Our Core Curriculum

The Natural High curriculum is aligned to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS)
as well as National Health Education Standards (NHES). The activities are designed to develop
student understanding about the consequences of drug and alcohol abuse and also to support
students in learning and practicing strategies to make healthy decisions.

Additionally, many of the activities help students develop advocacy for self
and others. All storyteller videos have discussion questions and recommended activities.

Our Scope and Sequence outlines all of our activities with alignment to our storyteller videos,
CCSS and NHES standards, as well as the six Natural High Principles.

Natural High Principles &
The Research Behind Them

1. PURSUE YOUR NATURAL HIGH

Research has shown one of the single most effective protective factors for helping youth thrive and lowering addiction risk is to inspire them to identify and pursue their Natural High. Inspire them to find their passion, get involved, and show them it’s a better choice.

Iceland Study 1, Search Institute 2

2. EMBRACE POSITIVE PEER INFLUENCE

Peer influence and the power of social cultural influencers dramatically influences youth behavior. At Natural High, we speak to youth through powerful storytellers who they can relate to. We empower youth through social norming to understand that many cultural icons, as well as their peers, choose their Natural High over drug and alcohol abuse.

Atkin, C., & Block, M. 3

3. CULTIVATE MENTOR RELATIONSHIPS

Natural High taps into the power of mentors to reach millions of youth and helps to accelerate and strengthen the mentor/youth relationship. We know that youth who have caring, supportive relationships with adults and mentors are more likely to develop perseverance and motivation.

Rhodes, J. E., Reddy, R., & Grossman, J. B. 4

4. BELIEVE IN YOURSELF

Our storytellers convey that abilities and talents can be developed through effort and persistence, and they motivate youth to learn and improve their skills. Youth who believe that they can achieve their goals through hard work are inspired to work harder. Natural High’s videos and supporting curriculum help teachers move youth towards a positive mindset.

Growth Mindset works, Carol Dweck 5 • Grit – Angela Lee Duckworth, Psychologist At the University of Pennsylvania 6

5. SET GOALS

Youth who set goals learn to avoid taking poorly thought out short-term actions and develop a more positive and motivated outlook in life. Natural High arms teachers with science-based content to support the teaching of goal-setting strategies.

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health • Grit – Angela Lee Duckworth, Psychologist At the University of Pennsylvania 6

6. DEVELOP RESILIENCE

The ability to rebound from a challenge or obstacle is key to a young person’s ability to thrive. Natural High’s storytellers share their personal stories of challenge and triumph that demonstrate the power of resiliency.

Brene Brown7

References

  1. Young, Author: Emma, et al. “Iceland Knows How to Stop Teen Substance Abuse but the Rest of the World Isn’t Listening.” Mosaic, 17, Jan. 2017.
  2. Peter C. Scales, Finding the Student Spark, Search Institute Insights & Evidence Nov. Vol. 5 No. 1. 2010.
  4. Rhodes, J. E., Reddy, R., & Grossman, J. B. (2005). The protective influence of mentoring on adolescents substance use: Direct and indirect pathways. Applied Developmental Science 9(1), 31-47.
  5. Growth Mindset works, Carol Dweck
  6. Grit – Angela Lee Duckworth, Psychologist At the University of Pennsylvania
  7. Brene Brown research