ENGLISH A SCHOOL BASED ASSESSMENT

Name: KeneilFacey

School: Glenmuir High School

Centre No.: 100039

Candidate No.:

Theme: Crime

Topic: Drugs and how it affects the teenage population

Year: 2019

Teacher: Mrs.Howell

Territory: Jamaica
Table of Content
Plan of Investigation ...............................................................1

Material #1 ...............................................................................2

Reflection #1 .............................................................................4

Material #2..................................................................................5

Reflection #2 ..............................................................................6

Material #3 ..................................................................................7

Reflection #3 ...............................................................................9

Written Report ............................................................................10

Plan of Investigation
Theme: Crime

The topic for my English A SBA is ‘Drugs and how it affects the teenage population.’ I

became interested in this topic after noticing the drastic, detrimental effects drugs have on

teenage individuals.

In order to successfully complete this investigation, I will ensure to do the following tasks:

Meet with group members to discuss materials and share information

Select pieces of material that correspond with this topic.

I will use primary and secondary sources to source the relevant material needed for this English

SBA. Books, newspaper articles, journal entries and mainly the internet will be my sources of

information.

Using this topic for my English A SBA will educate me as an individual on understanding the

health risks and all other possible complications associated with drugs. This topic will also build

my vocabulary as a student of English.

HOW TEEN DRUG ADDICTIONS START

Teen drug addiction affects teens from all walks of life. This is because the factors influencing

who will try drugs are the same, no matter what your family situation or social status may be.

The most common reason teens try drugs is peer pressure. Friends or classmates might pressure

you into trying a drug, reassuring you that they’ve tried it and aren’t addicted, so you’ll be fine

too. In television and movies, teens are bombarded with images of kids like them using drugs

with no negative consequences. It is portrayed as cool or harmless, and the kids who abstain are

labeled as nerdy or weird. But with repeated use, that initial harmless taste can lead to a full-

blown drug addiction. The fact is that every drug is dangerous and life threatening, and there is

not a single drug that doesn’t hold the potential to lead to addiction.

Just because a teen is smart, does not mean that he is mature enough to have sound judgment

about his decisions. According to CBS News, the part of your brain that is responsible for

judgment, which is the prefrontal cortex, doesn’t fully mature until you are in your mid-20s.

CBS News also points out that while experimentation doesn’t necessarily lead to addiction, so

many kids figure there’s nothing risky about trying drugs or alcohol. The reality is that even if

you are dabbling in drugs, it can cause serious problems beyond addiction. These problems

include overdoses, car accidents and sexual assaults. While many kids will try drugs, it should

never be considered a normal rite of passage.

Drug addictions form rapidly and without warning. This is because drugs work on your brain in

subtle ways. Consider how you feel when something good happens to you. That euphoric feeling

– the one that washes over you when you’re praised or when your team wins a game – is your

brain’s limbic system at work. Natural pleasures are necessary to our survival, so the limbic

system drives you to seek out those things that are pleasurable.

“Genetic makeup and environment, for example, play significant roles in how rapidly drug

addiction will form.”The first time you try any type of drug, you usually experience unnaturally

intense pleasure. This activates the reward circuitry in your brain, releasing dopamine to carry

the message that whatever is causing the pleasure is good. Your brain begins to change because

of the unnatural flood of neurotransmitters. The neurons sense that there is more than enough

dopamine production, and so they reduce the number of dopamine receptors or make less

dopamine, resulting in less dopamine signaling your brain. Some drugs can cause neurons to die.

This results in the weakening of the dopamine’s ability to activate the circuits that cause

pleasure. So you feel flat, depressed or lifeless without the drug to activate this circuitry. Drugs

are required at this point to bring your dopamine levels back up to normal, and larger amounts

will be necessary to create a high. This is called tolerance and, according to NIDA (National

Institute on Drug Abuse), it indicates drug addiction.

Although researchers know what happens to your brain if you become addicted to drugs, there is

no way to predict how many times a person can use drugs before becoming addicted. This
depends on many factors, so it varies from one teen to he next. Genetic makeup and

environment, for example, play significant roles in how rapidly drug addiction will form.
Reflection #1

Topic: Drugs and how it affects the teenage population

In this era that the society lives in, drugs are harmful substances that continue to damage

our youths. A drug is any substance that, when inhaled, injected, smoked or consumed causes a

temporary physiological change in the body.

The article I read from CBSNEWS states that the most common reason for drug addiction

among teenagers is peer pressure. I now understand that drugs act on the central nervous system

of the body which includes the brain, causing the weakening of the dopamine’s ability to activate

the circuit that causes pleasure. This causes an individual to become depressed or stressed and

results in him/her having to take the drugs to allow the dopamine level to return to normal. This

leads to drug addiction.

The language used in this article was Standard English and was presented in a way that it

could be easily understood. The way it was structured, and the points that were elaborated was

quite informative.

As a student of English Language this article left an indelible mark on me. After reading

this article it resonated with me in a manner that I now live to inspire my fellow school mates

and friends to not engage in the use of drugs. I am also close to writing an article of my own , to

inspire teenagers just like I have been inspired not to do drugs.

How were the shrooms? The Beer? The LSD?

I'll show you something more worthwhile than weed.

I can show you how to steal and lie.

Trust me, it's all you need to get by.

Why go to school? Don't turn another page!

I'm so much easier, and I come in a 30 inch gauge.

Heroin's my name, I've been known to destroy lives.

Takings out actors, teenagers, fathers, and wives.

People will leave you, that's just fine.

Follow me, you'll be all mine.

Try to get rid of me? What a joke.

Pretty soon you'll have a needle, looking for a vein to poke.

Need some love? That's gonna be hard to find.

But don't worry, cause I'll always be in the back of your mind..
Reflection #2

Topic: Drugs and how it affects the teenage population

In the present society, drug abuse is the main cause of destruction in youth population. As

stated before, a drug is any substance that affects the way the human body works. The poem ‘30

Inch Gauge’ written by Emma, stated that heroin is one of the most dangerous drugs. The drug

heroin is responsible for the death of actors, musicians, husbands, wives and aims to destroy

many others.

The poem is a sonnet and uses Standard English for the most part. The poem also consists of

rhymes, which brings a rhythm, which better allows the reader to get a better understanding of

drugs.

As a student of English, the poem has given me a better understanding of drugs and reasons

for avoiding it. It has also led to me to construct a poem of my own, stating the effect of drugs on

the teenage population.

Time is consuming.

I struggle removing

temptation and sorrow

for a better tomorrow.

Life is confusing.

I'm tired of losing

in hopes that I'll find

some peace in my mind.

Distorted perception,

thoughts of deception,

memories that are haunting

of the drug I'm still wanting.

Complex situations,

illogical insinuations.

Consumed by fear

from the voices I hear,

telling me to quit fighting.

I get tired of re-lighting

the flame of my soul,

relocating a goal,

for the strength to carry out,

to beat my addiction,

and inner confliction.

Let go of my shame,

break free from this pain.

Chainless and free,

for the chance to see

life without depression,

feelings without suppression,

If it's over too easily,

that'll just tease me.

Plotting an attack

on getting you back

for all of this time

you controlled my mind.

Following through,

I'll say then I'll do,

to leave you behind

and never rewind

to suicidal denial,

'cause now I can smile

in knowing I'm free,

'cause I've finally found me.

Topic: Drugs and how it affects the teenage population

In the current society, drug abuse is the main cause of mental problems in our youths. As

stated in the previous reflections, a drug is any substances which when consumed changes

entirely how the body works. The poem ‘Meth’ written by Brandon Levangie expounded that

Meth is a drug that appeals to your emotion as an individual and takes over your body. Meth is a

drug that has been destroying lives over the years; it causes your body to be free of stress and all

depression while it slowly depletes one’s body.

The poem is a free verse poem which uses Standard English for its duration. The poem uses

a heavy rhyme scheme to disclose the information in an understandable way. Rhymes are used in

the poem to allow the readers to get a better understanding and so it can be relatable.

As a student of English Language this poem has given me a better understanding of meth

and what it does to the human body. I am now working on a poem of my own, to encourage

youth not to consume drugs.

Crime is a never ending issue in our society and in the world. Anywhere crime is

present and abundant, there will be a lack of growth in that area. Crime is a major

problem that everyone has to play a part in reducing. It affects the progress of

everything in our society and everyone needs to do his or her part in the abolition of it.

The information that was collected and used by the group members was sourced from

the internet. There are various reasons for the selections of the sources used. Such reasons

include the fact that the researcher was comfortable with the particular source. They may

also have seen the material fit for their individual topics.

Quite a few procedures were taken to complete this School Based Assessment. We were

placed in groups by the subject teacher and subsequently students met in their groups

during class. Meetings were also kept among the group members during their recess

times. A WhatsApp group was created to discuss matters and monitor each other’s

progress.

In doing this S.B.A we learnt a lot about criminal activities. Our group did the theme,

Crime and our individual topics were Gang violence and how it affects the society,Drugs and

how it affects the teenage population,Lottery Scamming and how it affects image and Effects of

Human Trafficking on female teen . Sourcing material was fairly easy since we used the internet.

The only problem we faced was getting our materials printed. The process of doing the S.B.A

was very influential and informative and has helped us to be more aware.
Worked Cited List

Material 1: https://www.projectknow.com/research/teen-drug-addiction/

Material 2: https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/heroin-poem-30-inch-gauge

Material 3 : https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/meth-2