Foster mom charged in child's death from pain patch

Ben Amato | Educational consultant

Cautionary Essay--ELA Standards 1, 3 and 4

"One of the first duties of the physician is to educate the masses not to take medicine." Sir William Osler -- doctor and author (1849 - 1919), Aphorisms from his Bedside Teachings (1961)

For the majority of Americans, the answer to every ache and pain comes from a pill, a prescription or a patch. Prescription drugs are themselves a health problem and medical emergency. Today's lesson looks at death of one small child due to the misuse of a painkiller.

TV Component The CW 11 News at Ten had the story of the death of a six year old girl from a transdermal patch. View the video clip twice and then take the Multiple-Choice Quiz.

Newspaper Component The article in today's Newsday titled "Foster mom charged in child's death from pain patch" provides details on the death of Taylor Webster. Read the article and using the facts and details within, complete the Comprehension Crossword Puzzle.

Language Arts Component

[Medicine is] a collection of uncertain prescriptions the results of which, taken collectively, are more fatal than useful to mankind. Napoleon Bonaparte (1769 - 1821)

Modern medicine allows most of us to live healthy, productive lives. But the power of certain drugs taken outside a doctor's care can lead to dangerous and fatal results.

Situation Write a CAUTIONARY ESSAY about the misuse of prescription drugs, such as the pain patch instrumental in the passing of Taylor Webster.

The Nature and Structure of a CAUTIONARY ESSAY

A CAUTIONARY ESSAY seeks to warn readers of some threat or situation that may affect them. It uses facts and details to present the situation and advises the precautions to take to lessen the risk and danger. A CAUTIONARY ESSAY is usually written in three sections.

INTRODUCTION This paragraph begins the essay with a STATEMENT OF TOPIC. In the opening sentence, DESCRIBE the dangers associated with the misuse of prescription drugs. Present details about the SETTING, where this all happened, and the CAST - the people or officials involved in the story. End this section with your OPINION about the TOPIC, in a short, concise manner.

BODY This section of the essay offers SPECIFIC DETAILS about the story presented in the article and video clip. Organize this section in ORDER OF IMPORTANCE, with the most pressing details coming first and the less important ones later in the paragraph. The point of this style of essay is to WARN and INFORM people about a situation, so be very clear on what people can and should do.

This section may be longer than just one paragraph, depending on how many facts and details you gather from the article and television news story. Use the Comprehension Crossword Puzzle and the answers to the Multiple-Choice Quiz as a RUBRIC so you can see if all the important facts have been included and described.

CONCLUSION The final section of the CAUTIONARY ESSAY is where you TELL your readers how you feel about the TOPIC and the SPECIFIC EVENT covered. End this section with a look to the future. As drugs get more powerful and prevalent in our society, how might their misuse cause problems?