Lesson Plan: Is This Drink Too Dangerous?

Essential Questions

• What role does the government play in keeping kids safe?
• How do companies market products to kids and teens? 

Literature Connection

• Nonfiction: Your Body on Caffeine (Nutrition and Your Body) by Marcia Amidon Lusted

Build Background Knowledge (10 minutes)

Before reading the article, have students take our engaging interactive prereading quiz “How Much Do You Know About Caffeine?” The quiz will activate students’ prior knowledge and provide new information about the availability and effects of caffeine.

Preview Text Features (15 minutes)

Have students open their magazines to page 8. Guide them to preview the text features by asking the following questions:

• Read the article’s title and subtitle (the text beneath the title), and look at the large image on the right.  How do you think the teen in the image is feeling, and why? Answers may vary. Students will likely say either that the teen in the image is highly energized from drinking an energy drink or that the teen is freaked out by the idea that the drink might be dangerous.
• Look at the sidebar “Caffeine by the Numbers.” What is the sidebar’s purpose? The sidebar tells readers how much caffeine is safe to consume each day and how much is in certain products.

Preview Vocabulary (10 minutes)

• Point out the vocabulary box. Read the words (hydration, pediatrician, investigate, accused, promoters, irregular) aloud and discuss their definitions.
• Play the Vocabulary Slideshow.

Make a Plan for Reading 

Before students start to read, walk them through a reading plan:

• Set a purpose for reading by telling students that the article “Is This Drink Too Dangerous?” contains information about energy drinks and raises questions about who should be allowed to buy them. 
• Point out the Pause and Think boxes. Tell students they can check their understanding of what they’ve read by answering these questions.
• Point out the activity at the end of the article and tell students they’ll complete it after reading. Encourage students to briefly scan the questions and to keep them in mind as they read.

Read the article. (Higher- and lower-Lexile versions are available on the Story page at Action Online. Click Presentation View to access an audio read-aloud.) Then discuss the following close-reading and critical-thinking questions.

Close-Reading Questions (15 minutes)

• Based on the article, what is the difference between PRIME Hydration and PRIME Energy? (compare and contrast) PRIME Energy contains high levels of caffeine and is not recommended for people under the age of 18. 
• The article includes quotes from Dr. Holly Benjamin, a pediatrician. What do you think is the author’s reason for quoting Dr. Benjamin? (author’s craft) Because pediatricians’ patients are generally younger than 18, a pediatrician can be considered an expert on kids’ health. Dr. Benjamin is a good source of information on how caffeine can affect kids.
• Right now, who can legally buy energy drinks in the United States? (key detail) Right now, there are no U.S. laws that limit who can buy energy drinks.

Critical-Thinking Questions (10 minutes)

• PRIME Hydration comes in bottles, and PRIME Energy comes in cans. Cans of PRIME Energy have warning labels that say the drinks aren’t recommended for people under age 18. Do you think PRIME is doing enough to prevent kids from drinking PRIME Energy? (critical thinking) Answers may vary. Some students might say that the company isn’t doing enough to keep kids away from PRIME Energy, because the colors and logos on the cans and bottles are similar and the two types of drinks can often be found side by side in stores. Others might say that the company is doing enough and that people should take responsibility for what they eat and drink by educating themselves and reading labels.
• A senator accused PRIME of advertising PRIME Energy directly to young people. Do you think he’s right? Why or why not? (critical thinking) Answers will vary. Some students might say that he’s right, because the drinks are candy flavored, come in colorful containers, and are promoted by influencers with many teen followers. Others might say he’s wrong, because Logan Paul and KSI also have many followers who are older than 18 and because many adults also like sweet drinks and caffeine.

• Have students work in pairs to complete the Spotlight Skill activity at the end of the article.
• Go further: Assign students to work independently on our Summarizing activity, available in higher- and lower-level versions. (Click here to view all your Skill Builders for this article.)
• Writing prompt: At the end of the article’s opening section, the author asks whether the government should do more to protect kids from caffeine. In a well-organized paragraph, give your opinion on this issue. Support your answer with details from the article or from your own experience.