Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) · 6th Year

Active learning ideas

Understanding Medicines: Safe Use

This lesson helps pupils become medicine detectives, uncovering the clues that tell us how to use medicines safely and why they are so important for our health.

• NCCA Curriculum Specifications
• NCCA SPHE: Myself - Taking care of my body

• 20–30 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Case Study Analysis
• 20 min · Small Groups

Medicine Cabinet Sort

Pupils are given a set of illustrated cards showing different scenarios (e.g., 'Mam gives you a spoonful of cough syrup', 'You find tablets on the park bench'). In small groups, they must sort these cards into 'Safe' and 'Unsafe' piles on a large poster, justifying their choices to the group.

Explain the difference between prescription and over-the-counter medicines.

Facilitation Tip

Use a mix of clear-cut and ambiguous scenarios to encourage deeper discussion and critical thinking.

What to look for

Use an 'exit ticket' where pupils must write down one safety rule they learned and one question they still have on a slip of paper before leaving the class.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Self-Management

Activity 02

• Case Study Analysis
• 25 min · Pairs

Role-Play Dilemmas

In pairs, pupils act out short scenarios related to medicine safety. Examples include a friend offering them a tablet for a headache, or being asked to get medicine for a younger sibling.

Justify why you should never take medicine that is not prescribed for you or share your own.

Facilitation Tip

Pause the role-plays at key decision points and ask the whole class what they think should happen next.

What to look for

Pupils complete a short worksheet with 'true or false' statements and a section where they must list three places where medicines should be stored safely in the home.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Self-Management

Activity 03

• Case Study Analysis
• 30 min · Individual

Design a Safety Poster

Individually or in pairs, pupils create an informational poster about medicine safety rules for a younger class in the school. This task requires them to synthesise their learning into clear, simple messages and images.

Identify the key safety rules for storing and handling medicines at home.

Facilitation Tip

Provide a checklist of key information that must be included, such as 'Only take medicine from a trusted adult'.

What to look for

Pupils use a 'traffic light' system (red, amber, green cards) to show their confidence in explaining the difference between prescription and OTC medicines to someone else.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Self-Management

A few notes on teaching this unit

Begin by showing pupils some empty, familiar medicine boxes to ground the discussion in their own experiences. Use a simple T-chart on the board to compare 'Prescription' and 'Over-the-Counter' medicines as a class. Role-playing is a powerful tool here for navigating peer pressure and reinforcing the core message: 'Stop, Think, and Ask a Trusted Adult'.

By the end of this session, your pupils will be equipped with the essential safety rules for handling medicines and will be able to explain why they should only ever take them from a trusted adult.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• If a medicine worked for my friend or sibling, it will work for me if I have the same sickness.

  Medicines are prescribed for a specific person based on their age, weight, and medical history. A medicine that is safe for one person could be very dangerous for another, even with the same symptoms.

• Vitamins and herbal remedies aren't 'real' medicines, so you can't take too many.

  Vitamins and supplements are powerful substances that affect your body. Taking too much can be harmful, so they should always be taken according to the instructions and with a parent's or guardian's knowledge.

• It's okay to stop taking medicine once you start to feel better.

  For some medicines, like antibiotics, it is very important to finish the entire course as prescribed by the doctor. This ensures all the germs are gone and prevents the illness from returning.

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Methods used in this brief

• Case Study Analysis