Vaping has taken off in a big way around the world.
And teens have taken to it in huge numbers.
Why are teens vaping?
And are they aware of the health risks?
This is a complete English lesson plan on vaping.
You can download the full lesson plan below… Use it in your class today!
Suck It Up!
Read Nicky’s account below:
I started vaping because all my friends were doing it. It just seemed cool at the time.
The devices that the kids at school had all looked great. They had these really nice designs, and they all came in different colours.
All the kids had these vape pipes with cool names too. Like Tazer, The Breeze, Revelation. They sounded like names you could see on a t-shirt.
And they had their own logos too.
Having your own vape became like a status symbol.
Soon, there were many kids in my school who were using vapes. And no one even thought that it was like smoking. Many kids even thought that using a vape was not smoking at all. It was not considered bad for your health or dangerous.
I think for many older people — adults and people the same age as my mum and dad — they started to use vapes to quit smoking.
But for a lot of my friends at school — me included — we just went straight to vapes. We didn’t even consider smoking cigarettes at all.
I would look at my grandfather smoking cigarettes, and it just looked dirty to me. And he was always coughing every time he smoked.
But with vapes… It doesn’t look dirty. It looks clean.
And the smoke that comes out of your mouth doesn’t look the same as cigarette smoke. It looks more like a cloud. It looks natural. Like air.
So I think that’s why so many kids did it.
It looked cool, and it didn’t seem unhealthy.
But then I started doing it every day. It was always in my hand. I was constantly taking a hit off of it any time I wasn’t in class.
Or if my parents couldn’t see me doing it.
I found that if I didn’t do it every day — or I couldn’t get the oil — then I had trouble breathing. It was like I needed to vape or I couldn’t even breathe.
One kid at school — he has asthma — and he had to go to hospital because of vaping. He was off school for about three weeks, I think.
Then, in the summer, we had a sports day. I was always good at sports. I was good at running.
But I was in one running event — all the schools from our district were there, parents were there — and I collapsed. Luckily, I had finished the race — I didn’t come close to winning — and as I was walking back off the track, I just fell to the ground.
My mum and dad took me to hospital, and they found that I had this thing called popcorn lung. It’s very common for people that use vapes.
The doctor knew immediately that I had been vaping. And he had to tell my mum and dad.
They were really worried about me. But angry at the same time.
Now, I don’t vape at all. It was really hard to stop. But I am so glad I did.
Reading Comprehension Questions
Who is telling this story?
What habit does he have?
Why did he start this habit?
What were the attractions of vaping for Nicky?
What names does he give as examples for vape devices?
Were many other kids in Nicky’s school using vapes?
Did Nicky or any of his friends regard vaping as bad as smoking?
Why do older people take up vaping?
Do younger people in Nicky’s circle smoke cigarettes?
How does Nicky regard smoking cigarettes?
Does he think vaping is clean or dirty?
Why does he think this?
Did Nicky’s habit of vaping increase? How often was he vaping?
What would happen if he could not use his vape device?
What happened to a kid who vaped in Nicky’s school?
What happened to Nicky on sports day?
What sports event was Nicky good at before?
Did he go to hospital?
What did the doctor find?
How did Nicky’s parents feel about Nicky’s vaping habit?
Did he quit using the vape pipe?
Essential Vocabulary
vaping | cool | devices |
designs | vape pipes | t-shirt |
logos | status symbol | cloud |
unhealthy | constantly | taking a hit off of it |
oil | asthma | running event |
district | collapsed | track |
popcorn lung | common |
Exercise
Write down all the words and phrases in your vocabulary notebook. Look in your dictionary and find the meaning of each word. Write the definition next to each word.
Then make up your own sentences using each word or phrase.
For example:
Device —a thing made or adapted for a particular purpose, especially a piece of mechanical or electronic equipment.
“I use this small device for measuring the length of a room as part of my job.”
Vocabulary Exercise
Match the words or phrases with the correct meaning on the right.
Atomizer | The act of taking a single inhale from an e-cigarette |
Vapour | A type of e-cigarette that has become popular among young people |
Juul | The heating element in an e-cigarette that vaporizes the liquid |
Nicotine | The mist or gas that is produced by an electronic device when it heats a liquid |
Coil | A container that holds the e-liquid in an e-cigarette, also known as a clearomizer |
Tank | The act of inhaling and exhaling the vapour produced by an electronic device |
E-cigarette | A method of vaping where the resistance of the coil is less than one ohm, which produces more vapour and flavour |
Vaping | A container that holds the liquid used in an e-cigarette |
E-liquid | A feature on some e-cigarettes that allows the user to adjust the wattage output, which affects the amount of vapour produced |
Cartridge | A wire that is heated by the atomizer in an e-cigarette to create vapour |
Sub-ohm vaping | A chemical substance that is found in tobacco and is addictive |
Mod | The liquid that is used in e-cigarettes and vaporizers, which often contains nicotine, flavouring, and other chemicals |
Variable wattage | The sensation felt in the throat when inhaling vapour |
Throat hit | The action or practice of inhaling and exhaling vapour containing nicotine and flavouring produced by a device designed for this purpose. |
Puff | A type of e-cigarette that can be customized or modified with different parts |
How to find the right answers
Go through each word and look up the meaning in a dictionary or using the internet.
Find the meaning and then check your answers.
As you go through each word and phrase, you will improve your ability to memorize each one.
Discussion Questions
What is vaping?
Is vaping popular in your country?
Do young people use vape pipes in your country?
Do you think vape pipes should be illegal?
Do we know enough about the health consequences of vaping?
Why is vaping so popular?
Who controls the vape industry?
What kind of health risks does vaping present to young people?
How has the vaping industry grown in the last few years?
What are the differences between smoking traditional cigarettes and using a vape device?
Do you think schools and parents should encourage young people to not use vape devices?
How can they do this?
What do you think are the long-term effects of using vape devices on young people?
Is vaping a good way to stop smoking traditional cigarettes?
Look on the internet and find out what kind of chemicals are in vape pipes.
What is the effect of these chemicals on young people?
Does the government in your country have any regulations on vaping? What are they?
What is the future of vaping?
Role Play
This is a role play activity.
There are two characters in this role play.
1. A teenager who has recently taken up the habit of vaping.
2. A healthcare professional who wants to advise the teenager against vaping.
The Situation
A teenager is talking to a healthcare professional about vaping.
The teenager was caught using a vape in school and the school reported them to their parents.
So now they must talk to a healthcare professional.
The healthcare professional has many questions to ask the teenager about their habit of vaping.
After they finish asking and answering questions, the healthcare professional gives the teenager some advice about the dangers of vaping.
The teenager may have some questions to ask too. Like how to stop using a vape and the steps to take to quit vaping.
In pairs, prepare your role play.
When you are ready, show the class!
Debate
This is a debate activity.
Divide the class into two teams. Choose one person to act as chairperson. The chairperson should manage the debate.
Make sure every person has the opportunity to speak. Also, make sure there is order during the debate.
Team A
You are pro-vaping. You think vaping is safe and harmless.
The real danger is in smoking cigarettes.
Team B
You are against vaping. You are aware that there are many dangers to a person’s health in vaping.
The Situation
This is a debate between two groups of people who have different views on vaping.
Discuss your views and opinions until you reach a conclusion.
In your own teams, take some time to prepare your ideas and thoughts.
When you are ready, begin the debate!
Is Vaping Right or Wrong?
This is a class discussion activity.
Look at the statements below. Discuss whether you agree or disagree with each statement.
Vaping is a method of inhaling a vapour that contains nicotine into the lungs via an electronic cigarette or similar device.
The long-term effects of vaping or not fully known or understood.
Vaping is marketed as less harmful to someone’s health than traditional cigarettes.
The CDC (Centre for Disease Control and Prevention) highly recommends that people should not use vaping products or devices.
E-cigarettes contain chemicals that are strongly linked to lung disease.
Vaping devices contain nicotine and other harmful chemicals.
Vaping products and devices can also be used for smoking illicit drugs, such as marijuana.
The use of vaping products has been associated with many health defects and hazards to the lungs and even death.
The chemicals in vaping products can cause brain damage to young people.
The chemicals found in vaping devices are addictive.
The WHO (World Health Organisation) makes it very clear that the use of vaping devices and e-cigarettes is extremely harmful to people’s health.
Vaping may be regarded as less harmful than traditional cigarettes, but they still have many health risks and people should not do it.
Writing
This is a writing exercise.
The Dangers of Vaping for Young People
Write an article of around 200 words about the dangers of vaping for young people.
Use any of the things you found in the previous exercises to help you.
When you have written your article, read it out loud in front of your classmates and teacher.
Ask them for feedback.
Or you can hand the article in to your teacher and ask for a review.
You can download the full lesson plan by clicking the link below!
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