This sub-organizer contains the following sections:
Prescribed Learning Outcomes
Suggested Instructional Strategies
Suggested Assessment Strategies
Recommended Learning Resources

It is expected that students will:

• evaluate the impact on themselves and others of the physical, social, and emotional changes associated with puberty
• identify the components needed to build and maintain healthy relationships
• relate family values and traditions to beliefs and behaviour standards
• identify and evaluate factors that influence responsible sexual decision making

To view the prescribed learning outcomes for Personal Development (Family Life Education) in other grades click on an icon below.

SUGGESTED INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

• As a class, brainstorm changes that occur during puberty and have students classify these as physical, social, or emotional.
• Use narratives or videos to initiate a discussion about adolescence as a stage in which individuals gradually assume more responsibility and independence.
• Discuss with students the relationship between rights (or privileges) and responsibilities. Have them suggest how the principle of balancing rights and responsibilities applies in various situations (e.g., school, living at home, driving). Discuss how assuming greater rights and responsibilities relates to adolescents' changing expectations and those of their families.
• Ask students to interview people who they feel have successful relationships to determine the components that make these relationships work well.
• As a way of attuning students to habits that can detract from positive interpersonal communication, have them observe and record, over a period of several days, examples of:
  • exaggeration (using words such as never or always)
  • overgeneralization (starting sentences with phrases such as "Everyone does. . . .")
  • imbalance (telling only one side of a story)
  • opinion asserted as fact (starting sentences with phrases such as "They say. . . .")
  • charged words (starting sentences with phrases such as "Any fool. . . .")
• Use mass media sources or facilitators from the health professions to stimulate a class discussion on abstinence and other responsible sexual decision making practices.
• Have students discuss how mass media, advertising, and the expectations of peers influence decisions related to sex.

• To check on students' understanding of the impact of changes associated with puberty, have them analyse a relevant situation in a video or story. Note the extent to which they provide logical and detailed information about:
  • the nature of the changes affecting the characters
  • the effects (both positive and negative) of the changes on the characters involved
  • the strategies the characters use to deal effectively with the changes affecting them
• Have students work in pairs or groups to represent components of healthy relationships, using formats of their choice (e.g., posters, cartoons, mobiles, dramatizations, music, poetry). Before they begin, ensure that all are working with the same criteria. For example:
  • overall impact conveys a strong, relevant message about relationships
  • focusses on key factors affecting relationships
  • selection of images, examples, or details shows understanding of what is most important
  • illustrates strategies for building positive relationships
  • clear and easy to follow
• When students discuss or write about family values and traditions, look for evidence that they are able to offer logical connections to specific beliefs and behaviour standards.
• After students have viewed, heard, or participated in discussions about responsible sexual decision making, have them respond to questions such as:
  • What factors influence sexual decision making? Describe how each of these might influence an individual.
  • What determines the importance of various factors or influences for a specific individual?
  • What strategies can help an individual make responsible sexual decisions?

• Right from the Start - A Look at Dating Violence Prevention for Teens (School Version)
• Sexuality: An Education Resource Book
• B.C. Life Skills - Understanding Ourselves
• Mediation in the Schools Program Secondary - Training and Implementation Guide
• Preventing Violence in Families and in Relationships: A Resource Guide
• Managing Conflict: A Curriculum for Adolescents
• Know How: A Video on Abstinence For Teens
• A Million Teenagers, Fifth Edition

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