Teaching Tool - Healthy Relationships (Grade 8)

These resources teach students about healthy, unhealthy and abusive relationships. They will learn about the factors that contribute to healthy relationships. Students will analyze the attractions and benefits of being in a relationship and the risks and drawbacks.

Learning goals

I will analyze the attractions and benefits of being in a healthy relationship
I will recognize the benefits, risks and drawbacks of relationships that involve various levels of intimacy for myself and others
I will understand the need for consent in relationships and how and when it can be given

Core knowledge content

Core knowledge content provides the teacher with the background information needed to prepare and teach this health class.

Healthy relationships core knowledge content

Ontario curriculum expectations

Grades 1-8: Health and Physical Education (2019)

D3.3 analyze the attractions and benefits associated with being in a healthy relationship. Learn the benefits, risks and drawbacks of relationships involving different degrees of sexual intimacy. This specific expectation is also connected to the social-emotional learning expectations A1.1 Emotions, 1.4 Relationships and 1.6 Thinking.

Learning activities

Healthy relationships presentation

This presentation teaches students about the attractions of being in a healthy relationship. It covers the benefits, risks and drawbacks for themselves and others when getting involved in different levels of intimacy in a relationship.

Healthy relationships PowerPoint presentation

My point of view is...

For this activity, the teacher will put three position cards (agree, disagree and unsure) around the room. The teacher will read a statement about relationships. Students will then decide which position card they relate to the most and move to it. This activity will follow with a class discussion.

The road to relationships

In this activity, students will build a relationship step-by-step with what they think are the best steps to follow in a relationship.

The big party

For this activity, students will read a story in small groups and then discuss it. They will answer questions about the different perspectives and situations that happened in the story.

What would you say?

In this activity, students will explore different scenarios related to relationships. They will discuss in groups what the problem is and what the best advice would be for the person in the situation.

Knowing the signs

The teacher will read statements about relationships to the class. Students will place the statements in a chart as "healthy" or "unhealthy." The teacher will follow with a class discussion about the statements.

Snowball activity

For this activity, students will write one healthy and one unhealthy quality of a relationship on separate pieces of paper. Students will then throw their papers toward the front of the class. Teachers will read the papers aloud and discuss what qualities make a relationship healthy or unhealthy.

Snowball activity instructions

Supplementary resources

Always changing and growing up (Ontario Physical and Health Education Association): This resource is for teaching pre-teens in grades 7 and 8 about the transition between childhood and adolescence and the beginning stages of puberty.
Draw the line coach scenario activity (Ontario Physical and Health Education Association): As part of the gender-based violence prevention education resources, this activity is tailored to help youth understand the qualities of healthy relationships with peers, family members and adults to maintain healthy relationships throughout their lives.
Draw-the-line against transphobic violence by LGBT parental recognition in Ontario - Some key questions and answers (Issuu): This resource is a guide for educators who are working with youth to support bystander intervention in transphobic and sexual violence situations.
Grade 8 lesson plans (Teaching Sexual Health): In this lesson the students will learn how to determine the signs, methods and consequences of various type of abuse (e.g., neglect, physical, emotional, sexual abuse). Refer to lesson 5: Abuse.
Healthy Relationships (Ontario Physical and Health Education Association): This lesson will help students learn to use critical thinking skills to analyze the attractions and benefits associated with being in a healthy relationship and the benefits, risks, and drawbacks, for themselves and others, of relationships involving different degrees of sexual intimacy. Students will also use their self-awareness and critical thinking skills to understand consent and the skills they need to make safe and healthy decisions about sexual activity.
Relationships and dating (Teaching About Sexuality in Canadian Communities): This resource helps educators teach students about relationships and dating. It highlights how as people grow from teenagers to adults, they may start to think more about friends and dating, and that it's important that all relationships are healthy, make you feel good and are safe.
Online relationships: Respect and consent (Media Smarts): In this lesson, students will use mind maps to explore concepts of respect and consent in an online context.
Relationship game (Sexual Health Options Resources Education Centre): This activity helps students recognize qualities in other people that can be positive or negative. Based on the characteristics or qualities, students decide if they would like to date the person, get to know them better, be their friend or none of the above. The group may have a friendly and constructive debate to open their minds to new ideas and feelings.
What's the deal? activity book (Canadian Centre for Child Protection): This activity book teaches youth in Grades 7 and 8 about healthy relationships and boundaries. Through various engaging activities, youth will be able to identify the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships, how to set personal boundaries and how to get out of uncomfortable situations when boundaries have been broken. Youth will learn how easy it is to lose control of information and photos shared online and when to get help from a safe adult.