SAFE SEX: SAMPLE LESSONS


Deconstructing Birth Control Ads
Teens receive a great deal of information (and misinformation) about sexuality from the media. The media provide a variety of vehicles for acquiring this information. Male enhancement drugs, such as Viagra, for example, are now well known even to younger teens thanks to commercials airing on TV and available on the Internet. This lesson encourages students to deconstruct the commercials that they may encounter. It focuses on a sample commercial for the contraceptive Nuvaring and requires students to carefully examine the information that is being presented.

Create Your Own Contraceptive Advertising
The American Academy of Pediatrics (2010) tells us that advertising condoms, birth control pills and emergency contraception on TV and radio could further decrease the teen pregnancy rate. Yet they note that several networks refuse these types of advertisements. They go on to say that advertisements for emergency contraception are “virtually nonexistent on American TV despite the fact that every year American women have 3 million unplanned pregnancies which lead to 1.3 million abortions.” 2010, p.578).

Let's Talk About Latex
A curriculum unit concerning safer sex would not be considered complete until the teacher addressed issues of oral and anal sex. Yet too often high school students tell us that it is very common for their teachers to address the subject of safer sex without ever discussing these topics. All members of the class will benefit from broadening the discussion to include oral and anal sex. As one youth expressed this issue to us, “Not everyone is going to decide to have vaginal sex, and when they make other choices, they need to know how to protect themselves.”