Teaching Tool - Making Decisions about Sexual Health (Grade 8)

These resources teach students about the factors that affect an individual's decisions about sexual activity. They also teach how to make safe decisions related to their sexual health. This topic will cover the importance of abstinence, contraception and protection to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted blood-borne infections.

Learning goals

I will identify and explain factors that can affect decision-making about sexual activity
I will understand abstinence, contraception and the use of effective protection to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted blood-borne infections
I will develop skills to apply when making safe and healthy decisions about sexual activity
I will identify sources of support if I have questions about sexual health

Core knowledge content

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

Making decisions about sexual health core knowledge content

Ontario curriculum expectations

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

D1.4 identify and explain factors that can affect an individual's decisions about sexual activity and identify sources of support about sexual health. This specific expectation is also connected to the social emotional learning expectations A1.1 Emotions, 1.2 Coping and 1.5 Self.
D2.3 demonstrate an understanding of abstinence, contraception and the use of effective and suitable protection to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted blood-borne infections. Learn about the concept of consent and the skills they need to apply to make safe and healthy decisions about sexual activity. This specific expectation is also connected to the social emotional learning expectations A1.3 Motivation, 1.5 Self and 1.6 Thinking.

Learning activities

Sexual health presentation

This presentation teaches students about the factors that affect a personâ€™s decisions related to sexual health and sexual activity. It teaches the skills needed to make safe and healthy choices. Students will also learn about consent, contraception and how to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted blood-borne infections.

Sexual health PowerPoint presentation

It's up to you!

For this activity, students will work in teams and respond to different scenarios related to sexual decision making. They will try to decide the next steps and what the people involved should do in each scenario.

Your choice, your consequences

For this activity, the teacher will read out statements related to sexual health. They will use birth months to determine if a student stands or sits depending on if the associated choice is either "pregnant" or "not pregnant".

Pregnancy prevention pop quiz

Students will divide into two teams to answer pop quiz questions and show what they know about pregnancy and the steps they can take to prevent pregnancy.

Supplementary resources

Birth control tool (Teaching Sexual Health): This resource describes several birth control options that are available for anyone thinking about engaging in sexual activity.
Educators (Sexual Health Options Resources Education Centre): The following activities are classroom games and activities about sexual decision making that are specific to learning about contraception and effective methods for protection. Refer to birth control quiz, condom game, and dental dam game.
Effective and suitable protection to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (Ontario Physical and Health Education Association): In this lesson, students will learn to use self-awareness and critical thinking skills to understand abstinence, contraception and the use of effective and suitable protection to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections.
Factors affecting decision making about sexual activity (Ontario Physical and Health Education Association): In this lesson, students will learn to use self-awareness skills to identify and explain factors that can affect an individual's decisions about sexual activity and identify sources of support on sexual health.
Grade 7 lesson plans (Teaching Sexual Health): These lessons examines abstinence and decisions to postpone sexual activity as healthy choices. Refer to lesson 4: Abstinence or lesson 5: Decision making.
Grade 8 lesson plans (Teaching Sexual Health): These lessons will identify and describe the responsibilities and consequences when involved in a sexual relationship and the basic types of contraceptives (i.e., abstinence, condom, foam and birth control pills). Refer to lesson 3: Birth control and lesson 4: Responsibilities and choices.
Sexual consent instructional activities (York Region District School Board): This resource has activities for students to demonstrate an understanding of sexual consent including influences of alcohol and drugs, age of sexual consent and sexual assault.