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What do you understand 'safe sex' measures to be?
Learning objective
Students explore legal, physical, social and emotional safety, and respectful relationships using a placemat strategy and the Laugh and learn video as a stimulus.
Explores the importance of communicating with a partner about readiness for sexual activity, including consent and boundaries.
Take home messages
Materials
- Laugh and learn video - keeping safe (2min 8sec) (external link)
- Student activity sheet: Placemat activity sheet_keeping safe with sexual activity (1 per group of 4 students enlarged to A3 size)
- Teacher resource: Placemat activity_answer sheet (1 for teacher)
Optional: Take home activity_reliable RSE websites
Before you get started
- It is beneficial to complete to following lessons prior to this lesson, or ensure students have the appropriate knowledge:
- Protective interrupting - Teachers need to know and understand how to use this technique to prevent students form potentially disclosing sensitive information or abuse in front of other students.
- Managing disclosures - Teachers must be aware of the school and legal procedures if a student discloses personal issues, particularly disclosures of sexual abuse.
- Exploring my own values - Consider your own thoughts, feelings, attitudes and values on this topic and be aware of how they may influence the way you present this activity. Be aware of your own self-care and support networks
- Question box - Have a question box available in every lesson to allow students the opportunity to ask questions that may be too embarrassing or unsafe for them to ask openly in class. See Setting up the question box for further information. For ways to answer some of the curly questions, see Scripted answers to FAQs.
- Preview Laugh and learn - keeping safe (2min 8sec)
- Background teacher notes/guides provide content knowledge for teachers prior to lesson delivery: Respectful relationships; Safer sex and contraception; Sex and alcohol and other drugs; Sex and the law; Discrimination
- Visit these external sites for further essential information on consent, safer sex and taking selfies:
- Sex and the Law | Get the Facts (external link)
- Sex & Dating | Legal Support in Western Australia | Youth Law Australia (external link)
- King Edward Memorial Hospital - Sexual Assault Resource Centre (SARC) (external link)
Learning activities
Group agreement
5 mins
Teaching tip: A group agreement must be established before any Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) program begins to ensure a safe learning environment. Read: Essential tools: Establishing a group agreement for tips on how to create one and what to include.
- Revise or create the class group agreement.
Trigger warning: Let students know you will be talking about relationships, both healthy and unhealthy relationships. Reiterate you want everyone to have safe, healthy, positive relationships, and while we will be promoting healthy behaviours, we do need to discuss unhealthy behaviours. Remind students of their right to pass and to speak to teacher/other support if required.
Laugh and learn video - safer sex
30 minutes
Say:
"In this video there are some words and phrases that need some thinking about and discussing before we get to see the video."
Divide the class into groups to discuss the following questions. Ask for responses from each group.
What do you think 'ramification' means? Use a dictionary if you don't know.
(Consequence, result, aftermath, outcome, effect.)
Thinking about the topic of 'staying safe in a sexual situation' - what do you think would be covered in a 'proper talk'?
(e.g., Communicating about individual wants and what you're okay with; consent for sexual activities; STI and pregnancy prevention.)
(Using a condom to prevent STIs and/or pregnancy, using a contraceptive method to prevent pregnancy and not engaging in activity that is harmful.)
Explain:
"The term 'safe sex' and 'safer sex' are often used interchangeably. In this video the term 'safe sex' is used, however, the more accurate term is 'safer sex' as no sexual activity is 100% safe."
- For a more detailed explanation see Safer sex (external link) and What is safer sex? (external link).
- Watch video:
Laugh and learn - keeping safe (2min 8sec)
- Ask:
What do you think of the use of humour in this video?
Does it help get information across? How?
What is the message/information you got from this video?
(e.g. it is important to talk about safer sex beforehand; both partners need to be ready; the age of consent in WA is 16; partners should be aware of what each other want; consent is vital)
- Say:
"While humour is useful and we can laugh at some aspects, there is a serious side to keeping safe that we need to look at. We're going to look at some of the important considerations around, and possible 'ramifications' (consequences) of, sexual activity."
- Ask:
There were a number of positive key words you may have seen or heard in the video. What were they? (Give clues by writing these words with some letters missing.)
- communicate/communication/talk
- consent
- comfort/comfortable
- conversation
- wants/expectations
So why is it important to talk about safe sex beforehand?
(e.g., to decide if you're ready and feel comfortable; to be aware of each other's wants and expectations, to minimise the risk of harm, STIs and unplanned pregnancies.)
Placemat: Keeping safe with sexual activity
20 minutes
Say:
"There are several aspects to keeping safe in sexual situations that need to be considered. There are different areas that need to be considered when people are thinking about keeping themselves and their partners safe in sexual situations. As we have discussed, safety and wellbeing related to sexual activity is about more than just STI and pregnancy prevention. It is important to think about the issues and impacts related to all areas. Many of the issues and consequences considered in each area overlap and link with other areas.
- physical (including sexual health)
- emotional
- social
- respectful relationship with partner
- the law
- As a whole group, revise the legal aspects of consent in WA (legal age of consent in WA is 16; consent must be mutual, freely given, informed, certain, coherent, clear and ongoing; consent can be withdrawn at any time).
Teaching tip: For essential information about consent, safer sex and taking selfies go to the Youth Law Australia website (external site) and Get the Facts - Sex and the law (external site).
- Teaching strategy: Placemat activity In groups of 4 students complete Student activity sheet: Keeping safe with sexual activity. Have each group discuss and record possible issues and ramifications associated with different aspects of keeping safe in sexual situations:
- physical (including sexual health)
- emotional
- social
- respectful relationship with partner
- the law
- Have groups share ideas with the whole class. See Teacher resource: Placemat activity_answer sheet for possible answers.
- Remind students that the Sexual Assault Resource Centre (SARC) is a free service available for people who have experienced sexual assault. Display the SARC website and crisis line phone numbers (08) 6458 1828 or free call 1800 199 888. Posters can be put up in class and other places around the school.
3-2-1 Reflection
Reflection
5 min
- Ask students to write one new thing they have learnt from this lesson.
- Ask for volunteers to share what they wrote.
- Remind students that Get the Facts has a completely confidential 'ask a question' service that they may wish to use. All questions are answered by a qualified health professional with a week.
Optional: Take home activity
Provide students with the Take home activity: Reliable RSE websites (electronic copy if possible). Remind them that it is best to use credible Western Australian and Australian websites to answer health questions rather than doing an internet search.
Health promoting schools
Refer to Guiding principle: Health promoting schools - a whole school approach for further information on implementing a whole school approach.
Family
- Talk Soon. Talk Often: a guide for parents talking to their kids about sex is a free hardcopy resource that can be bulk ordered by schools and website. Send a copy home to parents prior to starting your RSE program. The booklet offers ages and stage related information on puberty (and other topics) so that parents can reinforce the topics covered in class. (How to order hard copies.) Provide the link to parents on school websites and social media.
- Share information with parents and carers surrounding key messages and protective behaviours language to reinforce learning at home.
- Add the Get the Facts and SECCA app links to your website/e-news for parents.
Partnerships with school staff
- Invite the school health professionals and pastoral care staff (school nurse, school psychologist, chaplain, boarding house master, etc) to a class or an assembly to introduce them to the students and let them know what their roles are and how they can help the students. For example:
- If you have concerns about relationships, you can go to...
- If you have more questions about sexual health, you can go to...
Partnerships with agencies
- Encourage students to check out the following websites
- Teach Us Consent | Bringing Consent Education to Australia for education, resources and support.
- Home | Consent.gov.au - Check your understanding for resources and to check for understanding of situations regarding consent.
