Download Category - Anchorage School District

Healthy Relationships and Sexuality Education Class
Philosophy, units, curriculum resources
Teacher: Gary Snyder
room: S2
email at: [email protected]
website at: http://eastnet1.asdk12.org/~gary_snyder/ (includes this syllabus)
Voicemail message phone 566-1247
Text: Healthy Sexual Development published by Pearson AGS Globe
Assignments
HRSE is a Physical Education class, dealing with health. There will be a variety of assignment types and
evaluations. There will be periodic tests and quizzes. Daily work will include any in class assignments,
projects, research, seminars, role-playing, reports, presentations, discussions, reading in or out of class,
activities and possibly participation points. Students will keep a learning log in their folder/notebook with a
question or reflection to write about most days. Every 10 learning logs these will be turned in for daily work
points. This will be a large portion of the grade. There will be a final exam and a senior final (second
semester only). Points will be deducted for late work, and late work will only be accepted for one extra week
maximum. There is final project and test based on class notes and handouts (so keep a notebook).
Absences
Students with an excused absence have 1 day to turn in make-up work for each day missed. No makeup work
or late work will be accepted from unexcused absences. It is the student’s responsibility to find out about
make up work. A class log notebook will be maintained where students can check the previous days
assignment and then complete it or ask the teacher about it. I type my lesson plans, so you can also email
me and I can respond with the lessons you missed. If students will miss many days contact me for makeup
work BEFORE you come back. Activity absences must check AHEAD for makeup work or it is late.
Expectations for students
1. Bring notebook paper (including learning log), pencil, pen and any assignments to class.
2. Take time to read any material assigned to read in or out of class. Keep a neat folder.
3. Behave politely and respectfully, and obey school rules.
4. Participate and contribute to the class, as well as ATTEND class regularly.
5. Follow other guidelines (our class will go over) for dealing with sensitive, controversial, or personal
topics that may be pertinent to relationships or sexuality.
6. If you are having problems, with the class, with other students, or myself, please come and see me
and we will talk it over. It is my responsibility to ensure a fair classroom environment for everyone.
Goals and Objectives
The goals of the Healthy Relationships and Sexuality Education class are to provide information about
relationships and sexuality, examine various attitudes and influences on relationships and sexuality, help
students build interpersonal and relationship skills, and to teach responsibility for health and making healthy
decisions. There are many objectives of Healthy Relationships and Sexuality Education. They can be viewed
in detail on document on my website http://eastnet1.asdk12.org/~gary_snyder/ titled “Sex-ASDcurriculum”.
Students will be expected to learn specific information, discover the diversity of opinions about many
sexuality topics, and to practice communication and decision making skills. Students will also be expected to
reflect on their own attitudes, influences, and self-identity in regards to relationships and sexuality.
Snyder’s Philosophy for Teaching Sexuality Education
My philosophy towards teaching this subject follows the Anchorage School District Guidelines for Sexuality
Education, part of the ASD Health Curriculum Frameworks K-12, updated by the District in 2010. They may
be found at http://www.asdk12.org/depts/HealthPE/health/SexEd_Guidelines.pdf.
The ASD guidelines, and I, acknowledge that it is healthy for adolescents to postpone sexual intercourse and
many make this choice. At the same time, knowledge about human sexuality is helpful, not harmful; and
students deserve accurate information about relationships and sexuality to guide their immediate and future
decision-making.
I want students examine their own thinking about values, responsible decision-making, and the consequences
of their behavior. I believe (and statistics show) that students who learn to talk openly about sexuality topics
in a classroom will be more likely to talk about these topics and make good decisions in their own
relationships. I believe that if students have questions about sex they deserve answers. I believe that it is OK
for people to have different ideas and values about relationships and sex, and that it benefits students to
recognize that not everyone has their same ideas and values. While many opinions are shared in this class, I
try to teach it in a non-judgmental manner. It is NOT my intention to impose my ideas and values on students,
but to teach students to articulate their own values and to recognize why they might have those values. It is
my intention that students understand the influences of sexuality in our culture today. I think this will be an
informative class that is fun to take and fun to teach.
Course Outline
The course outline is subject to change as the class develops. I have done my best to include topics and
materials I plan to use. Realize that many topics overlap in many of these units and class
questions/discussions may lead toward material from other units at any time.
Unit
Topics may include
Messages and
Why sex education, evolution of sexual behaviors (including comparison to
Attitudes Affecting
other animal mating traits), sexuality definitions, what healthy sexuality is,
Teen Sexuality
media messages and media literacy, relation between self-esteem and body
images, establishing personal boundaries
Sexual Growth and
Hormones, gametogenesis, anatomy, maturation to menopause, human
Development
sexual response cycle, conception, pregnancy, labor & delivery, genetics of
sex determination, ancient ideas about sex (myths), sex characteristics
Identity, Integrity &
Healthy personalities, influences on self-identity, exploring personal
Independence
values, levels of intimacy, maturation and independence timelines,
communication styles, conflict resolution and avoidance techniques,
personality type testing, sexual diversity (sexual genders, identities and
orientations)
Healthy Relationships Relationship stages, components, and skills, types of relationships, consent
and domestic violence issues, dependency, impact of drugs/alcohol on
relationships, breakups/divorce
Reproductive Health
Abstinence, contraceptives, hygiene, sexually transmitted diseases,
masturbation, sterilization, healthy pregnancies, pregnancy choices, affects
of drugs/alcohol on reproductive systems
Sexuality Issues
History of birth control and women’s access to reproductive health, Parenting,
(may include)
Pornography, Rape/Date Rape, Pedophilia, abortion, Domestic Violence,
Sexuality Issues
Sexual harassment, Teen Pregnancy, Marriage/adultery, Prostitution(continued)
exploitation, Genital mutilation, Internet issues/social media, Gender roles
and their recent changes, Sex and the Law, Overpopulation, Genetic
testing/engineering, Cultural/religious differences in views
Realizing Personal
Reflective projects, seminars and discussions on all previous subject
Healthy Relationship matter; making plans/visions/goals for the future
Goals
Note on Supplementary Materials: Some units will use readings, questions, and activities found in our
class textbook. I will also use many other resources. Some of these are listed below. The resources below are
not all inclusive, but they are ones I plan to use. They are indicative of the type and level of material we will
cover. I won’t have time to use all of the below resources, but I draw from many of them.
Websites
http://www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/personal/famplan/educators/FLASH.aspx
http://www.sexedlibrary.org/, http://www.sexsmartfilms.com, http://www.TED.com (various speakers),
http://www.cdc.gov/sexualhealth/, www.wikipedia.com, http://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/,
www.youtube.com (various topics), www.about-face.com, www.video-jug.com (various videos on
relationships) youtube’s of “Andy Ruins Everything” and “Laci Green”
Print Media
Human Reproductive Biology 3rd ed. by Richard Jones and Kristin Lopez (college text), Why Him, Why
Her? , Anatomy of Love, and Why We Love by Helen Fisher, Woman, an Intimate Geography by Natalie
Angier, Changing Bodies, Changing Lives by Ruth Bell (teen edition), Newsweek, Time, and Anchorage
Daily News (Ak Dispatch now) articles, Why is Sex Fun? by Jared Diamond, WiseWays to Happiness by Jan
Lindeman
Movies (may include these, I won’t have time for all of them)
Parenthood PG-13, 1989, Speak PG-13 2004, Killing Us Softly 4 with Jeanne Kilbourne, Why Sex? from
PBS Evolution series, The Pill from PBS American Experience series, The People Bomb from CNN, Sex: A
Guide for the Young from the Multimedia Group of Canada (animated) a Golden Apple Education award
winner, Stages of Labor from InJoy Videos, “Don’t Take Love Lying Down” presentation by Brad Henning
(he has a good website also); Spin the Bottle: sex, lies, and alcohol with Jeanne Kilbourne; BBC’s The Great
Sperm Race, Nefarious: Merchant of Souls a documentary about sex trafficking.
Guest Speakers (may include)
APD officer on domestic violence, a professional in legal paternity issues (child support), a professional
psychiatrist in private practice and university instructor on sexuality, a MOA Department of Health and
Human Resources nurse from Reproductive Health Clinic, a childbirth education teacher, staff from ANMC,
teen-agers who are pregnant or parents, possibly an employee from AWAIC or STAR, a divorce lawyer and a
professional involved in marriage counseling
Audio
The Vagina Monologues a play by Eve Ensler
Various Pop music, Paradise by the Dashboard Light by Meatloaf