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Copyright 2005
Girl's Best Friend Foundation

Girl's Best Friend Foundation (GBF) closed November 2007. 
GBF’s records are archived with Special Collections of the University
of Illinois, Chicago.  In fall 2008, they will be made public: www.uic.edu/depts/lib/specialcoll.

Activities, Games, and Lesson Plans

Puberty, Anatomy, and Reproduction

Girls and Puberty Lesson Plan (PDF, 20k)

Introduction to Puberty Lesson Plan (PDF, 24k)
Changes in the reproductive system, changes in the body. Consider using this lesson plan as a resource and have the girls generate the changes and the educator record/guide instead of just talking. Grade 4-6.

Other Puberty Issues
(a.k.a. Discussing Masturbation and Sexual Orientation) (PDF, 11k)

This lesson can be part of a bigger discussion on sexuality, puberty, societal taboos, etc. A good jumping off point to talk about pleasure. Grades 4-8.

Reproduction 101
Anatomy and reproduction for boys and girls. Instead of filling out a handout, try giving girls a life size outline of a female body, a list of reproductive organs, and a plate of food for them to try fill in the reproductive system (small pear, cooked spaghetti, almonds, junior mint, 2-4 inch piece of licorice, M&M, apple slices, and sprinkles for uterus, fallopian tubes, ovaries, cervix, vagina, clitoris, labia, and pubic hair). Credit Verónica Betancourt. Grade 4-8.

Human Sexuality

Making Connections: Identifying the Links Between Body Image and Sexual Health
Participants explore the connection between body image and sexual activities. Grade 7+

Body Image
Participants cut out pictures from magazines and report on the messages they get from them. Special materials: Magazines. Grades 4+.

Gender Definitions
Defines sex, gender identity, and gender roles. Asks for discussion. Grade 9+, parents, and educators.

*Gender Roles and Relationships
Small groups act out case studies about gender stereotypes. Be sure to look at the leader’s resource for the case studies. Grades 4+ (adapt case studies to be relevant to group’s age).

Introduction to Sexuality and Circles of Sexuality (several activities)

Introduction to Sexuality

The Circles of Human Sexuality

Sex and Sexuality: Knowing the Difference
Introducing talking about sexuality and that sexuality is more than just intercourse. Not very fascinating, but helps to stretch the definition of sexuality. Grades 6+.

Talking about sex
Getting comfortable with talking about sex by using the sexual terms that youth use. Any age (expect different kinds of words from different age groups).

Touch and Abstinence (PDF, 3.1MB)
Interesting on the subject of touch and human need for touch. This long lesson plan takes time to download. It does not preach abstinence but tries to understand how sexual needs can be fulfilled through touch other than sexual intercourse. Some activities may not be engaging, but some are more so. Grade 5+.

General/Miscellaneous

The Board Meeting: Role-playing
Participants role play at a school board meeting on whether and how sex ed should be taught. Could help students move toward advocacy. Grade 7+.

Express Yourself
Defines different communication skills, helps build communication skills, has participants practice different kinds of communication in role plays. Grades 4+.

**Question Box
No sex-positive program is complete without it. You can have an anonymous drop box set up at all times, or devote a period of time to anonymous questions. Make sure participants have an opportunity to write down questions in some privacy. Another option is to have participants write down one question after every activity (if they have one) and answer them all in one session.

*Scenarios USA: Kids Creating Social Change

Movies

Discussion Guides
Professionally made videos of youth-written stories and discussion guides for a class. Videos can be downloaded from the Web (it takes a little while, and you need a program that can support .mov files). Topics of movies include coming out, dating, relationships, HIV, STIs, pregnancy, date rape, safe sex, and more. All movies are written by or based on young people’s stories. Watch individual movies for age appropriateness.

Decision Making

Dealing with Unintended Pregnancy (PDF, 12k)
Not moralistic: this lesson asks participants to think about how they would feel and what they would do if they or their partner became pregnant. Introspective, classroom oriented. Grade 6+.

*Sexual Decision-Making Case Study (PDF, 16k)
Participants write answers to provided “Dear Abby” type questions about sexual decision making. The questions included have a definite “spin”, if you don’t agree with it, write your own. Variation: participants write their own real or fake questions and answer each others. Grade 7+ provided questions, any grade with own questions.

Defining Sexual Abstinence
Lets youth come up with their own definition. Grade 6+.

*Love Continuum Line-up
Participants define different kinds of love and when they think sex and other sexual activity is okay along the continuum. Grade 7+

Sex and Alcohol: A Risky Mix
Youth read case studies about teens in situations that involve sex and alcohol. They think about things the characters could do to reduce their risk. Grade 7+

Why Do/Don’t Teens Have Sex? (PDF, 12k)
Participants generate reasons why they think teens in general decide to have sex or not to have sex. Grade 6+.

Sexual Violence

Helping a Friend Who Has Been Sexually Abused
Asks participants to brainstorm ideas on how to help a friend. Suggestions are provided. Good tool to bring up the idea of abuse and empower participants to feel that they can do something about it. Grade 6+.

Thinking About Violence: Sexual Assault
Participants explore the idea of consent and verbal vs. non-verbal communication. Also talks about the law and definitions of consent. Fairly academic, but because of serious content should not be adapted into a performance or game. Grade 7+

Why You Should Know About Date Rape
Fact sheet and statistics on date rape. An eye-opener to many. Explores myths and facts.

When Isn’t It Okay?
Explores attitudes about rape and helps to define rape out of the “stranger danger” context. Grades 7+.

Safer Sex: Contraception and STI Prevention

Condom Wise
Participants explore attitudes about condom use. Grade 7+.

*Contraceptive Commercials
Participants act out commercials for each other about different kinds of birth control and barrier protection. Participants have a chance to see and feel different kinds of contraception. Materials: brown paper bags, samples of birth control, pamphlets on using birth control (available at local health center). Grades 7+.

Contraceptive Options
Youth learn how to communicate about contraception and different kinds of contraception. Materials: samples of different kinds of contraception, information on local clinics and resources. Grade 7+.

Facts about Emergency Contraception
Participants learn about the myths and facts about EC. Also provides extension to advocacy. Be sure to read the Leader’s planning materials. Grade 7+

Protecting Myself (PDF, 12K)
Asks participants to think about what they are doing to prevent themselves from getting an STI. Grade 7+.

Responses to Objection to Condoms (PDF, 12k)
Worksheet and discussion on how to deal with objections to using condoms. Grade 7+.

STI Case Studies (PDF, 16kb)
Participants use resources to try to find out what STIs characters in the case study have. Materials: library, internet, sex ed books for teens. Grade 7+.

Teaching About Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)
Small groups make posters on an STI. Variation: this lesson plans tells the educator to set guidelines on explicitness; consider not setting those guidelines or specifically asking participants to be out-of-the-box with their posters. Materials: STI info pamphlets, poster making materials. Grades 7+.

Facts and Information About STIs and HIV/AIDS

*High Risk, Low Risk, No Risk Red Light Green Light (PDF, 16k)
Use behaviors (i.e., kissing, cuddling, intercourse, oral sex, anal sex) and categorize them as low risk (green), some risk (yellow), and high risk (red). Materials: red, yellow, and green posters/papers etc. Be sure to clarify whether statements are about HIV/AIDS or STIs, as answers for some questions will be different. Grades 5+.

*HIV/AIDS Lesson Plans from Avert.org
Group of four lessons with activities to choose from. Lessons cover HIV/AIDS facts and fiction, prevention, attitudes, and safer sex communication. The page provides likely outcomes so the educator can prepare fun activities to engage participants. Grades 6+ (choose activities you think are most appropriate for the age group you’re working with).

HIV/STI Transmission Game
Players exchange candy that represents possible transmission of HIV. Facilitator reveals at end which candies represent HIV. Using food always helps to get participation enthusiastic. Materials: chocolate hugs and kisses, brown paper bags. Grade 7+.

HIV/AIDS Password
Game about HIV/AIDS vocabulary and general information. Grade 6+.

Many of these lesson plans came from these organizations and Web sites:

Advocates for Youth

*Health Educator’s Toolbox

ReCAPP (Resource Center for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention)

University of Hawaii Burns School of Medicine AIDS Education Project

Sex, Etc.
Lesson plans from this site aren’t included in this index because they tended too much toward scare tactics and preachiness. However, browse their lessons for some more ideas, use them, or adapt them to fit your group. The rest of the site is a great and honest site for teens.

Sexuality Education Gateway
This Canadian Web site that has links to many Sex Ed resources. However, many of the links are dead ends, and some do not lead to lesson plans. But if you can’t find what you are looking for anywhere else, try here, as lessons are indexed by age level and very specific topic.

Exclusive resources for GBF grantees

If you are interested in being invited to any of the following, tell us.

Youth Worker Exchanges
GBF hosts periodic discussions on topics that cut across many girls programs.

Learning Circles
Small, focused, professionally facilitated peer groups that meet regularly over seven months, to solve work-related organizational, management, and conceptual issues.

Training & Consultation on Evaluation and Research
Girls programs find the training we offer a great way to learn and carry out girl-friendly investigation and evaluation. GBF offers one or two groups trainings a year, and also underwrites training and consultation.
Read more about our research and evaluation

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