How to Use This Curriculum  

The Better Safe Than Sorry Curriculum is designed to promote education regarding alcohol-related birth defects and their prevention. This curriculum is designed to be flexible with respect to a range of student ages and experiences as well as the amount of class time that can be set aside for this topic. Based on available time, the curriculum appears as a one, two or three star program (pages 16-20). Classroom activities can range from viewing an informative video (15 minutes) to inclusion of a simple hands-on experiment, playing a fun and fact-filled game and conducting other teacher- or student- driven activities (>90 minutes). The subject matter readily lends itself to being taught in science or health classes and meets the National Science Education Standards for Science Content Standards. Additionally, the activities may be integrated with the teaching of language arts and math skills.

Included in this curriculum are teacher preparation materials in the form of fact sheets, video tapes, transparencies, a power point presentation with text and internet links to informational sites. In addition, worksheets with answers and suggestions for topics of discussion are available. For those who wish to either demonstrate or have their students conduct an experiment, kits are available through Carolina Biological Supply Company http://www3.carolina.com ( Click on search and type in “Testing the Limits ”) . To insure facility with the experiment set-up, a short video illustrating all of the necessary steps is included with the curriculum.

Please share this curriculum with your fellow teachers so that we can educate as many individuals as possible regarding this country’s leading known case of mental retardation.