Dropbox.
7. C
hoose as many files as you like, and then click the Start Upload button.
The window will disappear, your files will start uploading, and you’ll be shown a progress
indicator. That’s it; you’ve added files to your Dropbox!
Note: Each file you upload through the website must be 10 GB or less. For even larger files,
use the desktop application or mobile app, which don’t have this limit.
7
On the following pages, you will find information and activities to develop a classroom
curriculum around the importance of never starting to smoke. Please also see the resources
on page 18 to find websites with additional information.
Why is tobacco education important?1
• Cigarette smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States.
• On average, smokers die 13 to 14 years earlier than nonsmokers.
• For every person who dies of a smoking-related disease, 20 more people suffer
from at least one serious illness from smoking.
• In the United States, 23% of high school students are current cigarette smokers.
• Each day, about 1,000 people younger than 18 years of age become regular smokers;
that is, they begin smoking on a daily basis.
• Among adult smokers, 70% report that they want to quit completely, and more
than 40% try to quit each year.
• Nearly 21% of U.S. adults (45.3 million people) are current cigarette smokers.
• Spit tobacco contains 28 cancer-causing agents (carcinogens). It is a known cause
of oral cancer.
• Spit tobacco use can lead to nicotine addiction and dependence.
• Adolescents who use spit tobacco are more likely to become cigarette smokers.
Oklahoma Tobacco Facts2
• Oklahoma has one of the highest percentages of smoking-related deaths in the nation.
• An estimated 87,000 of Oklahoma children now under the age of 18 will die
prematurely as a result of tobacco addiction.
• 21% (41,500) of Oklahoma high school students smoke; 23% of Oklahoma
high school males dip or chew tobacco.
• Currently, 12% of Oklahoma youth in grades 6-8 and 31% of youth in grades 9-12
currently use some form of tobacco products. Half of these youth indicate they
would like to quit.
1. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008
2. Oklahoma Tobacco Use Prevention Service, Oklahoma State Department of Health, 2008
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Consider involving your local high school’s Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT) team in
delivering these prevention messages to your students. Elementary students look up to and often imitate the
behaviors of older youth and siblings. These older teens can be part of the prevention solution. For more
information, visit okswat.com.
Did you know?
• There are more than 4,000 chemicals in cigarette smoke, including formaldehyde, butane, arsenic,
ammonia, acetone, carbon monoxide and cadmium. Two hundred of these chemicals are poisons
and 43 chemicals cause cancer.
• It’s hard to stop smoking once you start, because of a drug in cigarettes called nicotine. The body gets
addicted to, or “hooked” on nicotine.
• Tobacco is a waste of money. A pack of cigarettes costs about $5.50. The average Oklahoma smoker
smokes about 100 packs of cigarettes each year, an annual cost of $550.
• Tobacco causes:
Wrinkles
Smelly hair Coughing Addiction
Yellow teeth Stinky clothes
Lung cancer Emphysema
Stroke Heart disease Death
Bad breath
Asthma Shortness of breath
Why do kids start smoking?
On a dare Peer pressure Weight control Parent smokes To rebel To stand out To be accepted To cope To seem older To seem cool
To get attention Relieve stress
Experimentation Famous people do it
Don’t think it will hurt them
What is peer pressure?
Write out a definition of “peer pressure” and explain it to your students. Then have your students
write their own definitions and give examples.
What are some better, inexpensive alternatives to smoking?
Call a friend
Play a sport Ride a bike
Read a book Play a game
Eat a healthy snack
What percentage of Oklahoma adults smoke?
Studies show children perceive that more adults smoke than actually do. In Oklahoma, approximately
25% of adults smoke and research shows that the majority of adults who smoke want to quit
(Oklahoma Department of Health, 2009).
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Adapt these hands-on activites to the age and skill level of your students.
Smoking Takes Your Breath Away
Supplies: You will need a regular drinking straw for each student and a small coffee stir straw for
each student.
Warning: Do not attempt this exercise with students who have asthma, bronchitis or any
condition that affects breathing.
Say to the children: The problem with smoking is that it damages your body gradually, and it is
sometimes difficult to feel the damage right away.
Have each person place the large diameter straw in their mouth and run in place or jump rope for a
minute or two while breathing only through the straw. After the time is up, ask the kids if they feel
different than normal. Remind them that this is how their breathing would feel as a young person
when it is damaged by only a few years of light smoking.
While the students are still out of breath, have them try breathing through the small coffee straw
while pinching their noses. Ask, “Can you feel the difference?” They may say they feel pressure in the
chest and a panicky feeling. They may not be able to do this without breathing through their nose.
Remind the students that this is how it feels to have emphysema, a breathing disease caused by years
of smoking. Simple acts such as standing up or walking across the room would make them feel that
way. However, with emphysema, you could not go back to breathing normal. Eventually, most people
with emphysema have to use an oxygen tank to help them breathe each day.
Ad Watch
Bring popular magazines to class. Ask the students to count the number of tobacco ads in each
magazine. Discuss the variety of messages in the ads. The messages are conveyed through words,
pictures, and colors, and show happiness, glamour, youth, popularity and sex appeal. Discuss with
students what is missing from the ads: dirty ashtrays, smelly clothes and hair, stained teeth and fingers,
people coughing and smoke-filled rooms.
Have students design their own cigarette ads that tell the real story about smoking. Make a collage
or bulletin board of cigarette ads they find or create. Students should point out false or absurd
implications made by the pictures or slogans in the ads. Discuss how tobacco advertising encourages
people to smoke:
Pretty/glamourous models Looks fun/exciting
Looks smart Makes you look older
Something friends do together
Looks like healthy activity
What do tobacco ads not show?
Yellow teeth
Mouth/tongue cancer
Medical bills for treatment
Damaged hearts
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Oxygen tanks for smokers
Used tobacco trash on our streets
Diseased lungs
Warning Labels
Different warning labels appear on cigarette packs and spit tobacco. Bring examples to class for the
students to see. Ask them to write the warnings on a sheet of paper, and then write a warning label
that expresses the many dangers of using tobacco.
Do the Math
A pack of cigarettes costs about $5.50. If a person smokes a pack a day, how much does he or she
spend on cigarettes in a year? Two years? Ask your students to list or draw pictures of three things
you could buy with that much money instead of cigarettes.
Tobacco-Free Schools
All Oklahoma schools are currently required to be tobacco-free from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. However,
many schools are implementing 24-hour tobacco-free policies to encourage the health and safety of
their community all day – during sports events, banquets and other after hours events. Adults cannot
smoke or use tobacco on school grounds, buses or at sporting events according to state laws and
school district policy.
Find out if your school has a 24-hour tobacco-free policy by visiting ok.gov/health. Click on
“Wellness” > “Tobacco Prevention” > “Programs” > “School Programs.” If your school has not
already implemented one, have your students write letters to their school board, asking them to
implement a 24-hour tobacco-free policy. Ask your principal or a school board member to talk to
your class, and consider helping younger students to sign a petition asking their school boards to
implement this healthy policy.
Morbid Truth
About 6,200 Oklahomans die from tobacco-related illnesses every year (Behavioral Risk Factor
Surveillance System. Oklahoma State Department of Health, 2003). Compare this to the number of
people who live in your community and/or the number of students in your school. If your school
represented the state of Oklahoma, how many students would lose their lives to tobacco-related
illnesses? Do the math and look at the numbers. You can also make a graph.
Act It Out
Have students act out different ways to say “no” to tobacco. Get ideas from the kids and offer these:
• Short but sweet: Simply say, “No, thanks.”
• Out of sync: “No thanks; that’s just not me.”
• Something else going on: “I’m really busy; I have to practice my piano.”
• No, no, a thousand times no: “No way, uh-uh, absolutely not, no thanks!”
• Here’s my reason: “No thanks. I’m playing soccer. I don’t want to ruin my chances of
making the team. I need to be in top shape.”
• Assert yourself: “I think tobacco is gross. How can you do that to yourself?”
• Reverse peer pressure: “I don’t want to smoke because it will give me wrinkles.
You really shouldn’t smoke either. It’s not healthy. I’m worried about you.”
• Make a joke: “If I wanted to hang around smoke, I’d join the fire department.”
• Suggest something else: “Hey, I’d rather play a game.”
• Leave the situation: As soon as you feel pressure, leave. Don’t wait around.
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BLAZEHEART DISEASEBREATHE
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Blaze the Braggin’ Blue Dragon
13
Complete the puzzle below, based on the terms found in the attached glossary.
1
2
4
3
5
6
7
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9
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Across:
1. social pressure by members of one’s peer group to take a
certain action, adopt certain values, or otherwise conform
in order to be accepted
4. a physical, psychological or emotional dependence on
something, especially a drug, that causes intense cravings
and makes quitting very difficult
6. organs in the chest that are used in breathing
7. plant with large, sticky leaves that are smoked or chewed
9. a disease in which certain cells divide and grow much
faster than they normally do
11. a drug, especially an illicit or addictive one
13. a structural or functional abnormality of the heart, or of
the blood vessels supplying the heart, that impairs its
normal functioning
14. Cigarette, cigar or pipe smoke that is inhaled
unintentionally by nonsmokers and may harm their health
if inhaled regularly over a long period
16. to draw air into the lungs and let it out
17. a colorless, odorless gas essential to the respiration of
living things, or in important compounds such as water,
carbohydrates, and oxide minerals
18. a disease of the lungs that makes it difficult to breathe and
is often caused by an allergy
14
Down:
2. a substance that can kill or seriously harm living beings
if it is swallowed, breathed, or otherwise taken in
3. an amount of tobacco, either powdered and taken
into the nostrils by inhalation or ground and placed
between the cheek and gum
5. a poisonous, addictive substance found in the
tobacco plant
7. acting as or having the effect of a poison; poisonous
8. an abnormal condition of the lungs marked by
decreased respiratory function; associated with
smoking or chronic bronchitis or old age
10. a short, narrow tube of thin paper that contains cut
tobacco for smoking
12. a sudden sickness in the brain caused by the
breaking or blocking of a blood vessel. Can cause
numbness or death
15. an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it
has become almost involuntary
Addiction
A physical, psychological or emotional dependence on something,
especially a drug, that causes intense cravings and makes quitting very
difficult.1 In physical addiction, the body adapts to the substance being
used and gradually requires increased amounts to reproduce the effects
originally produced by smaller doses.2
Asthma A chronic disease of the lungs that makes it difficult to breathe. Asthma
is often caused by an allergy.3 
Breathe To draw air into the lungs and let it out.3
Cancer A disease in which certain cells divide and grow much faster thanthey
normally do.3 Cancer can spread to surrounding tissues and is a leading
cause of death in the United States.4
Chemical
A substance with a distinct molecular composition that is produced
by or used in a chemical process; a drug, especially an illicit or
addictive one.5
Cigarette
A short, narrow tube of thin paper that contains cut tobacco for
smoking.3
Emphysema An abnormal condition of the lungs marked by decreased respiratory
function; associated with smoking or chronic bronchitis or old age.6
Habit
An acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become
almost involuntary.7
Heart disease
A structural or functional abnormality of the heart, or of the blood
vessels supplying the heart, that impairs its normal functioning.5
Inhale To breathe in; draw in by breathing.
Lungs
Organs in the chest that are used in breathing. Lungs are found in
mammals, birds, reptiles, and some other animals. They bring oxygen to
the body and get rid of carbon dioxide.3
Nicotine
A poisonous substance found in the tobacco plant. Nicotine is what
causes people to become addicted to cigarettes.3  
Oxygen A chemical element that occurs in pure form, as a colorless, odorless
gas essential to the respiration of living things, or in important
compounds such as water, carbohydrates, and oxide minerals.3
Peer pressure
Social pressure by members of one’s age group to take a certain action,
adopt certain values, or otherwise conform in order to be accepted. 7
15
Poison A substance that can kill or seriously harm living beings if it is
swallowed, breathed, or otherwise taken in.3  
Secondhand smoke
Cigarette, cigar or pipe smoke that is inhaled unintentionally by nonsmokers and may harm their health if inhaled regularly over a
long period.8
SnuffAn amount of tobacco, either powdered and taken into the
nostrils by inhalation or ground and placed between the cheek
and gum.7
Stroke A sudden sickness in the brain caused by the breaking or blocking
of a blood vessel. A stroke can cause parts of the body to
become numb. It can also cause death.3  
Tobacco A plant with large, sticky leaves that are smoked or chewed. The
leaves of this plant are dried and cut for smoking in cigarettes,
cigars or pipes.3
ToxicActing as or having the effect of a poison; poisonous.7
Be smart.
Don’t start smoking!
Glossary Citations
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1.
Mayoclinic.com
2.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary. Copyright © 2002
by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin
Company. All rights reserved.
3.
Wordsmyth.net
4.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy,
Third Edition. Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
5.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language,
Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin
Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights
reserved.
6.
WordNet® 2.1, © 2005 Princeton University
7.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v1.1) Based on the Random House
Unabridged Dictionary © Random House, Inc. 2006.
8.
The American Heritage® Stedman’s Medical Dictionary.
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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For resources on how to quit,
call the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline toll-free at
(800) QUIT NOW (784-8669).
Spanish speaking counselors are available
at (800) 793-1552.
Additional Resources
The American Cancer Society
cancer.org
The American Lung Association
lungusa.org
Artful Truth
artfultruth.org
Oklahoma State Department of Education’s
Safe and Healthy Schools Program
sde.state.ok.us
Oklahoma Students Working Against Tobacco
okswat.com
Smokefree.gov
smokefree.gov
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
tobaccofreekids.org
Strong and Healthy Oklahoma
ok.gov/strongandhealthy
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
cdc.gov/tobacco/youth/index.htm
The Truth
thetruth.com
National Cancer Institute
cancer.gov/cancertopics/smoking
National Spit Tobacco Education Program
nstep.org
Oklahoma State Department of Health
ok.gov/health
Tobacco Stops With Me
tobaccostopswithme.com
Medline Resources on Smoking and Youth
nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/smokingandyouth.html
Special thanks to contest sponsors, TulsaKids Magazine,
and Newspapers In Education from The Oklahoman.
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