Talking with Kids about Sex and AIDS
Jeannette Gaffney and Mickey Kavanagh
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Give FeedbackLesson: Journals
Each student will need a folder in which to keep handouts and a journal. It matters little whether these are teacher-made, store bought, or student provided. It matters greatly that they exist, that each student has his/her folder at every session and that no one except the owner and the teacher have access to them. We suggest that the teacher provide security with a file drawer that students can trust or a similar cache. The teacher needs to assure students that the journal is private and will be returned to the student at the end of the course.
The first journal entry will be a list of technical terms: the names of body parts.. At the end of each session, students should write a brief reaction to material covered that day and any unanswered questions they may have.
A list of new technical vocabulary is to be maintained.
Suggestions for other written assignments are (a) draw from memory and label male and female internal and external genitalia; (2) each student may keep a record at home of his/her own stages of puberty and development or menstrual cycle and cervical mucus; (3) each student can make a list of people to talk to about sexuality; (4) use the journal to stimulate parent-child communication. For example, students might be given an assignment to discuss a specific topic with their parents and write about their conversation in the journal.
It is the teacher’s responsibility to be aware of student vulnerability and to provide protection for the privacy of individuals. No one is to be required to expose themselves.