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.
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