Smoking around children can be more harmful than for adults because the amount of smoke that gets inhaled by a child versus their body weight is comparatively larger. Smoke can stay in a room for hours after a cigarette has been smoked, so even if an adult smokes inside only when their child isn't there, they are still causing harm. Smoke in a child's lungs damages her lungs and immune system, which are still developing.
Children around smoke are more likely to develop asthma if they do not already have it. If the child has asthma, he is at a higher risk for asthma attacks. When exposed to secondhand smoke, children are more susceptible to respiratory and ear infections which may last longer than what is typical. If adults smoke around a child or in a room where a child will be, over several years, she has a higher chance of developing lung cancer in her lifetime, even if she herself never actually smokes a cigarette.
With the facts in mind, have the fourth graders interview adults and ask them why they think people smoke and what they think the dangers are. If the adults themselves smoke, have them ask why they smoke and if they were aware of the dangers. Have your students collect the data in two bar graphs. Have them graph the number of people they asked about their knowledge of the dangers of smoking on one graph. For the other graph, list the reasons why people said they smoked or thought people smoked, and graph the answers of the people who responded.
Have each fourth grader take the results and share their findings with the class. Combine all the data from each student to get a broader scope of the situation. If the findings are that many adults do not know the effects smoking has on children, make an action plan to try to curb adults from smoking, or at least tips on how to be responsible when smoking in places where children will be. Organize an assembly with parents and present the class data and have each student talk about their research. Children often have a hard time hiding their feelings and adults can get stuck in their habits, especially smoking. With children, parents can learn to keep an open mind, especially if they feel their child has something to tell them, and educate them about.