ABSTINENCE
LESSON: Saying No Without Hurting Feelings
Have your students break into pairs. Students should work with a partner to write and present to the class a short skit illustrating a situation where they are required to clearly communicate their feelings and are able to do this without hurting the other person. Emphasize that prior to developing their script it is important to decide the audience who will be viewing their skit. You may wish to review the handout, Skit Outline.
Have the students complete the Skit Critique for each skit and discuss their answers.
LESSON: Saying No Without Hurting Feelings
Overview
This lesson is designed to help participants explore alternative ways of communicating messages to their peers.
This lesson is designed to help participants explore alternative ways of communicating messages to their peers.
Level:
Middle / High School
Objectives:
Preparation and Materials:
Objectives:
- To practice communicating one’s feelings in a difficult situation
- To explore alternative ways of communicating messages to peers
Preparation and Materials:
- White Board
- Slide: State a Fact or Feeling
- Handout: Skit Outline
- Slide: Skit Critique
Procedures
- Ask students what might be one of the most common obstacles young people encounter when they choose to be abstinent. Have students discuss some possible obstacles.
Inform the students that “saying no without hurting the person’s feelings” seems to be one of the most common problems young people report.
All of us, men and women, need to learn how to express our feelings, and to be assertive when it comes to standing up for what we feel is right. Behaving responsibly is not only about treating others with care and respect, but also being true to ourselves. - Ask the group to share why they thought the girls in this study felt it was important to say no without hurting feelings when they were in a situation where they were feeling pressured to have sex. Ask group to identify some situations where this might occur. Record the situations on the white board.
- Brainstorm with group reasons not to have sex. Record the reasons on the white board.
- Ask group to discuss the slide, State a Fact or Feeling.
Activity
Have your students break into pairs. Students should work with a partner to write and present to the class a short skit illustrating a situation where they are required to clearly communicate their feelings and are able to do this without hurting the other person. Emphasize that prior to developing their script it is important to decide the audience who will be viewing their skit. You may wish to review the handout, Skit Outline.
Assessment
Have the students complete the Skit Critique for each skit and discuss their answers.