Navigation, Contact Info, and Legend for the OSH Website
• View By Topic
• Quick Links
• About this Office
Contact Info
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Office on Smoking and Health
Tel: 1-800-CDC-INFO
(1-800-232-4636)
TTY: 1-888-232-6348
E-mail: tobaccoinfo@cdc.gov
Legend
= Link to a PDF document
(Adobe Acrobat™ Reader needs to be installed on your computer in order to read PDF documents.)
Download the Reader
= Link to nonfederal Web site
Disclaimer on nonfederal Web sites
Scene Smoking: Cigarettes, Cinema & the Myth of Cool
Teacher’s Guide for High School
Notes for Teachers
Viewing Objectives
- 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 Formats
- 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.
Education Standards Addressed by the Video and Suggested Activities11
- 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.
Terminology
- 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