Sexual Health Education Unit

Created by: Carly Hiebert

Overview

Subject: Physical and Health Education Topic: Introduction to Puberty

Unit Overview: To engage students in learning and dialogue around the physical and emotional changes during puberty.

Grade: 4 Unit Duration: 5 lessons

Stage 1 – Desired Results

Big Ideas

Understanding ourselves and the various aspects of health helps us develop a balanced lifestyle

Core Competencies

Throughout this unit, students will:

Communication:
• Share their ideas and connect them with other ideas.
• Engage in active and respectful listening to others’ ideas.

Personal and Social:

• Understand that learning is continuous, and that concepts of self and identity will continue to evolve.
• Engage with ideas or information that is challenging, embarrassing or confusing.

Thinking:
• Use observation, experience, and imagination to draw conclusions, make judgments, and ask new questions.
• Describe thinking process and how it is changing over time.

Concepts Unit Understandings Transfer Goals Essential Questions

Identity Students will understand that…
Change The physical changes that occur
during puberty, and how those
Transformation might affect how we see ourselves,
how others see us, how we engage
with the world
The emotional changes that occur
during puberty and how these
change our relationships and mood
Students will be able to
independently use their learning
to…
Develop empathy for themselves
and others throughout the
transition into puberty
Use appropriate, anatomically
correct language for body parts
Communicate their emotions,
challenges, frustrations and joys
regarding puberty
Students will keep considering…
How might your thoughts and
feelings change as you experience
puberty?
How might your ideas about bodies
and emotions change from now
until when you are experiencing
puberty?
What can you do to feel
comfortable and confident in your
changing body?

Better understand and share What strategies can you use when
perspectives with other teenagers you experience challenges related
and adults who have experienced to physical, emotional and social
puberty changes during puberty?

First Peoples Principles

Learning requires exploration of one’s identity.

Learning ultimately supports the well-being of the self, the family, the community, the land, the spirits, and the ancestors.

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 Alignment Check:
Are your concepts, unit understandings, transfer goals, and essential questions connected and supportive of your Big Idea?
Curricular Competencies Content

Students will be skilled at… Students will know that…

• Explore and describe strategies for managing physical, emotional,
and social changes during puberty
• Describe factors that positively influence mental well-being and
self-identity
• Describe and assess strategies for promoting mental well-being
• Physical, emotional, and social changes that occur during puberty,
including those involving sexuality and sexual identity
o Emotional changes: how students’ thoughts and feelings might
evolve or change during puberty

Stage 2 – Evidence: Assessing for Understanding

Assess: Understanding

Summative: Formative:
Culminating Performance Task(s) at the end of the unit to show understanding Checkpoints for understanding during the unit

Teachers should consider how assessment should be differentiated to meet students’ Teachers should consider how formative assessment is ongoing, varied, and central to the
diverse needs, interests, and learning styles. instructional learning cycle.

AUTHENTIC PERFORMANCE TASK: Assessing for Understanding OTHER EVIDENCE: Assessing for Knowledge and Skills
Students will be able to demonstrate their understanding by: Students will show they have acquired Stage 1 knowledge and skills by:

Students will create a fictional preteen character and provide a o Think/Pair/Share

description of their identity (sex assigned at birth and gender identity), a o Temperature check: thumbs up/thumbs down, using 1-5
brief diary/timeline of their daily activities and a visual representation of fingers to assess emotions
their character. This project can include 3 parts of their character’s o Collective class quiz
hygiene routine, 3 activities they engage in throughout the day (social, o Plickers
familial, academic or extra-curricular), and 3 different feelings they o KWL
experience during the day. Students will demonstrate that they can
o Self-assessment
identify some of the emotional, physical and social changes that occur o Observations
during puberty. This project could be represented through writing and o Anecdotal records
drawing about their character, creating a comic strip, creating a o Class dialogue
PowerPoint presentation, creating a video, through oral storytelling, o Question box
through skits, or other ideas they might have. Students will be given
time to work on their project in class. Teacher and students can engage
in co-creation of expectations, deadlines and rubric.

Assess: Know & Do

Summative: Formative:
Final assessments of knowledge and skill at the end of the unit Checkpoints for students to show their knowledge and skills during the unit

Teachers should consider how summative assessments should be based on clear Teachers should consider how this ongoing assessment is clear, specific, and timely in
criteria and include a variety of ways for students to show demonstrate their learning order to support student progress

Assessment OF learning: A Day in the Life of a Pre-teen Project Assessment AS learning: question box submission, reflection writing

Assessment FOR learning: observation checklist, anecdotal records,

dialogue, self-assessment, true false quiz (using fingers 2=False, 1=True),
Plickers, KWL

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 Stage 3 – Executing the Learning Plan
These learning events/activities are suggested activities. Some activities may span over several lessons. Teachers should add, revise, and adapt based on the needs of their students,
their own personal preferences for resources, and a variety of instructional techniques.

Lesson 1: Emotional Changes During Puberty (Part 1)

o Pre-lesson: Engage students in breathing exercise to calm students’ bodies and

o Pre-lesson: Co-creation of “Community Agreement”
o Temperature check: Students use thumbs up/down or fingers 1-5 to express how they feel about exploring the topic of puberty
o APK (optional): Individually or as a group: KWL, mind map, wonder wall, or personal reflection writing about puberty
o Hook: Amaze video: Sad and Happy: Feelings Happen: https://amaze.org/video/sad-and-happy-feelings-happen/
o Activity: Google Slides Presentation and discussion about emotional changes:
o Think-pair-share: What is puberty? What do I know about emotional changes during puberty?
o Google Slides Presentation: Introduction of the pituitary gland, changes in the hormone development, activation of physical,
emotional and social changes
o Group discussion: What did I learn about emotional changes during puberty? What experiences do I have (with myself or others)
and emotional changes? What questions do I still have?
o Activity (optional): Tableau of various emotions that change during puberty and debrief
o Closure: Question box activity
o Introduction of the box and guidelines, distribute slips of paper, students write down anonymous questions and submit to box, will
be answered next lesson

Lesson 2: Emotional Changes During Puberty (Part 2)

o Pre-lesson: Engage students in breathing exercise to calm students’ bodies and minds
o Pre-lesson: Review of “Community Agreement”
o Temperature check: Students use thumbs up/down or fingers 1-5 to express how they feel about exploring the topic of puberty
o APK (optional): Individually or as a group: KWL, mind map, wonder wall, or personal reflection writing about crushes
o Hook: True or False pre-lesson quiz about “What do we know about crushes?” Teacher will pose questions on Google Slides Presentation
and students will answer by holding numbers up to their chest (1=True, 2=False)
o Activity 1: Read “Crushes” chapter from “Sex is a Funny Word” Graphic Novel (pg. 134-141)
o Group dialogue around the following topics:
Who might be the object of a crush (friend, classmate, fictional character, relative)
Feelings you might experience (excitement, nervousness, frustration, jealousy, sadness, etc.)
What to do about a crush: find a trusted person to talk to (if you want), write, draw pictures, be friendly, review consent
Normalizing crushes (and lack of crushes): crushes can be a typical part of getting older, but not everyone has them (which is
normal too!)
o Activity 2: True or false post-lesson quiz about “What do we know about crushes?” Teacher will pose questions on Google Slides
Presentation and students will answer by holding numbers up to their chest (1=True, 2=False). Class will then discuss correct answer and
discuss.
o Closure: Question box activity
o Review anonymous questions from previous lesson’s question box
o Review guidelines of the box, distribute slips of paper, students write down anonymous questions and submit to box, will be
answered next lesson

Lesson 3: Physical Changes During Puberty (Part 1)

o Pre-lesson: Engage students in breathing exercise to calm students’ bodies and minds before engaging in a conversation about physical body
parts (body science), which can sometimes make students feel nervous and/or excitable.
o Pre-lesson: Review of “Community Agreement”
o Temperature Check: How are you feeling about talking about puberty? Hold your fist to your chest and use your fingers (1-5) to represent
how you are feeling: 1 = nervous/not excited, 5 = curious/very excited
o Hook: Google Slides Presentation, Dialogue & Video
o Focus of lesson: Different body parts that different people have, and how those body parts might change during puberty.
o Think-pair-share: What are some physical changes that happen during puberty? Are they the same for everybody?
o Introduce phrases: “bodies with vulvas” and “bodies with penises” (rather than using “girl/woman/female” or “boy/man/male”) as a
reminder that some people who are born with a vulva don’t identify as a girl, and some people born with a penis don’t identify as a
boy. Sometimes people are born into a body with genitals that don’t match their gender.
o Amaze Video: Sex Assigned at Birth and Gender Identity: What Is the Difference?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=203&v=Y19kYh6k7ls&feature=emb_logo
Video reviews terms Sex Assigned at Birth, Gender Identity, Cisgender, Intersex, Transgender, Genderqueer, Non-binary.
Connect these terms to the language “bodies with vulvas” and “bodies with penises” as a way to be inclusive of all people
when talking about body parts/body science.
o Activity 1: Read “The Middle Parts” Chapter from “Sex is a Funny Word” Graphic Novel (pg 57-67)
o Students become familiar with anatomically correct language for body parts: nipples, breasts, bottoms, anus, vulva, clitoris, vagina,
penis, testicles and scrotum.
o Students become familiar with some of the changes that might occur with their body and other bodies during puberty.

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 o Activity 2: Plickers (assessment)
o Using Plickers cards, learners will review what they learned about physical changes during puberty
o Closure: Question box activity
o Review anonymous questions and answers to previous lesson’s question box
o Review guidelines of the box, distribute slips of paper, students write down anonymous questions and submit to box, will be
answered next lesson

Lesson 4: Gender and Sexual Identity and Expression

o Pre-lesson: Engage students in breathing exercise to calm students’ bodies and minds
o Pre-lesson: Review of “Community Agreement”
o Temperature Check: How are you feeling about talking about puberty? Hold your fist to your chest and use your fingers (1-5) to represent
how you are feeling: 1 = nervous/not excited, 5 = curious/very excited
o Hook: Amaze Video: Range of Gender Identities: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i83VQIaDlQw&feature=emb_logo
o Activity: The Gender Unicorn
o Display a large print out of Gender Unicorn for the class with gender and sexual identity icons on unicorn body covered up
o Review one term at a time, and identify where they are represented on the Gender Unicorn: Gender Identity (thoughts), Gender
Expression (body/clothes/hair/mannerisms), Sex Assigned at Birth (genitals), Physically Attracted To (heart) and
Emotionally/Romantically Attracted To (heart)
o Once all gender and sexual identity terms and icons have been reviewed, read a few examples of fictional people and their gender
and sexual identity. Work with the class to locate where they might identify on the various spectrums.
For example: When Taylor was born, the doctor said “It’s a girl!” because the doctor saw that Taylor had a vulva. Later in
middle school, Taylor began to feel they didn’t identify as a girl or a boy. Taylor now identifies as non-binary. Taylor uses the
pronouns they/them/theirs. Taylor likes to wear jeans, sneakers and a baseball cap, has a short haircut, and also likes to
paint their nails and sometimes wear eyeliner. Taylor is beginning to feel like they have a crush on both boys, girls and other
non-binary people like them.
o Remind students that if/when they consider their own gender and sexual identity, they can choose to share this information with
their family, friends, or classmates at anytime, but that this can also be private information that isn’t shared until they feel ready.
Remind the students that they might not yet know how they identify and that’s okay too.
o Closure: Question box activity
o Review guidelines of the box, distribute slips of paper, students write down anonymous questions and submit to box, will be
answered next lesson

Lesson 5: Physical Changes During Puberty (Part 2)

o Pre-lesson: Engage students in breathing exercise to calm students’ bodies and minds
o Pre-lesson: Review of “Community Agreement”
o Temperature Check: How are you feeling about talking about puberty? Hold your fist to your chest and use your fingers (1-5) to represent
how you are feeling: 1 = nervous/not excited, 5 = curious/very excited
o APK: Activate Prior Knowledge: Engage students in brainstorming session of K and W sections.
o Hook: Amaze Video: Taking Care of Your Body During Puberty
o Activity 1: Review of puberty kit items, how these items can/should be used, what body parts they are used for, and remind students they
have options and choice which products to use, and if they will use them.
o Deodorant, pad/tampon/menstrual cup/menstrual underwear, athletic support cup, bra, razor, face wash, shampoo/shower gel,
toothbrush/paste)
o Activity 2: Engage students in brainstorming session about what hygiene activities they can choose to participate in everyday to take care of
their bodies
o Shower regularly with shampoo and soap, wear deodorant if you want to reduce underarm smell, wear clean clothes, socks and
underwear, wash your face (remind students that they may or may not experience acne, and if they do, it’s their choice if they want
to treat it with acne cream or not), brush teeth at least 2x a day, shave (remind students that shaving is an optional activity, and that
they have the choice whether to shave, and which body parts to shave, or not), get enough sleep every night, find fun ways to get
physical activity, drink plenty of water throughout the day, choose healthy, nourishing foods.
o Activity 3: Complete “L” section of KWL graphic organizer
o Activity 4: Introduce “A Day in the Life of a Pre-Teen project”:
o Students will create a fictional preteen character and provide a description of their identity (sex assigned at birth and gender
identity), a brief diary/timeline of their daily activities and a visual representation of their character. This project can include 3 parts
of their character’s hygiene routine, 3 activities they engage in throughout the day (social, familial, academic or extra-curricular),
and 3 different feelings they experience during the day. Students will demonstrate that they can identify some of the emotional,
physical and social changes that occur during puberty. This project could be represented through writing and drawing about their
character, creating a comic strip, creating a PowerPoint presentation, creating a video, through oral storytelling, through skits, or
other ideas they might have. Students will be given time to work on their project in class. Teacher and students can engage in co-
creation of expectations, deadlines and rubric.
o Closure: Question box activity
o Review anonymous questions and answers to previous lesson’s question box
o Review guidelines of the box, distribute slips of paper, students write down anonymous questions and submit to box, will be
answered next lesson

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 Teacher: Unit Reflection

What aspects of the unit went well?

What did students struggle with?

What did you struggle with?

What would you add/revise the next time you taught this unit?

Were there any unintended outcomes?

Were students engaged?

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