On this page:

• The SkinCheck® Class
• Lesson Summary
• Services & Materials Provided
• Request a Teacher Education Video
• About the Student Videos
• The SkinCheck® Class Testimonials

For Health Educators: The SkinCheck® Class

Background: Health educators are generally not well-informed about melanoma and often do not include the subject in their courses. A 1996 CDC survey found that 74 percent of adolescents and young adults had little or no knowledge of melanoma. Nearly 50 percent of the general public shared this lack of knowledge. While most students realize that overexposure to the sun increases their risk to skin cancer, many have the impression that skin cancer is "no big deal." Many students also believe that indoor UV tanning is safe. A 1999 nationwide survey of nurses' children found that seven percent of 14-year-old females and 35 percent of 17-year-old females used tanning beds regularly.

The reality is that melanoma is common and causes the majority of skin cancer deaths. By age 18, the most damaging sun exposure has already occurred and cannot be reversed. Additionally, at least 30 percent of melanomas are believed to be unrelated to sun exposure. Sun protection is ineffective when used as the primary basis of skin cancer education for teens.

The SkinCheck® Class is a single-session lesson on early detection and prevention of melanoma for middle and high school students. It is easy for educators to learn and easy to teach. The SkinCheck® Class is currently taught in over 1,000 schools in all 50 states.

Lesson Summary

• Brief discussion with class to learn what students know about melanoma.

• Watch student video (different videos for middle and high school).

• Brief post-video discussion with class to assess knowledge/attitude changes.

• Distribute melanoma bookmarks and discuss with students.

• Assign students to take bookmarks home and teach their parents about melanoma.

Services & Materials Provided

• Teaching the SkinCheck® Class, a teacher education video with 45-minute narrated PowerPoint presentation (watching it is a prerequisite for receiving free classroom materials). The video received a 2010 Gold Triangle Award from the American Academy of Dermatology.

• Detailed one-session classroom lesson plan for health educators.

• Should've, Could've, Would've, a 2008 video for middle school students. The video received a 2009 Gold Triangle Award from the American Academy of Dermatology.

• My Melanoma Vlog, a 2008 video for high school students. The video received a 2009 Gold Triangle Award from the American Academy of Dermatology.

• 3.5" x 8.5" bookmarks appropriate for distribution to students (resupplied each year). These compliment the videos and focus on early self-detection of melanoma.

• Quiz and homework exercises with answers provided for health educators.

• Teacher resources including PowerPoint images from the teacher education video, printable classroom documents, and supplementary information.

Request a Teacher Education Video

To learn specific eligibility requirements for teaching the SkinCheck® Class and to request a teacher education video, please choose your state from the dropdown menu below if you meet three general requirements that apply to all schools:

• The request must come from a health/wellness teacher, the supervisor of a health/wellness teacher, or a nurse who teaches health topics in a classroom or assembly setting.

• If requested for presentation in a specific course, it must be the primary course in which health topics are presented.

• Ordering the free teacher education video obligates you to watch it and mail it back within four weeks from the date you receive it (watching it does not obligate you to present the lesson).

Two videos produced by the Melanoma Education Foundation were completed in September 2008. Extensive student focus group input was used in every step of the development process. Middle and high school students were asked what they liked and disliked about other health videos and then evaluated alternative approaches to health-related message delivery for maximum impact and credibility. Both videos received 2009 Gold Triangle Awards from the American Academy of Dermatology.

In the middle school video Should've, Could've, Would've (full video above), three young melanoma survivors and their families share their experiences, educating viewers how to avoid mistakes that nearly cost the survivors their lives.

In the high school video My Melanoma Vlog (five-minute excerpt above), a student attends a high school health fair and becomes concerned after learning about the dangers of melanoma and tanning beds. After searching the internet for more information, she shares what she has learned with friends via the popular medium of vlogging (video blogging). The full video is 16 minutes long.

The SkinCheck® Class Testimonials "I can't remember a time when one program… had such a positive impact on the health of my students." —M'Lena Gandolfi, Physical Education/Health Teacher Manchester-Essex Regional High School, Manchester, MA "The materials are excellent. The students really respond to the bookmarks and the videos." —Diana Walker, Physical Education & Health Department Chair Sanford High School, Sanford, ME "My Melanoma Vlog is very powerful. Students watch it intensely and refer back to it in the follow-up discussion. Most high school students [think] 'it will never happen to me.' This curriculum has an invaluable effect in that it changes their false understanding." —Lise Nielsen, Health & Physical Education Department Head Nauset Regional High School, Eastham, MA "I recently taught skin cancer to my upperclassman and your materials were great. [My Melanoma Vlog] is most effective… the students really stay engaged throughout the whole video. [In one] class someone cancelled their tanning appointment. I can't thank you enough for providing us with materials that are easy to use and so effective." —Tory Sullivan, Chairperson, Physical Education & Health Brien McMahon High School, Norwalk, CT "I was so impressed by the [teacher resource CD] and personally learned quite a bit. For many years I've taught kids about the 'general' danger of sun damage, but nothing to the extent of what your material offers. Living here in Arizona, where the weather makes it all too easy to tan, I feel that we have a huge responsibility to educate our students of the dangers of melanoma." —Nick Cornell, Physical Education Department Chair Campo Verde High School, Gilbert, AZ "A former student recently [told me] that the bookmark he showed his mother saved her life. She noticed a similar mole and [had it] successfully removed." —Patricia Dodge, Health Teacher Essex Middle School, Essex Junction, VT "I talked about melanoma and showed the high school video today. Students were very receptive… I suggested several students see a dermatologist to check spots that they showed me. Several students told me that they are not getting a tanning package again. The video and discussion session was very successful! I definitely recommend this for all health teachers!" —Linda Conti, Health Teacher Grove City High School, Grove City, OH "I used your melanoma video and instructional program today and found it extremely valuable. I teach five health classes comprised of about 30 sophomores in each class. Approximately 90 percent of each class told me that they had no idea that melanoma was such a serious health threat and intended to change their behaviors immediately." —Lani Worthington, Health Teacher McCutcheon High School, Lafayette, IN

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