Scene Smoking: Cigarettes, Cinema & the Myth of Cool

Teacher’s Guide for High School

Identify the rights and freedoms defined in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and their influence on the production of film.
Define terms, including censorship, social responsibility, artistic freedom, media literacy, normalization, glamorization, and product placement.
Describe different ways that tobacco use is depicted in film.
Describe how social responsibility relates to the use of tobacco, the media, and artistic freedom.
Identify alternatives to tobacco use in film.

Lesson Plan A (For classes of 2 hours or more)
Use the film in one class session with previewing and post-viewing activities.
Lesson Plan B (For shorter classes)
Session 1: Discuss questions in previewing activities and show the film up to 29:43 minutes. Stop it after Rob Reiner says, “As far as I know…saying bad words doesn’t kill you.”
Session 2: Show the rest of the film and have students complete the post-viewing activities.

Civics and Government—Understand the foundations of the American political system.
Writing—Use general writing skills and strategies, stylistic and rhetorical aspects of writing, grammatical and mechanical conventions, and information for research purposes.
Listening and Speaking—Use listening and speaking strategies for different purposes.
Viewing—Use viewing skills and strategies to understand and interpret visual media.
Media—Understand characteristics and components of the media.
Media Literacy—Demonstrate understanding of the complex relationships among audiences and media content, the social and cultural contexts within which media are produced, and the commercial nature of the media.
Theater Arts—Demonstrate competence in writing scripts; use acting skills; understand how theater, film, television, and electronic media productions create and communicate meaning.
Health Education—Comprehend concepts related to health promotion and disease prevention, and analyze the influence of culture, the media, technology, and other factors on health.
Social Science/Behavioral Studies—Understand that group and cultural influences contribute to human development, identity, and behavior and to conflict, cooperation, and interdependence among individuals, groups, and institutions.
Technology Communications Tools—Use a variety of media and formats to communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences.

Artistic Freedom: Artistic expression that is protected by the First Amendment.
Censorship: The removal or suppression by a government or other ruling body of what is considered objectionable in books, films, and other material.
First Amendment: Prohibits the government from passing laws that restrict the freedom of speech and protects the public’s right to receive a variety of information free from government censorship.
Glamorization: Presenting tobacco use as glamorous and conveying desirable qualities such as popularity, success, and attractiveness.
Media Literacy: The ability to use critical thinking skills in accessing, analyzing, evaluating, and creating media.
Normalization: Presenting tobacco use as a routine, natural, and acceptable part of everyday activities.
Product Placement: An arrangement between tobacco and film-production companies to have a specific brand of tobacco used in a film or by an actor. Tobacco product placement is prohibited by the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement between the tobacco industry and 46 states.
Social Responsibility: Going beyond one’s obligations to obey the law; having a desire to do the right thing and being prepared to give good reasons to justify one’s actions.

Page last reviewed 02/28/2007
Page last modified 02/28/2007