Culminating Activity:

During the fourth week students will be assigned to a group of four with each member concentrating on lessons from one of the four content areas, so that all content areas are represented within the group. Their task will be to develop a group philosophy demonstrating their belief of what the relationship between drugs and society should be.

On the Monday following the last day of instruction, an exhibition night will be held, serving as the final product of the thematic unit. For this, students will create a visual presentation regarding the group's philosophy that the students can show and defend orally. The community surrounding the school, faculty, administrators from the district at large, and friends and family of the students are all invited to come view the students' projects and engage in an open forum discussion of their ideas and beliefs.

The exhibition night serves to empower the students as educators of the
community and creates an atmosphere where the work is not merely being done
because it is a school requirement. The project is also being done for the benefit of the students' community; these benefits are manifested in a greater intergenerational understanding between students and the community.

In order to assess the depth of student thinking, the thematic unit teachers will evaluate each of the projects at the exhibition night. Teachers will challenge student philosophies and listen to the students' responses to the community. Assessments of the students will be determined by 1) a holistic view regarding the relationship of drugs and society; 2) extensively developed arguments; 3) visually appealing presentations; 4) the ability to defend the group's philosophy in an appropriate manner; and 5) integration of unit content into their philosophy and presentation.