NIDA and Scholastic - Heads Up Resources

This is Archived Content. This content is available for historical purposes only. It may not reflect the current state of science or language from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). View current information on nida.nih.gov.

About the Collaboration:

From 2002 to 2021, NIDA and Scholastic Inc. have partnered to create Heads Up: Real News About Drugs and Your Body. This and science-based education series provides teachers and students with innovative resources about the effects of drugs, drug use, and addiction on the brain and body. New teen articles, classroom lessons, and student worksheets are created and distributed every school year through Scholastic’s in-school magazines, as well as Heads Up teacher and student websites. Heads Up also produces poster/teaching guides, as well as online interactives. Annual compilations of student articles and teacher lesson plans are available below.

Annual Compilations

Heads Up: Real News About Drugs and Your Body - Year 20-21 Compilations
Scholastic Compilations 2020-2021

School Year 2020—2021 Compilations — A collection of science/ELA student articles, lessons, and activities that help students understand important and timely facts on health and drug and topics. In the 2020—2021 compilations, students will learn about the health risks of nicotine for teens; facts about the use and misuse of prescription stimulants; and healthy ways to cope with stress.

Heads Up: Real News About Drugs and Your Body - Year 19 -20 Compilations
Scholastic Compilations 2019-2020

School Year 2019—2020 Compilations — A collection of science/ELA student articles, lessons, and activities that help students understand important and timely facts on health and drug and topics. In the 2019—2020 compilations, students will learn about the health risks of marijuana for teens; facts about opioids and the opioid crisis in America; and the health impacts of screen time on teen health and well-being.

Heads Up: Real News About Drugs and Your Body - Year 18 -19 Compilations
Scholastic Compilations 2018-2019

School Year 2018—2019 Compilations — A collection of student articles and teacher lesson plans in science, health, and language arts that help students understand facts about important and timely drug education topics. Students will learn about brain development in adolescence and the harmful effects of drugs; find out about the health dangers and risks for teens of e-cigarettes; and understand why it is not safe to take medications with other substances.

Heads Up: Real News About Drugs and Your Body - Year 17 -18 Compilations
Scholastic Compilations 2017-2018

School Year 2017—2018 Compilations — A collection of articles and teacher lesson plans in science, health, and language arts that help students understand facts about important and timely drug education topics. Students will learn about the role of genetics in a person’s risk for addiction; find out about the dangers of synthetic drugs; and build skills to help them separate good science from misinformation in the news and on the Internet.

Heads Up: Real News About Drugs and Your Body - Year 16 -17 Compilations
Scholastic Compilations 2016-2017

School Year 2016—2017 Compilations — A collection of articles and teacher lesson plans in science, health, and language arts designed to help students understand facts about timely and important drug education topics. Students will have the opportunity to: find out how brain imaging techniques work and how they provide scientists with key information about drug use; learn about how stress affects the body and healthy ways to cope with it; and understand important facts about America’s opioid overdose crisis and how to stay safe.

Heads Up: Real News About Drugs and Your Body - Year 15-16 Compilations
Scholastic Compilations 2015-2016

School Year 2015—2016 Compilations — A collection of articles and teacher lesson plans designed to teach students the facts about timely and practical topics in drug education. Students will have the opportunity to: find unbiased, scientific answers to their questions about drugs and health; understand how their brains make decisions and how to better navigate peer-pressure situations; and receive information on the bodily risks associated with opioid medications.

Heads Up: Real News About Drugs and Your Body - Year 14-15 Compilations
Scholastic Compilations 2014-2015

School Year 2014—2015 Compilations — A collection of articles and teacher lesson plans designed to teach students the facts about timely and practical topics in drug education. Students will have the opportunity to: sort out questions about marijuana amid shifting perceptions and laws; gain a scientific understanding of drug addiction, relapse, and recovery; and learn facts about e-cigarette risks and evaluate e-cigarette marketing.

Heads Up: Real News About Drugs and Your Body - Year 13-14 Compilations
Scholastic Compilations 2013-2014

School Year 2013—2014 Compilations — A collection of articles and teacher lesson plans designed to teach students about the extraordinary complexities of the brain, including such topics as how drugs overload the brain's reward system; how actions in youth impact the brain's efficiencies through synaptic pruning; and why teen brains are inclined toward impulsivity as well as the benefits of "pausing" before making decisions.

Heads Up: Real News About Drugs and Your Body - Year 12-13 Compilations
Scholastic Compilations 2012-2013

School Year 2012—2013 Compilations — A collection of articles and teacher lesson plans designed to teach students about the wide-ranging effects of various drugs on the brain, body, and life. 

Heads Up: Real News About Drugs and Your Body - Year 11-12 Compilations
Scholastic Compilations 2011-2012

School Year 2011—2012 Compilations — A collection of articles and teacher lesson plans designed to teach students about marijuana, including topics such as breaking down myths about marijuana, the science of how marijuana affects the brain, and the myth of "medical marijuana."

Heads Up: Real News About Drugs and Your Body - Year 10-11 Compilations
Scholastic Compilations 2010-2011

School Year 2010—2011 Compilations — A collection of articles and teacher lesson plans designed to teach students about the repercussions of abusing prescription pain medications, including topics such as the difference between the proper use and misuse of prescription drugs, prescription stimulants, and facts from a leading scientist on the dangers of abusing prescription drugs.

Heads Up: Real News About Drugs and Your Body - Year 09-10 Compilations
Scholastic Compilations 2009-2010

School Year 2009—2010 Compilations — A collection of articles and teacher lesson plans designed to teach students about the repercussions of drug use, including topics such as answers to questions about drugs commonly asked by teens, teen research in addiction science, and how to use facts to help make smart decisions when it comes to drugs.

Heads Up: Real News About Drugs and Your Body - Year 08-09 Compilations
Scholastic Compilations 2008-2009

School Year 2008—2009 Compilations — A collection of articles and teacher lesson plans designed to teach students about the repercussions of drug use, including topics such as genetics and drug addiction, teen research in addiction science, facts about stimulants, and drug rehabilitation.

Heads Up: Real News About Drugs and Your Body - Year 07-08 Compilations
Scholastic Compilations 2007-2008

School Year 2007—2008 Compilations — A collection of articles and teacher lesson plans designed to teach students about the repercussions of drug use, including topics such as consequences of impairment from drug use, facts about hydrocodone, how to talk with your doctor about your health, and the brain science behind teen decision making.

Heads Up: Real News About Drugs and Your Body - Year 06-07 Compilations
Scholastic Compilations 2006-2007

School Year 2006—2007 Compilations — A collection of articles and teacher lesson plans designed to teach students about the repercussions of drug use, including topics such as the science of addiction, effects of tobacco addiction, the connection between stress and drug use, and the health risks associated with drug use.

Heads Up: Real News About Drugs and Your Body - Year 05-06 Compilations
Scholastic Compilations 2005-2006

School Year 2005—2006 Compilations — A collection of articles and teacher lesson plans designed to teach students about the repercussions of drug use, including topics such as methamphetamine, inhalants, prescription drugs, and influences on teen decision making.

Heads Up: Real News About Drugs and Your Body - Year 04-05 Compilations
Scholastic Compilations 2004-2005

School Year 2004—2005 Compilations  — A collection of articles and teacher lesson plans on the repercussions of drug use, including topics such as the science of drug addiction, the teen brain, the connection between drug use and AIDS, use of inhalants and prescription drugs, and the connection between drug addiction and obesity.

Heads Up: Real News About Drugs and Your Body - Year 03-04 Compilations
Scholastic Compilations Year 03-04

School Year 2003—2004 Compilations — A collection of articles and teacher lesson plans designed to teach students about the repercussions of drug use, including topics such as cocaine, LSD, and prescription painkillers.

Heads Up: Real News About Drugs and Your Body - Year 03-04 Skills Book
Scholastic Compilations Year 03-04

School Year 2003—2004 Skills Book  — A collection of 16 reproducible skills pages full of facts and activities on drugs of use.

Heads Up: Real News About Drugs and Your Body - Year 02-03 Compilations
Scholastic Compilations Year 02-03

School Year 2002—2003 Compilations — A collection of articles and teacher lesson plans designed to teach students about the repercussions of drug use, including topics such as tobacco, marijuana, ecstasy, inhalants, heroin, and steroids.

Posters and Poster/Teaching Guides

Heads Up: Stand Up Against Bullying Poster - 2017
Heads Up: Stand Up Against Bullying Poster

Poster/Teaching Guide: Stand Up Against Bullying (2017) — The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have joined Scholastic to develop this grades 6–12 health, life skills, and language arts poster/teaching guide that aims to prevent bullying as well as lower associated risks, such as substance use. The lesson and activities in this program will help students develop awareness and skills to help them respond to situations that involve bullying. Includes a classroom poster, lessons and activities, and work sheets.

Heads Up: Respect Teaching Guide Poster - 2016
Respect Others Poster

Poster/Teaching Guide: Respect Others. Respect Yourself. (2016) — The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have joined together with Scholastic to develop this grades 6–12 ELA and life skills poster/ teaching guide in support of National Teen Dating Violence Prevention Month. This guide develops students’ understanding of how respect is key to healthy behaviors and building healthy relationships. Includes a classroom poster, lessons and activities, and work sheets.

Heads Up: Prescription Drugs Poster - 2015
Prescription Drugs poster

Poster: Prescription Drugs — This classroom poster graphically illustrates the double-sided nature of prescription drugs. 

  • Download Poster (PDF, 418 KB)