Teacher Guides by Subject Health / Science / Technology

The Alternative Fix
Using this guide, students can explore the popularity of alternative medicine, research the development of the Federal Drug Administration and examine how literature and media influence public policy. (Original airdate: Nov. 6, 2003)

Diet Wars
Students will learn about the USDA food pyramid, evaluate their own food consumption and examine their school lunch program for nutrition and health purposes. (Original airdate: April 8, 2004)

Drug Wars
This guide reexamines the 30-year history of U.S. drug policy. Students will compare the various approaches -- including treatment, education, prevention, prohibition and punishment -- and study the effects the war on drugs have had on issues of social justice and civil liberties. (Original airdates: Oct. 9 & 10, 2000)

Fat
Students will learn about the causes and health implications of obesity, and explore how media and cultural ideals as well as biology and genetics influence our relationship with food. (Original airdate: Nov. 3, 1998)

Flying Cheap
Explore the airline industry’s common practice of outsourcing flights to regional carriers. (Original airdate: Feb. 9, 2010)

Harvest of Fear
In this guide, FRONTLINE and NOVA join forces to explore the scientific and political debates over genetically modified foods. Students will debate the safety of genetically modified foods, as well as the claims that these foods could help reduce starvation and improve nutrition in developing nations. (Original airdate: April 24, 2001)

Inside the Teenage Brain (Parents' Guide)
This guide, based upon new understandings of how the teenage brain works, offers exercises and resources for parents and teens to help improve mutual understanding and communication. (Original airdate: Jan. 31, 2002)

The Last Abortion Clinic
Students will look at the Supreme Court history that established abortion law and asses the appropriate role of federal and state government in deciding when and how to regulate the procedure. (Original airdate: Nov. 8, 2006)

The Lost Children of Rockdale County
This guide uses the incident of a syphilis outbreak in suburban Georgia as a basis to explore issues of teen sexuality. Students will debate the social issues involved and study how infectious diseases spread. (Original airdate: Oct. 9, 1999)

The Medicated Child (Parents' Guide)
This parent’s guide provides background on the issues associated with treating a child with psychiatric medications. (Original Airdate, January 7, 2008)

Medicating Kids (Viewers/Parents Guide)
This guide presents some of the most frequently asked questions about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and points readers to online resources and interviews with experts from various backgrounds that address these questions. (Original airdate: April 10, 2001)

The Meth Epidemic
Using this guide, students will understand how and why meth use has spread across the U.S., and learn about the dangers of meth addiction. (Original airdate: Feb. 27, 2001)

The Other Drug War
This guide will help students consider the debate over prescription drug pricing, the government's role in regulating drug prices, concepts of media literacy and the role of these concepts in pharmaceutical advertising. (Original airdate: June 19, 2003)

Poisoned Waters
Three decades after the Clean Water Act, iconic American waterways like the are in perilous condition and facing new sources of contamination. (Original airdate: April 21, 2009)

Post Mortem
This guide will help students to examine the importance of competent death investigation, to analyze problems with the current system and to suggest solutions for improving the system. (Original airdate: April 26, 2011)

Sick Around the World
What lessons can the U.S. learn about health care from other countries? (Original airdate: April 15, 2008)

The Vaccine War
Consider the balance between individual choice vs. the public good involved in the concerns over vaccination. (Original airdate: April 27, 2010)

What's Up With the Weather?
Developed by NOVA, in collaboration with FRONTLINE, this guide looks at the complex scientific, ethical, and political issues surrounding possible human-induced global warming caused by the burning of fossil fuels. (Original Airdate: April 18, 2000)