Curriculum
Click below to view curriculum outlines for the following grades.
PROJECT REACH 5th GRADE CURRICULUM OUTLINE
Objectives
Young people who participate in Project REACH will:
- Understand basic human sexuality and reproduction.
- Develop more mature decision-making and problem-solving skills.
- Improve their self-esteem and sense of worth to better withstand negative peer pressure.
- Achieve better communication with parents regarding their sexuality.
- Develop positive attitudes about family life, marriage, and parenting.
Day 1:
- Introduction of program, self, rules
- What’s said in this room – stays in this room, EXCEPT for discussion with parents (which is encouraged)
- Define puberty; pituitary gland
- Changes for male and female might be the same or different
- Auxiliary hair
- Body odor (anti-perspirant)
- Waist changes (larger or smaller)
- Hip changes
- Coordination explained
- Chest changes
- Focus on the INNER qualities not the outer
- Pubic hair
- Emotional changes AKA mood swings
- Homework: Ask a parent or another trusted adult – “Why do I have to go through puberty?”Day 2:
- Review Homework
- Nocturnal emissions explained
- Menstruation explained
- Emphasis on the privacy of these gifts
- When is the best time to have a baby? Why?
- Having a baby vs. being a parent – What do you need to be a good parent?
- Why does puberty take so long?
- If time allows, explain sexual intercourseDay 3:
- Explain sexual intercourse, if not done previously
- Show Time-Life photos of fetal development
- Questions
- REMEMBER: This is a gift… not as illustrated on TV, in music, or movies
- Christmas gift illustrationDay 4: (Optional)
- Cell phone/computer safety
PROJECT REACH 6th GRADE CURRICULUM OUTLINE
Objectives
The purpose of the program is to teach the social, psychological, and physical health gains to be realized by abstaining from sexual activity.
Students who participate in Project REACH will:
- Receive current and medically accurate information pertaining to the physical, mental, and emotional challenges of puberty.
- Receive current and medically accurate information pertaining to the physical, mental, and emotional consequences of teen sexual activity.
- Obtain increased awareness of fact vs. fiction pertaining to messages and sexual myths generated through peers and/or multiple media sources.
- Obtain increased awareness pertaining to the importance of maintaining mature decision-making skills.
- Obtain increased awareness of the value of self-control, delayed gratification, and the value of sexual abstinence.
- Obtain increased awareness of the laws pertaining to sexual behavior, internet, cell phone, and photography safety.
Day 1:
- Review: Why do we go through puberty?
- Define:
-- Making a baby vs. being a parent
-- When is the best time to be a parent?
-- What do you need to be a parent?
- Do you know a 6th grader who has everything they need to be a good parent? (7th, 8th, etc.?)
- Puberty takes many years for a reason: mental, physical, emotional, social values make a whole person. It takes many years for those all to develop so one is prepared to be a parent.
-- Example: 6 ft., 7th grade boy… mature like an adult physically… is he mentally socially, and emotionally mature?
- Two physical signs one might soon experience so they know they might one day (many years from now) become a parent?
-- Boys: nocturnal emission (explain)
-- Girls: menstruation (explain)Day 2:
- Review: menstruation and nocturnal emission… note these are gifts, showing we can reproduce!
- When is the best time to be a parent?
- Explanation of sexual intercourse
- Display of fetal development photos and charts
- How is sexual intercourse portrayed through the media? (music, tv., movies, etc.)
- What is the truth? IS SEX WORTH WAITING FOR? ARE YOU A GIFT
WORTH WAITING FOR?
- What is it called when someone waits until marriage to have sex?Day 3:
- Flash paper demo: Paul & Kate-a 7th & 8th grade student chose to have sex (influenced by media to have sex)
-- Consequences:
-- Separate fact from fiction (pregnancy can occur 1st time, etc.)
-- Sexually transmitted disease (how many?)
-- Family, neighbors, friends: reactions, feelings
-- Reputation to self and family
-- Emotions of self, family, and friends
- What is the only way you can have lots of dates with lots of different people and not face the situations Paul and Kate faced? ABSTINENCE!!
- The importance of self-worth in making decisions:
-- Society’s emphasis on the physical side only
-- How believing you only have a physical side could influence your decisions
- Peer pressure can influence decisions:
-- Green water demo: No matter what decisions you make there is always a price to pay! Compare “short” and “long” term consequences of your decision. How long would those consequences last?Day 4:
- Review: No matter what decision you make there is always a price to pay.
- To Pay the Price Game: making tough decisions in risky situations:
-- Discuss “prizes” in full.
-- Which prizes would make your family proud? (your friends?)
-- What is the only way you are guaranteed to win the prizes that would insure your future, parents’ trust and respect, and solid friendships? ABSTINENCE!!
- Immediate gratification: define
-- Examples: fast food, pizza, eye glasses
-- What happens when we don’t get it?
- Immediate gratification vs. delayed gratification: Immature behavior vs. mature behavior
--If someone says I want to wait until marriage for sex is that mature or immature?
- Examples of why real men wait! (Billboards)
- “In the Know Game”: review immediate gratification vs. delayed gratification (consequences of sexual activity)
- Assign homework: Ask parents the difference between puppy love and married love.Day 5:
- Review: Answers to “In the Know Game”
- Explain: Sex vs. sexuality (whole person)
- Explain: Secondary or renewed virginity
- Discuss: AIDS fact vs. fiction
-- How alcohol can affect decision making
-- The only 100% way to prevent AIDS
-- Condom failure rate explained briefly (demo: 1 in 4)
- Discuss: Puppy love vs. married love
-- Review homework answers
-- Grady’s Rules (handout)
- Demo: Christmas Present – how does it feel when you open a present up for the second time? When is the best time to give the gift of sexuality? (In Marriage!)
- Define difference between rape, sexual assault, molestation, and sex – these kids still have their gift to give... it is theirs to give only when they choose to – no one has the power to take that gift from them! Their virginity is their gift to give…
PROJECT REACH 7th GRADE CURRICULUM OUTLINE
Objectives
The purpose of the program is to teach the social, psychological, and physical health gains to be realized by abstaining from sexual activity.
Students who participate in Project REACH will:
- Receive current and medically accurate information pertaining to the physical, mental, and emotional challenges of adolescence and the consequences of teen sexual activity.
- Receive current accurate information on the medical and legal definition of sexual activity.
- Obtain increased awareness of fact vs. fiction pertaining to messages and sexual myths generated through peers and/or multiple media sources.
- Obtain increased awareness of the difference between "love" and married love, as well as the risk of multiple partners.
- Obtain increased awareness of the value of self-control, delayed gratification, limit setting, refusal skills, and the value of sexual abstinence.
- Understand how teens who have already participated in sexual activity can change their behavior, demonstrate self-control, and abstain (renewed or secondary virginity).
- Obtain increased awareness of the laws pertaining to sexual behavior, internet, cell phone, and photography safety.
Day 1:
- Invitations for sex come in many forms
- Green water demo: How peer pressure can influence decisions: positively and negatively
- Teen story: Paul and Kate
- Dispel sexual myths
-- Do your friends really know all the facts?
-- Can pregnancy occur the first time?
-- HIV has no signs or symptoms
-- Media does not reflect truth in portrayals
-- Does true love say “yes” or “no” to sex?
- Emphasis on truths
-- Emotional needs
-- Physical risk
-- Social ramifications
-- Secondary virginity
- Planning for the future
-- What is the only way you are guaranteed to reach the future with no consequences from sex? ABSTINENCE!Day 2:
- Review Day 1
-- Chocolate cake love vs. married love (infatuation vs. true married love)
- Treasure Hunt (demo/riddle)
-- Looking for self-respect, true friends, true “gifts” are not physical
- Definition of a true “Star”
-- Tom Cruise comes to class
-- Why should one say “no” to Tom?
-- Dealing with sexual and peer pressure
-- Defining sex vs. sexuality
-- Does the majority affect the way you think?
-- Long term consequences of sex before marriage
-- Having a plan (Refusal Skills)
Day 3:
- What are the appropriate ways to show affection?
- Setting limits demo: appropriate ways to express affection without engaging in sexual intercourse.
-- Consequences of not setting limits
-- Consequences of not sticking to limits
- Condom failure rate discussed
-- Why are we discussing condoms if what we want for you is abstinence? (so they know the truth is not what they see or hear in the media)
-- What is the only 100% (will never fail method) of preventing all the consequences that could come from sex before marriage? ABSTINENCE!Day 4:
- Sexual Jeopardy Game
-- HIV/AIDS
-- STDS
-- Alcohol and drugs influence on decision making
-- Consequences on self, family, friends
-- Physical, mental, social, emotional consequences
- Secondary virginity explained and encouraged
- What is the only TRUE protection? ABSTINENCE!
- Homework: Ask a parent or trusted adult - How do you know if you love someone enough to marry them?Day 5:
- Continue with Jeopardy game
- When is Sex a Crime? (age of consent)
- Review cell phone, computer, and photography safety
- Review homework assignment: When can you tell you are in love enough to get married?
- Grady’s Rules
- Read: “The Golden Locket” from Abstinence Clearinghouse newsletter
-- Ask students to explain what the locket represented?
-- Is sex/virginity a gift for one or for many?
-- How can you save that gift for only one person?
- Handouts:
-- Grady’s Rules
-- Feeling Pressured to have Sex?
-- What? Sex Can Be A Crime
PROJECT REACH 8th GRADE AND HIGH SCHOOL CURRICULUM OUTLINE
Objectives
The purpose of the program is to teach the social, psychological, and physical health gains to be realized by abstaining from sexual activity.
Students who participate in Project REACH will:
- Receive current and medically accurate information pertaining to the physical, mental, and emotional challenges of adolescence and the consequences of teen sexual activity.
- Receive current accurate information on the medical and legal definition of sexual activity.
- Obtain increased awareness of fact vs. fiction pertaining to messages and sexual myths generated through peers and/or multiple media sources.
- Obtain increased awareness of the difference between "love" and married love, as well as the risk of multiple partners.
- Obtain increased awareness of the value of self-control, delayed gratification, limit setting, refusal skills, and the value of sexual abstinence.
- Understand how teens who have already participated in sexual activity can change their behavior, demonstrate self-control, and abstain (renewed or secondary virginity).
- Obtain increased awareness of the laws pertaining to sexual behavior, internet, cell phone, and photography safety.
Day 1:
- Review consequences of sexual activity before marriage.
- Why do teens take the risk of becoming sexually active?
-- Curiosity
-- They are “ready”
-- Alcohol or drug involvement
-- Thrill seeking
-- Peer pressure
-- Media influences
-- Seeking affection
- Define sex vs. sexuality
--The difference between body parts and the whole person (physical, mental, emotional, social, value system)
- Explain body “signals” to help teens recognize the difference between focus on the person and focus on the body parts.
- Which would they like to be recognized for: their person or their parts?Day 2:
- Review question: Would they like to be recognized for their person or their parts?
- Wanna Bet Demo: (How easy it is to say yes, and wish you had said no)
- Recognizing how quickly one can be set up in a scenario they never believed they would be part of.
- Recognizing the difference between men and women. Explain pre-frontal cortex maturation.
- Car Accident Demo: (Losing your physical appearance. Are you still loved? By whom?)
- Recognizing gifts other than physical in self and in each other.
- Homework assignment: List 5 inner qualities of the partner assigned to each student by RSVP instructor.
Day 3:
- Exchange homework assignment
-- Recognize physical attributes will change with age; however, mental, emotional, and social will remain the same.
- What is appropriate affection and inappropriate affection?
- “Woo” Scale Demo: Recognizing appropriate levels of affection rather than levels of stimulation.
- Baking soda/vinegar Demo: Setting limits of affection.
- Why it is important to S.E.S.! (to remain a person/not just a set of “parts”)
-- Set a limit
-- Express a limit
-- Stick to a limit
- Frog Demo: Law of diminishing returns
- Bryan’s Story (teen who died of AIDS)
Day 4:
- Complete Bryan’s story if necessary
- Reinforce need to be examined for STD’s if sexual contact has occurred.
- Reinforce “Your actions not only effect you, they effect everyone in your life who loves you” – family, friends (mentally, emotionally, and socially)
- When is sex okay?
- Consequences of multiple partners
- Explain/reinforce/encourage the importance of secondary/renewed virginity.
- How do you know when you are in love enough to get married? (Build the married house)
- Handout: Grady’s Rules
Day 5
- Alcohol or Drug experimentation will influence decision making process.
-- Birth stats for teens
-- Effect on self, family, and friends-physically, mentally, emotionally
- If sex and birth control were the answer, would we have this discussion?
- What is the only 100% way to avoid pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease? ABSTINENCE!
- Condom failure rates reviewed.
- Sexually transmitted disease effect on self, family, friends -physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially.
- “All My Diseases” Game/Demo: If sex is worth the wait… how do you say “no”?
- Is Sex a Crime?
-- Review current legalities of behavior, phone, internet, and photography safety.
- Handout: Refusal Skills (explained and encouraged)
- Demo/Handout: Grady’s Crazy Ways to Say No
- Handouts:
-- STD (brochure)
-- How At Risk Are You? (brochure)
-- What? Sex Can Be A Crime
-- Bryan’s Frog
As parents, we believe information concerning sexuality should be taught within the home – why is it being taught in school?
The staff of RSVP is not trained to replace information that only a parent can relay. They are trained to reinforce a message that (hopefully) the parent has already given.Today’s youth are bombarded with mixed messages about sexuality; our hope is that this program reinforces the gift of reproduction, the benefits of abstinence, goal-setting, and wise decision making.
Are these co-ed classes? If so, why?
Yes, the RSVP classes are designed to be co-ed. Again, because of the challenges our young people face, it is critical they receive the identical theme, so there can be no misunderstanding of what was heard. Both sexes are going through challenging times. The understanding, compassion, and respect they should have for each other as the changes occur cannot be overstated.How long is the program?
The 5th grade program lasts 3-4 days, in approximately 45 minute sessions. The 6, 7, 8, and 9th grade programs last 4-5 days with class times varying between 40 and 75 minutes, depending on the school schedule.Do many parents exclude their son or daughter from the class?
If a family chooses to exclude their son or daughter from participating in the program, this is a decision that is always respected by the staff of the school and RSVP.Can parents observe the classes?
Absolutely! We ask only that you consult with the school first concerning schedule times.Do you have evaluation results available for review?
Yes, they are available upon request. The school administrators and teachers receive summarized results of student evaluations about a week after the program is over. The same evaluation results can be mailed to parents upon request by phoning our office (349-1808) or requesting via email (rsvp1@alltel.net).