Merrie N. Harrison
This unit is designed to be used in seventh or eighth grade sex education classes. Its focus is on values clarification and deciding whether or not to have sexual intercourse. Sex education courses often deal exclusively with the biological aspects of reproduction. Adolescence is a time of social and emotional change as well as physical change. Teenagers must learn about all of these changes—not just the physical ones. Their bodies are becoming sexually mature long before they have developed social and emotional maturity. Physical maturity happens quite naturally. However, teenagers cannot be expected to become socially and emotionally mature automatically: they need guidance It would be nice to think that this would come from their parents but too often it does not. Therefore, it seems imperative that sex education in the schools include values clarification and decision making related to sexual activity. This unit aids the student in developing the maturity necessary for sexual decision making through eight objectives: developing self-confidence and personal values, understanding dating and heterosexual relationships, exploring the degrees of sexual involvement, distinguishing between sexual attraction and love, developing foresight in deciding about sexual relationships, understanding the responsibilities of choosing to have sex, investigating the choices available to a girl with an unwanted pregnancy, and understanding the full impact of becoming a parent.
(Recommended for 7th and 8th grade Sex Education.)
Key Words
Sexuality Couseling Psychology Decision Making Contraceptive
