Over the next few weeks in health class, we will focus on developmentally appropriate lessons on relationships and sexuality, including personal safety. Each grade level will have a lesson on sexual abuse prevention in line with Act 1, a Vermont law. Below, I'll share more specifically what that looks like at each grade level.
Since I see every student over the course of two years at each combined grade level (1/2; 3/4; 5/6), some topics we will delve into more in depth every other year.
Kindergartners learns that families can be all shapes and sizes and the importance of respecting families that are different from our own. We will read The Family Book by Todd Parr (one of my favorite authors!) They also will learn the anatomically correct names for private parts and why it is important to keep them private. We'll discuss body autonomy and practice asking someone to stop and how to tell a trusted adult if someone is touching us in a way we simply don't like (perhaps a kiss from a relative) or in a way that is a big deal, not ok and against the law, like touching our private parts.
1st and 2nd graders will do a lesson on the Circle of Life, learning some very basic science around reproduction. We'll cover that there are different ways living things make babies- trees growing from a seed, chicks hatching from an egg, and mammals growing in a uterus - a surprise to many students that it isn't the stomach! If you are looking for ways to discuss this topic more in depth at home, I highly recommend the book What Makes a Baby by Cory Silverberg, which we did not read in class. A huge emphasis of the lesson is how we all are our unique selves and not an exact copy of our parents and how cool is that! We read the book Some Bodies by Sophia Kennen and Airin O'Callaghan to drive that point home. In first and second grade we'll also do a lesson on boundaries and telling a trusted adult if someone (ANYONE) is teasing, bullying or touching us and we aren't ok with it. We'll review what sexual abuse is, how to tell an adult, and that it is never the kids' fault.
3rd and 4th graders do a lesson on human development, remembering (or knowing our adults remember) all the growth they've made since growing in a uterus for 9 months. We also acknowledge that they are about to go through some big changes. Current 4th graders had a more in depth lesson on those puberty last year, and current 3rd graders will have that more in depth lesson next year. We also do a lesson on boundaries and telling a trusted adult if someone (ANYONE) is teasing, bullying or touching us and we aren't ok with it. We'll review what sexual abuse is, how to tell an adult, and that it is never the kids' fault. We'll learn the acronym SAFE:
Say stop
get Away
Find an adult
Explain what happened
5th and 6th graders will review reproductive anatomy and why it is important to know the proper terms. We'll review some of the changes that happen during puberty. We will be discussing boundaries, personal safety, and sexual abuse prevention.
Be well,
Ms. Zaino
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