Part two is going to include the measurable goals and the detailed plan that this intervention proposal is meant to cater to, but may be adjusted depending on what one wants to do with it.
Measurable Goals
The students in this intervention will specifically leave with a greater knowledge of puberty, reproduction/anatomy, healthy relationships, and an increase in empathy for LGBTQIA+ peers. Each student will take a pre and a post test to assess the knowledge gained. There will also be a reassessment two months after to assess retention of information. There will also be a parent survey taken prior to the intervention to assess parental involvement and make them aware of the conversation their students will be having at school. This can be found in Appendix 1.3.
Detailed Plans
The first step in this intervention process would be to send home a letter informing the parents that these specific 8th grade students would be participating in a sexual education intervention at the school. One would attach a document that the student would have to return if they did NOT want their student attending the intervention. This form would also be followed with a phone call and an email to all applicable parents.
The process would be a total of 12-weeks. The approved and willing 8th grade population would be broken up into three separate groups. Group one would be in the first four weeks, group two in the second four weeks, and group three in the final four weeks. Ideally, the teachers will give 45 minutes for a lesson with the identified population, and 15 minutes of debriefing with the student following their return to their designated classrooms. Prior to the intervention, the teacher will have already received lesson plans and dialogue/discussion questions for each lesson.
Lesson one will cover puberty. The lesson is coming from Teaching Sexual Health. The first 5-10 minutes would cover ground rules for this discussion. Making sure that the students know that this is a serious and sensitive topic for a lot of people. The next 5-10 minutes would be reviewing empathy and how important it is to understand others experiences.. The next 15-20 minutes will be spent teaching students to cope with the changes that come with puberty. The next 20-25 minutes will be spent playing a Kahoot! on puberty. Then the student will return to their classroom for a 10–15-minute question and debriefing time (Going Through Puberty, 2018).
Lesson two is covering reproduction/sexual anatomy. The lesson is coming from Teaching Sexual Health. The first 5-10 minutes would cover ground rules for this discussion. Making sure that the students know that this is a serious and sensitive topic for a lot of people. The next 5-10 minutes would be reviewing vocabulary that is important to the topic of puberty. The next 15-20 minutes will be spent playing anatomy bingo with the covered vocabulary. The next 20-25 minutes will be talking through the beginning process of the reproduction process in preparation for the next week. Then the student will return to their classroom for a 10–15-minute question and debriefing time (Reproduction Review, 2018).
Lesson three is covering healthy relationships. This lesson comes from the Sexuality Education Resource Center. The first 5-10 minutes will be spent covering ground rules. The next 15-20 minutes will be talking about what loving communication looks like and how it is communicated. This is a very basic explanation and will more than likely need to be readdressed in the future. The next 15-20 minutes will be spent going over situations of the different types of communication style and how to move to a more loving approach. Then the student will return to the class room for a 10-15 minute debrief and question time with their teachers (Healthy Relationships, 2018).
Lesson four is covering empathy for LGBTQIA+. This lesson is coming from the Trevor Project. First the students will receive a star of a random color. Each color being: blue, purple, red, and orange. Each student will then label their star with their name, a community they belong to, someone who is most important to them, a specific family member one goes to for advice, a job or career one would like, and hopes and dreams. At this point, one would direct the student participating that they are to presume the position of a member of the LGBTQIA+ community. No one may talk until the activity has come to a close. Simply follow instructions.
The next stage would be to have the students respond to instructions depending on the color of their star. Blue stars are always accepted. Purple and orange stars may have a bit of rejection, but nothing extreme. Red stars will lose the written statement on the section of the star directed. At the end of the activity, the people with blue stars will have a full and complete star. Their sexual identity and coming out were completely accepted. The purple and orange star has some damage but has people who accepted them. The red stars have been rejected and shamed by all of their important groups and their dreams crushed. Following the activity, one would direct the students to a debriefing. Asking the questions: How did it feel to take part in this activity, who had a red star/how did that feel/who had a blue star/how did that feel, what did you learn from this activity, and what do you feel you can do to make our classroom and school a more supportive place for LGBTQIA+ students (Pierce, 2015).
References:
Reference
Ferguson, R. M., Vanwesenbeeck, I., & Knijn, T. (2008). A matter OF FACTS… and more: An exploratory analysis of the content of sexuality education in The Netherlands. Sex Education, 8(1), 93–106. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681810701811878
Going Through Puberty . Teaching Sexual Health . (2018).
Grossman, J. M., Frye, A., Charmaraman, L., & Erkut, S. (2013). Family homework and school-based sex education: Delaying early adolescents' sexual behavior. Journal of School Health, 83(11), 810–817. https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.12098
Healthy Relationships. Sexual Education Resource Center . (2018).
Pierce , J. (2015). Empathy and Awareness: Coming Out Stars Activity . The Trevor Project . https://www.thetrevorproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/75ea657f061737b608_6pm6ivozp.pdf.
Reproduction Review . Teaching Sexual Health. (2018).
Rojas-Brinez, D. K., Galvis-Panqueva, A. H., & Flores-Hinojos, I. A. (2019). How Should I Teach Sex Education in Middle School? An Action Research Study on an ICT-Based Intervention . The Qualitative Report , 24(2), 405–428.
Stanger-Hall, K. F., & Hall, D. W. (2011). Abstinence-Only education and teen PREGNANCY rates: Why we need comprehensive sex education in the U.S. PLoS ONE, 6(10). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0024658
YouTube. (2015). Tea Consent. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQbei5JGiT8.
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