Jump to full article: Sunbury (PA) Daily Item, 2005-04-04
Author: G. Wayne Laepple The Daily Item
Intro: NEW COLUMBIA -- An insert in a recent edition of The Daily Item sparked the interest of fifth-graders at the White Deer Elementary School, becoming what educators call a teachable moment.
The smoke-free dining guide in the Feb. 28 edition of the newspaper, placed by the American Lung Association, generated a discussion about second-hand smoke and clean air indoors in the classroom of veteran teacher Shirley Menges. She saw in the discussion an opportunity to involve the entire fifth grade.
Over the next few weeks, Mrs. Menges and fellow teacher Kelly Hower guided their pupils, helping them research illnesses caused by second-hand smoke, learn about the deadly chemicals in smoke and the status of legislation.
They learned about how laws are made, and now they are writing letters they plan to send to their state legislators, urging them to pass "Clean Air Indoors" legislation.
"There was a perfect tie-in to our DARE program," said Mrs. Menges, "since smoking is one of the subjects we discussed there."
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