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This guide is a starting point for parents, teachers, health professionals, law enforcement personnel, alcohol retailers, policymakers, and others who are concerned with the well-being of children. It describes three basic prevention strategies and ways they can be applied in the home, the school, and the community, and offers effective, practical strategies for communities that have decided to take action to prevent underage drinking, especially among children and young adolescents. These strategies may lead to such changes as revised zoning laws, new policies or legislation, better enforcement of existing laws, and establishment of school policies on alcohol use. To help the reader better understand how to put these strategies into action, the guide also includes real-life examples of efforts by people around the country to prevent drinking by 9- to 15-year-olds. Although the strategies may be adapted in different ways by different communities, their science base ensures that no matter what the location, from rural farming areas, to suburban school districts, to inner-city neighborhoods, these strategies work. Also included are: (1) a list of materials offered by the federal agency funding partners in this initiative, that will be useful to those who are developing prevention campaigns in their communities; and (2) A list of directories of individual State agencies or regional offices that can provide local resources. (Contains 38 endnotes.) [This document was produced by The Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free.]

"The Brain: Our Sense of Self" has several objectives. One is to introduce students to the key concept that the sense of self, our sense of identity, is contained within the brain. Through inquiry-based activities, students investigate brain function and the various roles of the brain within the nervous system. A second objective is to allow students to develop the understanding that brain function is not predetermined; the brain can change with learning throughout life. The lessons in this module help students sharpen their skills in observation, critical thinking, experimental design, and data analysis. They also make connections to other disciplines such as English, history, mathematics, and social science. A third objective is to convey to students the purpose of scientific research. Ongoing research affects how the world is understood and gives the foundation for improving choices about personal and community health. In this module, students experience how science provides evidence that can be used to understand and treat human disease. Because the mission of the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke includes helping the public understand the importance of brain and nervous system function to health, education is an important activity for the Institute.

This curriculum supplement, from The NIH Curriculum Supplement Series, brings cutting-edge medical science and basic research discoveries from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) into classrooms. It was designed to complement existing life science curricula at both the state and local levels and to be consistent with the National Science Education Standards. Doing Science: The Process of Scientific Inquiry has four objectives. The first is to help students understand the basic aspects of scientific inquiry. The second objective is to provide students with an opportunity to practice and refine their critical-thinking skills. The third objective is to convey to students the purpose of scientific research. The final objective of this module is to encourage students to think in terms of these relationships now and as they grow older. Middle school life science classes offer an ideal setting for integrating many areas of student interest. In this module, students participate in activities that integrate inquiry science, human health, and mathematics, and interweave science, technology, and society. The real-life context of the module's classroom lessons is engaging, and the knowledge gained can be applied immediately to students' lives. The four lessons of this module are designed to be taught in sequence over six to eight days (as a supplement to the standard curriculum) or as individual lessons that support and enhance the treatment of specific concepts in middle school science.