Lesson Plans for Teachers

Lesson Plan: Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment

Alaska Curriculum Standards: 

Skills for a Healthy Life: A1, A2, A3, A5, A6, A8, B1, B5

Science: MS-LS1-1, MS-LS1-3

Digital Literacy: 6-12.KC.1, 6-12.KC.2, 6-12.KC.4

Objectives:

At the end of this lesson, learners will be able to:

•       Know common cancer treatments (surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy).

•       Explain how a cancer treatment plan is made.

•       Understand that there are different goals for cancer treatment plans. 

•       Identify basic vocabulary used when talking about cancer diagnosis and treatment (biopsy, chemotherapy, local treatment, metastasis, primary site, radiation therapy, surgery, systemic treatment).

•       Know where to find medically-accurate cancer information (American Cancer Society, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Cancer Institute).

Materials Needed:

Computer and internet access to the website: https://sites.google.com/view/akcancer/home

•       Activities posted on the website: (Each activity with discussion can take about 30 minutes.)

•       Print a copy of the Cancer Vocabulary list for each participant. 

•       Ask participants to read the vocabulary list and circle all the words that are new to them and put a star beside the words that they want to remember. 

•       Print a copy of the Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Crossword Puzzle for each participant. 

•       Role Play: Grandma’s Cancer Doctor Visit Part 2

•       Print a copy of the script for each class participant. 

•       Ask for 5 volunteers to each read a role. There are 5 roles in this activity: nurse, doctor, patient (grandma), patient’s daughter, and patient’s grandson. After all characters have been selected, the teacher introduces each character and who is reading that part. 

Resources to Learn More:

•       American Cancer Society (ACS) Understanding your diagnosis. https://www.cancer.org/treatment/understanding-your-diagnosis.html

•      Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cancer patients: Diagnosis and treatment. https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/survivors/patients/index.htm

•      National Cancer Institute (NCI) How cancer is diagnosed. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/diagnosis-staging/diagnosis

Cancer Vocabulary:

Benign (beh-NINE) - A tumor that is not cancer. It does not invade nearby tissue or spread to other parts of the body.

Biopsy (BY-op-see) – The removal of a sample of tissue that is examined under a microscope, by a specially trained doctor called a pathologist, to look for cancer cells. A cancer diagnosis cannot be made by looking at a person. A biopsy is required to make a cancer diagnosis.

Cancer – A word for more than 100 different diseases in which abnormal cells divide without control or order.

Carcinogen (car-SIN-oh-gin) – A substance or agent that is known to cause cancer. 

Cell – Basic unit or building block of human tissue.

Chemotherapy (kee-moh-THER-up-pee) – Treatment with cancer fighting medicines. Chemotherapy is a systemic treatment. 

CAT or CT scan (Computed Tomography) – An x-ray test using a computer to make a picture of the body.

Hormone Therapy – Treatment of cancer by blocking or adding hormones.

Immune System – The body’s system that resists and fights infection. It includes the white blood cells and antibodies. 

Leukemia (loo-KEE-mee-uh) – A cancer of the white blood cells formed from the blood-forming tissues, mainly the bone marrow, lymph nodes, and spleen.

Local Treatment – Only effects cancer in the treated area. Surgery and radiation are local treatments.

Lymphoma (lim-FO-mah) – A cancer that develops in the lymphatic system, part of the body’s immune defense system.

Malignant (muh-LIG-nant) – A tumor that is cancer and has the ability to spread to other parts of the body.

Metastasis (meh-TAS-tuh-sis) –The spread of cancer from one part of the body to another part of the body through the lymph system or blood system.

MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) – A procedure using a magnet linked to a computer to make pictures of areas inside the body.

Myeloma (my-eh-LOW-muh) – A cancer that starts in plasma cells made in the bone marrow.

Oncologist (on-KAH-loh-jist) – A medical doctor who specializes in the care of people with cancer. 

Pathologist (puh-THAH-loh-jist) – A medical doctor who diagnosis diseases by studying cells and tissues under a microscope.

Primary Site or Primary Tumor Site – The location where the cancer first starts to grow. 

Radiation Therapy – Treatment with high-energy rays to kill or damage cancer cells. External radiation is the use of a machine to aim high-energy rays at the cancer. Internal radiation therapy is the placement of radioactive material inside the body as close as possible to the cancer. Radiation therapy is a local treatment.

Stage of Cancer – Describes how far the cancer has spread from the original site to other parts of the body.

Surgery (SIR-jih-ree) – An operation. Surgery cuts out cancer cells. Surgery is a local treatment. 

Systemic Treatment – The delivery of medicine throughout the entire body. Chemotherapy is a systemic treatment. 

Tumor (TOO-mer) – An abnormal growth of cells or tissue. Uncontrolled growth that occurs in solid tissue, such as an organ, muscle, or bone. Tumors can be benign (not cancer) or malignant (cancer).

Suggested Instructional Outline:

Class Session 1, Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment (50 minutes):

·       As a class, ask students to share what they know about cancer diagnosis and treatment. Write students ideas on the board. (5 min.)

·       Review the vocabulary listed in the lesson plan. Cancer often has a whole new set of words to learn and understand. (10 min.)

o   Give each participant a Cancer Vocabulary list. 

o   Ask participants to read through the list of vocabulary words. As participants read the words, ask them to circle all the words that are new to them and star words that they want to remember. (5 min.)

o   After participants have had a chance to look over the cancer vocabulary list of words, facilitate the following discussion. Ask participants to share what words they circled and starred. (5 min.) Ask for a participant to share one word that they circled. Have them read that word and definition. Then ask all participants that also circled that word to stand. Ask for another participant to share another word that they circled or starred. Have them read the word and definition. Then ask all participants that circled or starred that word to stand. Continue for several minutes until all new words have been discussed. 

·       Facilitate the Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Role Play Activity: Grandma’s Cancer Doctor Visit Part 2 (30 min.)

o   Print a copy of the script for each class participant. 

o   Ask for 5 volunteers to each read a role. There are 5 roles in this activity: nurse, doctor, patient (grandma), patient’s daughter, and patient’s grandson. 

o   After all characters have been selected, the teacher introduces each character and who is reading that part. 

o   Readers only need to read their words and not their character’s name. If people stumble over their words, that is OK. Talking with people is not usually rehearsed and in life we may stumble over our words and with what we are trying to say. The readers are bringing life to the characters on the page.

o   Listeners also have a very important part. It is a gift to really listen by being present to peoples’ story. This is an opportunity to practice listening skills. 

o   Post reading conversation questions: The following are possible questions to start a conversation after reading “Grandma’s Cancer Doctor Visit Part 2.” Thank people for reading and listening. How was it for you to be a reader or a listener? Was there any part of the story that really connected with you? After reading this story are there any things you are wondering about? Any parts that are confusing? 

·       Introduce homework (5 min.): 

o   Find someone who went through cancer treatment in the past (family, friends, or famous figures on media who openly talked about their cancer treatment experiences) and learn how they coped. What was helpful and what was not. Students should be prepared to report back to the class, who they asked or what resource they used to learn what was helpful and what was not helpful to support someone who is going through cancer treatments.

o   Have participants complete the ‘Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Crossword Puzzle’ to help reinforce cancer vocabulary.

Evaluation:

•       Participation in in-class activities.

•       Completion of homework assignment.

Lesson Plan: Cancer and Environment

Alaska Curriculum Standards: 

Skills for a healthy life: A1, A2, A3, A5, A6, B1, B2, C6

Science: MS-PS1-3, MS-LS1-5, MS-LS2-1, MS-LS4-5, HS-LS3-2, HS-LS3-3

Objectives:

At the end of this lesson, learners will be able to:

·       Know what is meant by environmental factors.

·       Understand the connection between cancer and exposure to toxic substances in the environment.

·       Know that environmental factors that may cause cancer can work either through behaviors or through exposures to other environmental chemicals. 

·       Understand the connection between cancer and exposure to toxic substances in the environment in Alaska.

Materials Needed:

Computer and internet access to the website: https://sites.google.com/view/akcancer/home

•       Activities posted on the website: (Each activity with discussion can take about 30 minutes.)

•       Cancer and Environment Radio Show

•       Print the Cancer and Environment Radio Show. Cut apart the questions with answers. Divide the questions and answers among players. Answers can be discussed as you play the game with the facilitator adding any additional information. 

•       The teacher can play the role of the radio show host.

•       There are a total of 8 callers and 8 experts in the radio show.

•       Cancer and Environment Role Play

•       Print a copy of the script for each class participant. 

•       Ask for 4 volunteers to each read a role. There are 4 roles in this activity: Sam, Mary, Luci, and Bob. After all characters have been selected, the teacher introduces each character and who is reading that part. 

Resources to Learn More:

•       American Cancer Society (ACS) https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-causes.html

•       American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) https://www.aicr.org/cancer-prevention/healthy-lifestyle/other-lifestyle-risks/

•       National Cancer Institute (NCI) https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/substances/carcinogens

•       For more information about radon or testing your home, contact the Alaska Radon Hotline at 1 (800) 478-8324. For more about radon health risks, visit the EPA’s website at https://www.epa.gov/radon.

•       To learn about indoor air quality, visit the ANTHC Air and Healthy Homes program at https://anthc.org/healthy-homes/

•       To learn about asbestos and cancer risk: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-causes/asbestos.html

•       Cold Climate Housing Research Center: http://cchrc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/IAQ_Snapshot_Final.pdf

Suggested Instructional Outline:

Class Session 1, Cancer and Environment (50 minutes):

·       As a class, ask students to share what questions they have about cancer and the environment.  (5 min.)

·       Review the information found on the cancer and environment web page. (5 min.)

·       Facilitate the Cancer Basics Radio Show (30 min.)

o   Print a copy of the Cancer Basics Radio Show script and cut apart the caller questions and the expert answers. 

o   Give a caller question or an expert answer to each participant. There are 8 callers and 8 experts.

o   The teacher has a copy of the entire radio script and reads the radio announcer words.

·       Review helpful resources to learn more. (5 min.)

·       Introduce homework: Researching your Questions (5 min.)

o   Ask students to research a question that they have about cancer and the environment that was generated in the opening cancer discussion using a medically-accurate resource.

o   Students should be prepared to report back to the class:

§  What question they researched, what resources they used and what they learned. 

Class Session 2, Cancer and Environment (50 minutes):

• Debrief homework ‘Researching your Questions’ (20 min.)

  • Ask each student to share how their homework went.

• • • Have students share what question they wanted to learn more about, what they learned, and the resources they used.

·       Facilitate the Cancer and Environment Role Play Activity (30 min.)

o   Print a copy of the script for each class participant. 

o   Ask for 4 volunteers to each read a role. There are 4 roles in this activity: Sam, Mary, Luci, and Bob. 

o   After all characters have been selected, the teacher introduces each character and who is reading that part. 

o   Readers only need to read their words and not their character’s name. If people stumble over their words, that is OK. Talking with people is not usually rehearsed and in life we may stumble over our words and with what we are trying to say. The readers are bringing life to the characters on the page.

o   Listeners also have a very important part. It is a gift to really listen by being present to peoples’ story. This is an opportunity to practice listening skills. 

o   Post reading conversation questions: The following are possible questions to start a conversation after reading ‘Cancer and Environment Role Play’ Thank people for reading and listening. How was it for you to be a reader or a listener? Was there any part of the story that really connected with you? After reading this story are there any things you are wondering about? Any parts that are confusing? 

Evaluation:

•       Participation in in-class activities.

•       Completion of homework assignments.

•       Researching Your Questions

Lesson Plan: Physical Activity

Alaska Curriculum Standards:

Skills for a Healthy Life: A1, A2, A3, A6, B3, B5

Physical Education: A, B, C, D, F

Objectives:

At the end of this lesson, learners will be able to:

•   Discuss how physical activity influences cancer risk.

•   Know 3 different types of physical activity.

•   List at least 5 benefits of physical activity.

Materials Needed:

Computer and internet access to the website: https://sites.google.com/view/akcancer/home

•   Activity posted on the website:

•   Wellness Movement - no materials needed.

Resources to Learn More:

•   American Cancer Society (ACS) https://www.cancer.org/latest-news/exercise-linked-with-lower-risk-of-13-types-of-cancer.html

•   National Cancer Institute  (NCI) Physical Activity and Cancer https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/obesity/physical-activity-fact-sheet

•   Cancer.Net https://www.cancer.net/navigating-cancer-care/prevention-and-healthy-living/physical-activity-and-cancer-risk

•   American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) https://www.aicr.org/cancer-prevention/recommendations/be-physically-active

Vocabulary:

Risk Factor- Something in a person, her or his lifestyle, or environment which increases the chance of developing cancer.

Physical Activity - Any movement that uses skeletal muscles and requires more energy than resting.

During the lesson, ask students to write down new words. As a class, discuss what the words mean and how they are pronounced.

Suggested Instructional Outline:

Class Session 1, Physical Activity (50 minutes):

•   On the Physical Activity page of the website, watch the digital story “Physical Activity” (2 min.)

•   Facilitate a discussion about the digital story, potentially guided by the following questions (5 min.):

•   What do you think about the video?

•   Does that remind you of anything in your life?

•   Discuss the information on the web page (10 min.):

•   What does physical activity have to do with cancer?

•   Facilitate the Physical Activity: Wellness Movement and Wellness Dance (20 min.)

•   Each participant creates a wellness or physical activity movement that is shared, then each movement is strung together to create a wellness dance.

•   Facilitate a discussion about the Physical Activity: Wellness Movement and Wellness Dance, potentially guided by the following questions (5 min.):

•   What motivates you to be physically active?

•   How can you stay physically active?

•       Introduce homework: Sharing The Knowledge (5 min.)

•       Ask students to tell one other person something they learned about physical activity and decreasing cancer risk. Students should be prepared to report back to the class:

•       Who they told.

•       What information they shared.

•       How the person responded to learning more about cancer and physical activity.

Class Session 2, Physical Activity (40 minutes):

•   Debrief homework (15 min.)

•   Ask each student to share how their homework went.

•   Discuss how it was to share information about physical activity and cancer.

•   On the Physical Activity page of the website, watch the movie “Play Everyday” (1 min.)

•   Facilitate a discussion about the movie "Play Everyday," potentially guided by the following questions (5 min.):

•       How does your community or culture support physical activity?

•       What helps you and your community to stay active?

•   Discuss the information on the web page (10 min.):

•   What are the benefits of physical activity?

•   What are three types of physical activity?

•   Introduce homework: How We Are Active. (5 min.)

•       Ask students to take a photo of people being physically active in their community (with permission!). Ask students to write a sentence about each photo, which could be a quote from the person in the photo or a description of the activity. Ask students to work with the person in the photo to create a social media post on physical activity and its’ relationship with cancer. If students do not have a camera on their phone have them write down what activities they saw people in their community doing to stay active.

Additional class sessions could focus on students facilitating physical activities within their communities, including planning an activity for a given group (preschoolers, elders, etc.), inviting people to participate, facilitating an activity, sharing some information about its’ relationship with cancer, then debriefing the activity.

Evaluation:

•   Participation in in-class activities.

•   Completion of homework assignment.

•   Photo or observation of community activities

•   Sharing cancer prevention message

This lesson plan was created through the project “Community engaged development of cancer education for Alaska Native youth,” funded by the Alaska Native/American Indian Clinical and Translational Research Program (2020). For more information, please visit the website at https://sites.google.com/view/akcancer/home, email the project team at akcancer20@gmail.com or contact the PI Katie Cueva at kcueva@alaska.edu 

Lesson Plan: Healthy Eating

Alaska Curriculum Standards: 

Skills for a Healthy Life: A1, A2, A3, A8, B1, B3, B5 

Science Standards: MS-LS1-7, MS-LS2-3

Digital Literacy: 6-12.KC.1, 6-12.KC.4

Reading Standards for Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects: 4, 5, 7

Objectives:

At the end of this lesson, learners will be able to:

•      Identify nutrients found in some Alaska foods.

•      Know how to read a food label.

•      Know how diet is related to cancer risk.

•      Discuss healthy foods to eat to lower cancer risk.

Materials Needed:

Computer and internet access to the website: https://sites.google.com/view/akcancer/home

o   Activities posted on the website: 

o   Alaska Foods Activity 

•   Alaska Foods Worksheet – one copy for each participant (printed or electronic)

•   Nutrition slides – one copy that all participants can see (either hung in the classroom or posted online)

o   Healthy Eating Activity

•   paper plate or paper for each participant 

•   color markers or crayons for drawing 

o   A food package to use as an example for the first homework “Labels”

Resources to Learn More:

•      American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) https://www.aicr.org/cancer-prevention/recommendations/eat-a-diet-rich-in-whole-grains-vegetables-fruits-and-beans/#what-the-science-says

•      American Cancer Society (ACS) https://www.cancer.org

•      National Cancer Institute  (NCI) https://www.cancer.gov

•      Prevent Cancer Foundation https://www.preventcancer.org/

Vocabulary:

Antioxidant - Antioxidants can prevent or slow down damage to cells caused by free radicals. Many fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are high in antioxidants. Free radicals are made when someone is exposed to tobacco smoke or as their body normally breaks down food.

Nutrient – Nutrients are the parts of food that supply energy, repair the body, keep the immune system strong, and help the body grow. Food is made up of three kinds of large nutrients: protein, fat, and carbohydrates.  No single food has all the nutrients that a person needs.

Phytochemical - Phytochemicals are chemicals found in plants that give them their color, taste, and smell. When eaten as part of a fruit or vegetable, including nuts and whole grains, they may have health benefits that include protection against cancer. 

Risk Factor -Something in a person, her or his lifestyle, or environment which increases the chance of developing as disease, such as cancer.

During the lesson, ask students to write down new words. As a class, discuss what the words mean and how they are pronounced. 

Suggested Instructional Outline:

Class Session 1, What’s in Alaska Foods (50 minutes):

·       Give each participant the Alaska Foods Worksheet to complete while they are watching the video. They may need to go back and review the video to complete all of the information. 

·       Watch the “Nutrition” video on the Healthy Eating page of the website (8 min.)

·       Facilitate a discussion about the video, potentially guided by the following questions (10 min.):

o   What did you learn about Alaska foods?

o   What surprised you?

o   Does this remind you of anything in your life?

o   What foods are gathered, harvested or caught in your community? 

o   What more do you want to learn about Alaska foods?  

·       Review the Alaska Foods Worksheet (10 min.)

o   Review the Alaska Foods Worksheet and students answers, discussing as necessary.

·       Review the Alaska Food Nutrition charts, reading the graphs and discussing the information on each chart (10 min.)

o   If in a classroom, hang the charts before the class and invite students to go on a nutrition walk, asking students to note what surprised them or reminded them of something they already knew.

·       Introduce homework: Labels (12 min.) 

o   Ask students to choose two similar foods and bring the packages and labels to class (or take pictures of the package and food labels).  Foods could be two different kinds of cereals, frozen dinners, sodas, meats, energy drinks, canned vs. frozen fruit, canned vs. frozen vegetable, etc. Ask students to each bring the packages and food labels (or pictures of them) and complete the worksheet to bring to class. The worksheet is on the website as “Health Eating Activity: Labels”

o   As an example, complete the worksheet as a class with foods brought by the instructor.

Class Session 2, Healthy Eating (45 minutes):

• Debrief and discuss homework (15 min.)

  • Ask each student to share their food packages and completed worksheets with the class to discuss.

·       Facilitate a discussion about healthy eating, potentially guided by the following questions (10 min.) 

o   What did you learn about deciding which option is healthier from the homework?

•   For example, some people believe that canned fruits and vegetables are healthier than frozen, but often frozen fruits/vegetables have less added salt and sugar than canned. 

o   What food choices are available in your community? Consider store foods, and also the “store outside your door.”

o   What healthy drinks are available in your community? 

o   What kinds of ways could people in your community choose to eat healthy foods?

•   Choosing colorful fruits and vegetables instead of junk food.

•   Eating traditional foods instead of processed foods.

•   Baking foods instead of frying. 

o   What kinds of healthy meals or snacks do you like to prepare? 

o   What kinds of local plants do people in your family gather?

o   What kinds of local animals does your family hunt or fish?

·       Facilitate the Healthy Eating Activity: Potluck (15 min.)

o   Students each draw a healthy food that they would bring to a cancer prevention potluck, then discuss what they know about the benefits of the food they chose to bring.

·       Introduce homework: Nutrition and Cancer (5 min.)

o   Ask students to research the connection between food and cancer risk by reading the handout and completing the worksheet (both available as the Healthy Eating Activity: Nutrition and Cancer)

Possible Extensions:

Future class sessions could include an assignment to prepare a message about eating to decrease cancer risk by either: taking a photo and writing a paragraph OR making a short video about healthy foods to decrease cancer risk. Ideas include people berry picking, fishing, hunting, gathering, harvesting or preparing traditional foods.

Evaluation:

•      Participation in in-class activities.

•      Completion of homework assignments.

•      Labels

•      Nutrition and Cancer

This lesson plan was created in 2020 through the project “Community engaged development of cancer education for Alaska Native youth,” funded by the Alaska Native/American Indian Clinical and Translational Research Program. For more information, please visit the website at https://sites.google.com/view/akcancer/home, email the project team at akcancer20@gmail.com or contact the PI Katie Cueva at kcueva@alaska.edu

Lesson Plan: Choosing Tobacco Free

Alaska Curriculum Standards: 

Skills for a Healthy Life A2, A3, B1, B3, B5, D2, D6

Reading Standards for Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects (9-12): 9

Writing Standards for Science, and Technical Subjects (9-12): 8, 9

Computer Digital Literacy Standards: 6-12.KC.1, 6-12.KC.2, 6-12.KC.4

Objectives:

At the end of this lesson, learners will be able to:

·       Explain the harmful effects of tobacco use.

·       Identify how tobacco impacts communities.

·       Discuss ways to support people to stay tobacco free or stop using tobacco.

·       Know tobacco related resources.

Materials Needed:

Computer and internet access to the website: https://sites.google.com/view/akcancer/home

·       Activities posted on the website: (Each activity with discussion can take about 30 minutes.)

o   Reader's Theatre

•   If in a classroom live, print at least 3 copies of the script for each of the 3 characters to read their parts.

o   Tobacco Facts

•  If in a classroom live: print 1 copy of facts for participants to read or print facts and hang around the classroom prior to lesson

o   Role Play Stories

• If in a classroom live: print copies of the stories for each participant

Resources to Learn More:

·       Tobacco Free Alaska http://dhss.alaska.gov/dph/Chronic/Pages/Tobacco/TobaccoFreeAlaska/default.aspx

·       Alaska Tobacco Quit Line 1800 QUIT NOW / 1-800-784-86691800 QUIT NOW / 1-800-784-8669

·       ANTHC Tobacco Program https://anthc.org/what-we-do/wellness/tobacco/

·       American Cancer Society https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-causes/tobacco-and-cancer.html

·       American Heart Association https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-lifestyle/quit-smoking-tobacco/the-benefits-of-quitting-smoking-now

·       American Lung Association https://www.lung.org/quit-smoking/smoking-facts

·       CDC https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/

 Vocabulary:

Carcinogen - A substance or agent that is known to cause cancer. Tobacco is a known carcinogen.

During the lesson, ask students to write down new words. As a class discuss what the words mean and how they are pronounced.

Suggested Instructional Outline:

Class Session 1, Impacts of Tobacco (45 minutes):

·       On the Tobacco page of the website, watch the “Impacts of Tobacco” video (3 minutes)

·       Facilitate a discussion about the video, potentially guided by the following questions (10 min):

o   What do you think about the video?

o   Does that remind you of anything in your life?

·       Facilitate the Tobacco Activity: Readers Theatre (students read different characters) (10 min.)

·       Facilitate a discussion about the Tobacco Activity: Readers Theatre, potentially guided by the following questions (10 min):

o   What messages do you think the youth in this story are sharing?

o   How does this relate to you or your community?

o   Why do you think this happens?

o   What can we do about it?

·       Introduce homework: Impacts of tobacco in your community (10 min.)

• • Ask students to interview two people about their experiences with tobacco before the next class session – one elder and one youth. Brainstorm as a class what questions to ask. Possible questions include:

    • How does tobacco impact our community?

    • What has been your experience with tobacco?

    • What helped you be tobacco free? (if applicable)

    • Why do you think you quit tobacco? (if applicable)

    • What do you think made you start using tobacco and have you ever considered quitting? (if applicable)

    • How is tobacco use related to our cultural values?

  • Optional: ask students to write down or record the interviews with their phones for sharing

Class Session 2, Tobacco Facts (45 minutes):

·       Ask students who they interviewed about tobacco and what people talked about (15 min.)

·       On the Tobacco page of the website, watch the “Tobacco Facts” video (3 minutes)

·       Facilitate a discussion about the video, potentially guided by the following questions (5 min):

o   What do you think about the video?

o   Was there anything in the video that surprised you?

·       Facilitate the Tobacco Activity: Tobacco Facts (10 min.)

o   Ask students to read through the facts and choose one fact that stands out to them. If in a classroom, cut up each fact and have students physically take the fact that stands out to them.

o   Ask each student to share their fact and ask why they choose that one.

·       Introduce homework: Look up the facts. (10 min.)

o   Ask students to each write down two questions they have about tobacco and cancer. Tell students to look up the answers to their two questions before the next class session, potentially using the “resources” on the website.

Class Session 3, Tobacco at Home (55 min.):

·       Students share the information they learned from their homework assignment “look up the facts” (10 min.)

·       On the Tobacco page of the website, watch the digital story “Clouds: Effects of Tobacco” video (2 minutes)

·       Facilitate a discussion about the video, potentially guided by the following questions (5 min):

o   What do you think about the video?

o   Does that remind you of anything in your life?

·       Facilitate the Tobacco Activity: Role Play (15 min.)

o   Invite a student to read one story

o   Brainstorm what the person in the story could do

o   Invite students to read some of the possibilities

o   Invite students to role play each of the characters in the story and act out the situation

o   Discuss how the role play went

o   Repeat with the following stories

·       Facilitate a discussion about the Tobacco Activity: Role Play, potentially guided by the following questions (5 min):

o   Has anyone quit using tobacco or helped someone to quit using tobacco? Share and celebrate success stories!

o   Who in the group has never used tobacco? Invite them to share what helped them stay tobacco free.

o   What situations do you find it hard to say no to being around tobacco smoke?

o   Were there any strategies in these role plays that you think you’d be comfortable using?

·       Introduce homework: Raising awareness (15 min.)

• • Brainstorm with students a list of ways they could raise awareness about tobacco in their communities. Potential ideas include:

    • Creating a poster and hanging it at the store

    • Giving a presentation at a community meeting

    • Asking a coach to make a presentation at a sports event

    • Making a meme or short video and posting it on social media

    • Writing and sharing an announcement on the VHF

  • Ask students to work individually or with a partner to each choose one way they can increase awareness in their communities before the next class session.

Evaluation:

·       Participation in in-class activities

·       Completion of homework assignments

o   Two interviews

o   Looking up two questions from credible sources

o   Sharing information about tobacco with their communities

This lesson plan was created through the project “Community engaged development of cancer education for Alaska Native youth,” funded by the Alaska Native/American Indian Clinical and Translational Research Program (2020). For more information, please visit the website at https://sites.google.com/view/akcancer/home, email the project team at akcancer20@gmail.com or contact the PI Katie Cueva at kcueva@alaska.edu 

Lesson Plan: Alcohol, Cancer Risk, and Our Community

Alaska Curriculum Standards:

Skills for a Healthy Life: A1, A2, A3, B1, B3, B5, D6

Cultural Standard for Students: B3, D1, D3, D4

Objectives:

At the end of this lesson, learners will be able to:

•        Know how drinking alcohol effects cancer risk.

•        Identify community strengths and wellness resources.

•        Identify community core values and discuss how alcohol may effect community wellness.

•        Visualize a healthy community.

Materials Needed:

Access to the website: https://sites.google.com/view/akcancer/home

•        Activities posted on the website: (Each activity with discussion can take about 30 minutes.)

•        Community Snapshot (Participants identify community strengths and resources.)

•        If via distance, ask participants to have something to draw or write with and paper.

•        Space to tape participants’ drawings such as a white board, blank wall, or flip chart paper

•        5x7 large post-it paper

•        Markers, crayons, tape

•        Community Core Values (Participants identify shared community values.)

•        Community Core Values handout for each participant.

•        Visioning a Healthy Community (Participants visualize their future healthy community.)

•        If via distance, ask participants to have something to draw or write with and paper.

•        Flip chart paper posted on the wall for participants’ drawings

•        5x7 large post-it paper

•        Markers, crayons, tape

Resources to Learn More:

•        American Cancer Society (ACS) https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-causes/diet-physical-activity/alcohol-use-and-cancer.html

•        American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) https://www.aicr.org/cancer-prevention/recommendations/limit-alcohol-consumption

•        Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/

•        National Cancer Institute (NCI) https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/alcohol

Vocabulary:

Alcohol (AL-kuh-hol) - A chemical substance found in drinks such as beer, wine, and liquor. Drinking regular or large amounts of alcohol may increase the risk of certain types of cancer, such as cancer of the mouth, throat, larynx, esophagus, breast, liver, colon, and rectum.

Carcinogen (car-SIN-oh-gin) – A substance or agent that is known to cause cancer.

Risk Factor- Something in a person, her or his lifestyle, or environment, which increases the chance of developing cancer.

During the lesson, ask students to write down new words. As a class, discuss what the words mean and how they are pronounced.

Suggested Instructional Outline:

Class Session 1, Alcohol and Cancer Risk (45-50 minutes):

·         On the Alcohol page of the website, watch the video. (1 min.)

·         Facilitate a discussion about the video, potentially guided by the following questions (5 min.):

o   What health message is the person in the video wanting to share?

o   Why do you think he is wanting people to hear his message?

·         Review and discuss the alcohol and cancer content on the web page or view the PowerPoint presentation. (5 min.)

o   How does alcohol increase cancer risk?

·         Facilitate the Activity: Community Snapshot (20 min.)

o   Each participant draws positive aspects of their community, which are then shared and discussed for common themes.

·         Facilitate a discussion about the Community Snapshot Activity (10 min.):

o   How do communities support wellness?

o   What activities within your community help to decrease cancer risk?

o   How does alcohol influence wellness in each community?

o   Who supports community health and wellness?

o   What are the resources and strengths in each community? (wisdom of elders, cultural traditions, etc.)

·         Introduce homework (5 min.):

o   If students each have a connection to Internet and the ability to enable flash: Ask students to visit the following website to play a game working together with forensic scientists to solve an alcohol related crime : http://nsquad.rice.edu/

§  There are three episodes, each is estimated to take 30-45 minutes.

§  Each episode explores the impacts of alcohol on a different bodily system (digestive, circulatory, nervous).

§  For each episode, ask students to complete a “mission log” – available for download on the site at: http://webadventures.rice.edu/ed/Teacher-Resources/_games/N-Squad/_501/Teacher-Materials/Mission-Logs.html

o   If students do not have a good wifi connection or ability to enable flash: Ask students to visit with 2 adults in their community about what they love about living in their community and what makes their community special.

§  Students should be prepared to report back to the class who they visited with and what they learned about living in their community.

Class Session 2, Community Values and Cancer Risk (45 minutes):

• Debrief homework (10 min.)

  • Ask each student to share how their homework went.

  • Debrief the mission logs or discuss who students visited with and what they learned about their communities.

·         Facilitate the Community Core Values activity posted on the website. (20 min.)

o   Each student identifies their core values from a list, then students are invited to explore which values they have in common

·         Facilitate a conversation about core values (10 min.)

o   How do our community values influence health and wellness?

• • How do you think your personal values influence the choices you make concerning alcohol or cancer risk factors? 

• Introduce homework: Community Core Values (5 min.)

  • Ask each student to facilitate the Community Core Values activity with a group of family or friends. Give participants enough Community Core Value handouts for each person in their group that they want to facilitate the activity (minimum of 3).

  • Students should be prepared to share who they facilitated the activity with and what top 2 values their group chose and why.

Class Session 3, Visioning a Healthy Community (45 minutes):

• Debrief homework (10 min.)

  • Ask each student to share how their homework went.

§  Discuss who they visited with and what they learned about values within their community. What were the top 2 values shared and why did people choose those values. How do the broader community core values compare to their class core values?

·         Facilitate the Visioning a Healthy Community activity posted on the website. (20 min.)

o   Students will imagine and draw what a healthy community looks like. Imagine what you would want your kids’ future community to look like. What life would you want them to have as an auntie or uncle? How do you imagine your ideal community to be to support health and wellness?

·         Facilitate a discussion about the Visioning a Healthy Community Activity (15 min.):

o   Reflect upon your healthy community vision.

§  What do you see? What common themes do you see in people’s pictures?

§  What cultural values do you see being expressed?

§  How does culture influence community health and wellness? How does this effect cancer risk or cancer prevention activities? What role does alcohol play in community wellness?

§  How do you think connection to core values and culture contribute to a healthy community? Does this have an effect on cancer risk reduction activities?

o   After visioning a healthy community, participants can begin to identify small steps to move towards their shared community vision of health and wellness. Visioning may be a step in developing a shared action plan to help realize a healthier community.

• • • What needs to happen to move towards this community vision of health and wellness?

    • What is one thing participants could do to help make this vision happen?

    • How will you help to make your vision possible for kids in the future?

Evaluation:

•        Participation in in-class activities.

•        Completion of homework assignment.

•        N-Squad or Interviewing adult community members

•        Community Core Values

This lesson plan was created through the project “Community engaged development of cancer education for Alaska Native youth,” funded by the Alaska Native/American Indian Clinical and Translational Research Program (2020). For more information, please visit the website at https://sites.google.com/view/akcancer/home, email the project team at akcancer20@gmail.com or contact the PI Katie Cueva at kcueva@alaska.edu 

Lesson Plan: Sun Health

Alaska Curriculum Standards: 

Skills for a Healthy life A1, A2, A3, B1, D2, D6

Reading Standards for Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects (9-12): 4, 9

Writing Standards for Science, and Technical Subjects (9-12): 8, 9

Computer Digital Literacy Standards: 6-12.KC.1, 6-12.KC.2, 6-12.KC.4

 Objectives:

At the end of this lesson, learners will be able to:

•   Know ways to protect your eyes and skin from the sun's harmful rays.

•   Know skin changes that may be associated with skin cancer.

•   Know how to find medically-accurate resources.

Materials Needed:

Computer and internet access to the website: https://sites.google.com/view/akcancer/home

•   Activity posted on the website

•   Sun Health Activity - no materials needed.

•   Print copies of the Using Cancer Information Resources Assignment for each student included in this Lesson Plan.

 Resources to Learn More:

•   ACS (American Cancer Society) https://staging.cancer.org/healthy/be-safe-in-sun.htm

•   (Center for Disease Control) https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/skin/basic_info/sun-safety.htm

 Vocabulary:

Ultraviolet (UV) Radiation - Invisible rays that are part of the energy coming from the sun. Ultraviolet radiation can burn the skin and cause skin cancer.

Sun Protection Factor (SPF) - A measure of how long a sunscreen will protect you from UV rays, which is the main cause of reddening and sunburn. UV rays can damage the epidermis, the skin's outer layers, where the most common forms of skin cancer occur.

During the lesson, ask students to write down new words. As a class, discuss what the words mean and how they are pronounced.

Suggested Instructional Outline:

Class Session 1, Sun Health (45 minutes):

•   Discuss skin cancer and ways to protect skin from the sun's harmful rays. (10 min.)

•   Information on skin cancer is included below in “Additional Skin Cancer Information,” as well as on the Sun Health Activity

•   Facilitate the Sun Health Activity: (15 min.)

•   Discuss how to find medically-accurate information (10 min):

•   What resources do you use if you want to learn more information?

•   Whom do you ask or talk with when you want to learn more about cancer?

•   Where do you look for information on cancer: family, friend, health care provider, social media, on the web, in a book, newspaper, magazine, other?

•       How do you know if information is medically-accurate?

•   Introduce homework: (10 min.)

•   Ask students to think of a question they have about sun safety or cancer.

•   Tell students to look up the answers to their question before the next class session, potentially using the “resources” on the website. Ask students to use at least 2 different resources.

•   Handout included on the next page of this document

Additional Skin Cancer Information

•   To protect skin from the sun’s harmful rays, people wear protective clothing, hats and long sleeve shirts, sunglasses, and sunscreen. Sunglasses that block both UVA and UVB rays offer the best protection and can also help protect a person’s eyes from developing cataracts. Sunscreens have a sun protection factor (SPF) number that rates their effectiveness in blocking UV rays. The higher the number the better the protection. Using tanning booths is not recommended. People of any age or ethnicity can develop skin cancer. 

•   For concerns about changes in a mole, use the ABCD method to help decide if it needs to be checked by a health care provider. If the answer is yes to the following questions or if the person is concerned it is best to have it checked by their health care provider.

•       A = Asymmetry. Does the mole look different on one side or the other?

•       B = Border.  Is the border jagged or uneven?

•       C = Color.  Are there varied colors in the same mole?

•       D = Diameter.  Is the mole growing?

•   Any sore that also does not heal is also a concern and needs to be reported to a health care provider.

 Evaluation:

•   Participation in in-class activities

•   Completion of homework assignment

•   Using Cancer Information Resources Assignment

 Using Cancer Information Resources Assignment Handout

 Think of a question you have about cancer. Using the internet, try to find an answer to your question on two different websites. Examples of helpful resources to look at include: the American Cancer Society (www.cancer.org 800-227-2345), the National Cancer Institute (www.cancer.gov 1 800-4CANCER), the American Institute for Cancer Research (http://www.aicr.org), and the Prevent Cancer Foundation (http://preventcancer.org)

Present your answers to the class.

•       What cancer-related question did you want to learn more about?

•       What did you learn?

•       What resources did you use to learn more?

•       Do you recommend these resources and why? 

•       How did the information between the 2 resources differ?

 How do you know if you are reading accurate information?

The following are guidelines to help.

Web page addresses may end with the following:

•       .edu for educational or research material

•       .org for organization

•       .gov for government resources

•       .com for commercial products

Ask yourself the following questions.

 Who says so?

Look for author’s name, title or position, and organization.

• Is it clear who is responsible for the contents of the page?

• Is there a link to a page describing the purpose of the sponsoring organization?

• Is there a way to verify the page? (phone number, address, or contact information)

• Is it clear who wrote the material and are the author’s qualifications for writing on this topic stated?

Can I trust these facts?

•       Are the sources for any facts or information listed?

•       Is it clear who is responsible for content accuracy?

•       If there are charts/graphs are they clearly labeled and easy to read and understand?

Why are they telling me this?

•       Is the information provided as a public service?

•       Is the information free of advertising?

•       If there is advertising, can you tell it apart from the informational content?

Is the information up-to-date?

•       Are there dates to indicate: when it was written, when it was placed on the web, when it was last updated?

•       If there are graphs/charts, is it clear when the information was gathered?

This lesson plan was created through the project “Community engaged development of cancer education for Alaska Native youth,” funded by the Alaska Native/American Indian Clinical and Translational Research Program (2020). For more information, please visit the website at https://sites.google.com/view/akcancer/home, email the project team at akcancer20@gmail.com or contact the PI Katie Cueva at kcueva@alaska.edu 

Lesson Plan: HPV

Alaska Curriculum Standards:

Skill for a Healthy Life: A1, A2, A3, A7, B6

Digital Literacy: 6-12.KC.1, 6-12.KC.2, 6-12.KC.3, 6-12.KC.4

Objectives:

At the end of this lesson, learners will be able to:

•       Know what the HPV (Human Papillomavirus) is and how it can be prevented.

•       Discuss common questions and answers related to HPV.

•       Identify benefits of the HPV vaccine, which prevents 6 types of cancer.

Materials Needed:

Computer and internet access to the website: https://sites.google.com/view/akcancer/home

·        Activity posted on the website: HPV Vaccine is Cancer Prevention

o   If in person: print a copy of common questions and answers, cut apart questions and answers, and divide among participants.

o   If via distance, email questions and answers to each participant

Resources to Learn More:

•       American Cancer Society (ACS) https://www.cancer.org/healthy/hpv-vaccine.html

•       Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) https://www.cdc.gov/hpv/

•       National Cancer Institute  (NCI) HPV and Cancer https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/infectious-agents/hpv-and-cancer

Vocabulary:

Risk Factor- Something in a person, her or his lifestyle, or environment which increases the chance of developing cancer.

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) – HPV is a group of more than 150 related viruses that infect both men and women. HPV causes genital warts and 6 different types of cancer: cervical, vulvar, vaginal, penile, oral, and anal. 

Cervix - The cervix is the lower, narrow end of the uterus. The cervix connects the vagina (the birth canal) to the upper part of the uterus. The uterus (or womb) is where a baby grows during pregnancy. The HPV vaccine can prevent almost all cervical cancers.

Pap Smear or Pap Test – An exam done by a health care provider where they take a sample of cervical cells to look for changes that may be precancerous or cancer. Regular screening between the ages of 21 and 65 years with the Pap test helps to find and treat cell changes early before they become cancer or find cancer early when it is best treated.

During the lesson, ask students to write down new words. As a class, discuss what the words mean and how they are pronounced.

Suggested Instructional Outline:

Class Session 1, HPV Vaccine is Cancer Prevention (45 minutes):

·        On the HPV page of the website, watch the digital story “What is HPV?” (2 min.)

·        Facilitate a discussion about the digital story, potentially guided by the following questions (8 min.):

o   What do you think about the video?

o   Does that remind you of anything in your life?

o   What do you know about the HPV vaccine and cancer prevention?

·        Facilitate the HPV Activity: Common Questions and Answers (20 min.)

o   Each participant has either a question or an answer, and participants read aloud their question and answers to match up which question goes with which answer. 

·        Facilitate a discussion about the HPV Activity: Common Questions and Answers (10 min.):

o   What information surprised you?

o   What have you heard about HPV or the HPV vaccine?

o   Have you or the people in your family had the HPV vaccine, if yes why, if no, why not?

·        Introduce homework: Listening with Your Community, Sharing Knowledge (5 min.)

o   Ask students to talk with one person in their community about HPV and the HPV vaccine and cancer prevention. Ask them to be prepared to share at the next class:

•  Who they talked to about HPV (male, female, approximate age)?

•  Had the person heard about HPV or the HPV vaccine?

•  How did the person feel about the importance of the HPV vaccine for cancer prevention?

Had the person gotten the recommended HPV vaccine? What helped them make that choice?

o   Ask students use the additional resources listed in this lesson plan if they or a community member has additional questions or if they are unsure if the information that a community member shares is medically accurate.

Class Session 2, Designing a Poster (45 minutes):

·        Debrief homework by discussing: (5 min.)

o   Who they talked to about HPV (male, female, approximate age)?

o   Had the person heard about HPV or the HPV vaccine?

o   How did the person feel about the importance of the HPV vaccine for cancer prevention?

o   Had the person gotten the recommended HPV vaccine? What helped them make that choice?

·        Ask students what they would like their communities to know about the HPV vaccine (5 min.)

o   Write a list of these things as a brainstorm for designing posters

·        Tell students that they will be making a poster about HPV. To make a poster, it can help to look at examples.  Pull up each example HPV poster for students to look at (included below). For each one, discuss: (10 min.)

o   What do you like about this poster?

o   What don’t you like about this poster?

o   Did you learn anything from this poster?

o   How do you know this information is accurate?

o   Who is the poster designed for?

o   Does this poster encourage people who see it to do anything? If so, what?

·        Ask students to find a partner to decide what kind of poster they will design. (2 min.)

·        Introduce list of resources for youth to use to get accurate information (listed above), reviewing things to think about when trying to figure out if information is accurate (8 min.)

o   What’s the date? (is it recent)

o   Who wrote the information (organization or author name, their qualifications, are there sources?)

o   Why are they telling me this? (public service? An attempt to sell something?)

o   If it’s a website, does it end in .edu .org or .gov? (.edu is for education, .org for organization, .gov for government, .com for commercial)

·        Ask students to begin filling in the handout (below) to think through what their poster will be like (10 min.)

·       Introduce homework: Decide where to display poster (5 min.)

o   Ask students to ask permission to display their completed posters (i.e. clinic, school, store, etc.). Encourage students to find somewhere that other people can see it, and have a second and third choice in case their first choice doesn’t work out. Ask students to record:

§  Where did you want to put your poster?

§  Who did you talk to?

§  What did they say?

§  If it was a no, what was your next choice on where to put your poster (+ above 3 questions for that second choice)?

 Class Session 3, Creating a Poster (45 minutes):

·       Review homework – check that all students have somewhere to hang up their final poster (5 min.)

·       Ask students to design the poster (could design electronically if done via distance, or with paper and markers if in person) (30 min.)

o   Note – students may need more time to develop a poster that could be hung in the school or classroom.

·       Ask students to share their poster in progress with the group (8 min.)

·       Introduce homework: Complete poster and hang it up. Take a picture of the finished poster to share with the group (2 min.)

Evaluation:

•       Participation in in-class activities.

•       Completion of homework assignment.

•       Listening with Your Community, Sharing Knowledge

•       Figuring out where to hang poster

•       Completing poster and hanging it up

This lesson plan was created through the project “Community engaged development of cancer education for Alaska Native youth,” funded by the Alaska Native/American Indian Clinical and Translational Research Program (2020). For more information, please visit the website at https://sites.google.com/view/akcancer/home, email the project team at akcancer20@gmail.com or contact the PI Katie Cueva at kcueva@alaska.edu 

Lesson Plan: Recommended Screening Exams

 Alaska Curriculum Standards:

Skills for a Healthy Life: A1, A3, A8, D6

Reading Standards for Literacy in Science: 4

Writing Standards for Literacy in Science: 8

Objectives:

At the end of this lesson, learners will be able to:

•       Identify basic vocabulary used when talking about cancer (carcinogen, cells, biopsy, benign, malignant, tumor, metastasis).

•       Identify screening methods available for specific cancers (breast, cervix, colon, testicles, and prostate).

•       Know where to find recommended screening guidelines (American Cancer Society, National Cancer Institute).

•       Discuss the barriers and benefits of cancer screening.

Materials Needed:

Computer and internet access to the website: https://sites.google.com/view/akcancer/home

·        Activities posted on the website: (Each activity with discussion can take about 30 minutes.)

o   Vocabulary

•   Access for each student to the ‘Cancer Screening Vocabulary’ crossword puzzle located in this lesson plan, if in-person, print a copy for each student.

o   Healthy Habits Card or Bookmark

•   If in-person, materials to make a card or bookmark.

·        Print the 'Make a Cancer Screening Bookmark or Card’ worksheet, located in the activity, for each participant.

•   Access to the ‘Help Yourself to Health’ booklet located on the website, whether printed or electronically.

o   Cancer Screening BINGO

•   Access to the bingo cards and questions and answers for bingo. If in-person, print a bingo card for each student and print and cut apart the questions with answers. Divide the questions with accompanying answers among players.

 Resources to Learn More:

•       American Cancer Society (ACS) https://www.cancer.org/healthy/find-cancer-early/cancer-screening-guidelines.html

•       National Cancer Institute  (NCI)

https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/screening/screening-tests

Vocabulary:

Benign (beh-NINE) - A tumor that is not cancer; it does not invade nearby tissue or spread to other parts of the body.

Biopsy (BY-op-see) – The removal of a sample of tissue that is examined under a microscope, by a specially trained doctor called a pathologist, to look for cancer cells. A cancer diagnosis cannot be made by looking at a person. A biopsy is required to make a cancer diagnosis.

Cancer – A word for more than 100 different diseases in which abnormal cells divide without control or order.

Carcinogen (car-SIN-oh-gin) – A substance or agent that is known to cause cancer.

Cell – Basic unit or building block of human tissue.

Colonoscopy (KOH-lun-OSS-koh-pee) – A procedure in which a health care provider looks inside the entire colon and rectum using a thin, flexible, lighted tube called a colonoscope, to find and remove polyps before they become cancer.

HPV Vaccine – HPV or Human papillomavirus vaccines are recommended for both boys and girls to prevent infection by certain types of human papillomavirus. The vaccine helps to prevent cancers of the cervix, vagina, vulva, penis, mouth/throat, and anus.

Family Health History – A family health history is a history of the diseases among your blood relatives. You and your family share genes. Having a family history of specific types of cancer may increase your risk for developing certain cancers. A person with a family history of cancer may need to begin having recommended cancer screenings at a younger age.

Malignant (muh-LIG-nant) – A tumor that is cancer and has the ability to spread to other parts of the body.

Mammogram (MAM-oh-gram) – A special x-ray of the breast to find cell changes early.

Metastasis (meh-TAS-tuh-sis) –The spread of cancer from one part of the body to another part of the body through the lymph system or blood system.

Pap Smear or Pap Test – An exam done by a health care provider to take a sample of cervical cells to look for changes that may be precancer or cancer.

PSA – A Prostate specific antigen or PSA blood test may be ordered to screen for prostate cancer. The PSA level may be elevated in men who have prostate cancer, or an infection in the prostate.

Risk Factor- Something in a person, her or his lifestyle, or environment which increases the chance of developing cancer.

Screening – Checking for disease when there are no symptoms.

During the lesson, ask students to write down new words. As a class, discuss what the words mean and how they are pronounced.

 Suggested Instructional Outline:

Class Session 1, Recommended Screening Exams (50 minutes):

·        On the Recommended Screening Exams page of the website, watch the digital story “I Didn’t Know.” (2 min.)

·        Facilitate a discussion about the digital story, potentially guided by the following questions (5 min.):

o   What do you think about the video?

o   Does that remind you of anything in your life?

·        Review the vocabulary listed in the lesson plan. Cancer often has a whole new set of words to learn and understand. (10 min.)

o   Participants can complete the crossword puzzle with a partner or you can do together as a class.

o   The word bank can be written for participants to view. Word Bank: Benign, Biopsy, Cancer, Carcinogen, Cell, Colonoscopy, HPV Vaccine, Family Health History, Malignant, Mammogram, Metastasis, Pap Test, PSA, Risk Factor, Screening.

·        Review helpful resources to learn where to find information about recommended cancer screening guidelines. (5 min.)

·        Facilitate the Cancer Screening Activity: Healthy Habits Card or Bookmark (20 min.)

o   Invite participants to read the booklet located on the website and complete the worksheet (included in the activity).

o   As a class, discuss the worksheet answers.

o   Ask participants to create a wellness card or bookmark for a family member or friend with information on cancer screenings.

• Introduce homework: (5 min.)

  • Participants give their healthy habits card or bookmark to the person they made it for. Students should be prepared to share with the class:

    • Who they gave it to

    • What that person’s reaction was

    • Why they chose that person

Class Session 2, Recommended Screening Exams (45 minutes):

• Debrief homework (10 min.)

  • Ask each student to share how their homework went.

  •   Discuss who they visited with and what they learned about having recommended cancer screening exams.

·        On the Recommended Screening Exams page of the website, watch the digital story “Cancer to Me” (2 min.)

·        Facilitate a discussion about the digital story, potentially guided by the following questions (5 min.):

o   What do you think about the video?

o   Does that remind you of anything in your life?

·        Facilitate the Cancer Screening activity: Cancer Screening BINGO (20 min.)

o   Each participant is given a BINGO card with answers in a different order (included in the cancer screening BINGO activity on the website).

o   Tell the participants that the class will be reading questions about cancer screenings, and the answers to those questions are on their BINGO cards.

o   Ask each student to read a question, then have students call out the answer – discuss if needed. Ask students to cross off the right answer on their BINGO card.

o   When someone gets a straight – they can yell BINGO! But play for blackout so all questions/answers are discussed.

o   As the facilitator, you can add other information to the cancer screening discussion to help students understand the new vocabulary words and the importance of having recommended screening exams to find and treat cancer early.

·        Facilitate a discussion about the Recommended Screening Exams Activity: Cancer Screening Bingo (10 min.):

o   What are the benefits of having regular recommended screening exams? Possibilities include:

•   Including prevention as part of the pathway of wellness.

•   Actively taking care of health.

•   Ensuring a longer, healthier life by finding and treating problems early.

•   Being a positive example for family and friends.

o   What are the barriers to having recommended cancer screening exams? Possibilities include:

•   Lack of knowledge.

•   Embarrassing.

•   Not a priority.

•   Expensive.

•   Have to travel outside of the village.

o   Discuss ways to overcome barriers to cancer screening exams to support a lifetime of wellness. Possibilities include:

•   Cancer is the leading cause of death among Alaska Native people and the biggest cancers are all cancers we can do something about.

•   Lung cancer is almost totally driven by tobacco use.

•   Colon and Breast cancer have screening exams. The sooner cancer is found and treated, the better a person’s recovery.

•   The chances that cancer will be detected early are improved by having recommended screening exams and being aware of body changes.

Introduce homework: Interviewing adult community members (5 min.)

o   Ask students to visit with a male and a female community member and talk to them about having regular recommended cancer screening exams. Ask students to write a list of questions to ask, such as:

•   Have you had recommended cancer screening exams?

·        If yes, what was that like?

·        If no, what gets in the way?

·        What would help you to have regular recommended screening exams?

o   Students should be prepared to report back to the class:

•   Who they visited with and what they learned about having recommended cancer screening exams.

Evaluation:

•       Participation in in-class activities.

•       Completion of homework assignments:

•       Sharing recommended cancer screening information by giving a card or bookmark to a family member or friend.

•       Interviewing adult community members.

This lesson plan was created through the project “Community engaged development of cancer education for Alaska Native youth,” funded by the Alaska Native/American Indian Clinical and Translational Research Program (2020). For more information, please visit the website at https://sites.google.com/view/akcancer/home, email the project team at akcancer20@gmail.com or contact the PI Katie Cueva at kcueva@alaska.edu 

Lesson Plan: Cancer Data of the Northwest Arctic

Alaska Curriculum Standards: 

Skills for a Healthy Life: B2, B5, D6

Computer Digital Literacy: 6-12.KC.1, 6-12.KC.2, 6-12.KC.4, 6-12.CT.2, 6-12.CC.2, 6-12.CC.3

Reading Standards for Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects 6-12: 2,4,5,7 

Objectives:

At the end of these lessons, learners will be able to:

·       Interpret cancer data tables and figures

·       Think critically when interpreting data tables and figures

·       Discuss and understand the data’s implications

·       Know related resources and how to use them

·       Better understand statistical data

Materials Needed:

Computer and internet access to the website: https://sites.google.com/view/akcancer/home

·       Activities posted on the website: (Each activity with discussion can take about 30 minutes.)

o   Introduction to Cancer Statistics

•   If in a live classroom, copies can be printed as instructions for students to create a graph via SEER*Explorer.

o   Cancer in Northwest Arctic Statistics PowerPoint Worksheet

•   If in a live classroom: print 1 copy of the worksheet per student to engage them during the narrated PowerPoint. 

Resources to Learn More:

·       Alaska Cancer Registry http://dhss.alaska.gov/dph/VitalStats/Pages/cancer/registry.aspx

·       Alaska Department of Health and Social Services Data http://ibis.dhss.alaska.gov/topic/Index.html

·      Alaska Department of Health and Social Services Data http://ibis.dhss.alaska.gov/topic/healthoutcomes/Cancer.html

·      National Cancer Institute Data Resources https://seer.cancer.gov/statistics/interactive.html

·      National Cancer Institute Data by State https://statecancerprofiles.cancer.gov/map/map.noimage.php

·      Cancer Atlas https://canceratlas.cancer.org/data/map/hdi-levels/

·      CDC Cancer Data and Statistics https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/dcpc/data/index.htm & https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/dcpc/data/tools.htm

·       American Cancer Society Cancer Facts and Statistics for Alaska https://cancerstatisticscenter.cancer.org/#!/state/Alaska

·       American Cancer Society Cancer Facts and Statistics National https://www.cancer.org/research/cancer-facts-statistics.html

·      ANTHC Epidemiology http://anthctoday.org/epicenter/antr.html

·      The New York Times Graphing lesson https://www.nytimes.com/column/whats-going-on-in-this-graph

·      Socratic Seminar: Building a Culture of Student Led Discussion https://www.edutopia.org/blog/socratic-seminars-culture-student-led-discussion-mary-davenport

Vocabulary:

Data – the observations gathered from an experiment, survey or observational study.

Cancer Incidence – the number of new cancer cases within a specific area or specific population.

Risk Factor – something in a person, their lifestyle, or environment which increases the chance of developing cancer. 

Epidemiology – the field of science where someone studies health outcomes and diseases in populations

Mortality Rates – the rate of deaths in a location or time period from a particular cause

During the lesson, ask students to write down new words. As a class discuss what the words mean and how they are pronounced. 

Suggested Instructional Outline:

Class Session 1, Introduction to Cancer Statistics (45 minutes):

·       On the cancer education website look at the Northwest Arctic Cancer Data page, watch the “Cancer Statistics, Did You Know?” video (4 minutes). 

·       Facilitate a discussion about the video, potentially discussing the following vocabulary (10 min):

•   Statistics

•   Incidence Rate 

•   Prevalence

•   Mortality Rate 

•   Epidemiology

•   Surveillance statistics

·       Facilitate the “Introduction to Cancer Statistics activity” available on the website (25 min.)

o   Show students the National Cancer institute’s interactive tool SEER*Explorer and invite students to create graphs that interest them: https://seer.cancer.gov/explorer/

o   This activity is designed to introduce students to cancer data and statistics before information on Northwest Arctic cancer data is shared. 

·       Introduce homework: Create a graph using a reliable data site (6 min.)

• • Ask students to create a graph using data collected from a reputable site (see Resources for ideas of sites). They can use excel or draw graphs by hand. This can range from bar graphs, to line graphs or pie graphs. Identify key things students should account for while creating a graph. Brainstorm as a class what types of graphs you might use for different data sets. Possible questions include: 

    • What kinds of data interest you? 

    • Is there data collected for that topic? 

    • What is a reputable site? 

    • What type of graph would be most appropriate for that data set? 

  • Ask students to share and talk about their graphs during the next class session 

Class Session 2, Northwest Arctic Cancer Data (45 minutes):

·       Ask students share their graphs they made for homework (13 min.)

·       On the Northwest Arctic Cancer Data page of the website, watch the “Cancer in Northwest Arctic” PowerPoint and invite students to complete the accompanying worksheet, available on the website. (12 min.)

·       Facilitate a Socratic seminar about the PowerPoint, potentially guided by the following questions. See the resources above to learn more about the Socratic method if unfamiliar (15 min):

o   What was the most interesting part of the PowerPoint?

o   Was there anything in the PowerPoint that surprised you?

o   How can we use this data in our community?

o   What ways could you personally use this data? 

o   How can we better teach youth about cancer data and statistics? 

o   What are potential things that could impact the data?

o   How would you like to see the data trending in the next twenty years? 

·       Introduce homework: NW Arctic Cancer Infographic (5 min.)

o   Ask students to create an infographic from the cancer data and statistics for the Northwest Arctic region. They can use materials from the PowerPoint or potentially using the “resources” on the website. Students should create a visual way to share a part of this data with their community. 

Examples: (On the pop-out to the right)

o   Optional: If students would like to share their infographics, they can be emailed to akcancer20@gmail.com

Evaluation:

·       Participation in in-class activities and discussions

·       Completion of homework assignments

o   Created a graph and shared it with the class

o   Created a visual infographic

This lesson plan was created in 2020 through the project “Community engaged development of cancer education for Alaska Native youth,” funded by the Alaska Native/American Indian Clinical and Translational Research Program. For more information, please visit the website at https://sites.google.com/view/akcancer/home, email the project team at akcancer20@gmail.com or contact the PI Katie Cueva at kcueva@alaska.edu