Lesson Plan : Healthy Relationships

Lesson Plan : Healthy Relationships

April 14, 2005

Objectives:

• To understand components of a healthy relationship
• State what is important to YOU in a relationship – values and opinions
• Articulate concrete ways to improve upon negative situations.

Start class with a guided mediation (10 mins)

Relationship Scenarios 10-15 min

PREPARATION

Hang four signs (numbered 1, 2, 3 and 4) in each corner of the room.  Inform students that you will read a relationship situation.  Each situation calls for a decision to be made and you will give them four choices.  They must make a decision about that situation and move to the corner of the room that indicates their choice.  Remind students that there is no right answer in each situation.  This exercise is intended to clarify their values and opinions about relationships. Give students an opportunity to discuss why they made the decision they did.

Situations:

Lisa—“I cheated on my boyfriend because the relationship had become so predictable and I needed some excitement.  He never found out and I’m not sure if I should tell him.”

            Choice 1—Come clean and tell your boyfriend the truth.

            Choice 2—Tell him you’re bored and try to improve your relationship.

            Choice 3—Do nothing, what he doesn’t know can’t hurt him.

            Choice 4—Break up—face it, it’s over.

Amy—“My best friends has been starting to date this much older guy, she’s 15 and he’s like 21.  She says she likes him because he’s more mature than the boys our age, he buys her stuff and he has a car.  I know he’s been asking her to have sex with him.  I have a really bad feeling about this guy.  I don’t know if I should tell her what I think.”

            Choice 1—Stay out of it, it’s none of your business.

            Choice 2—You should tell her your concerns about him being so much older than her, she is your best friend.

            Choice 3—What this guy is doing is illegal!  You should tell her parents.

            Choice 4—Go straight to the guy and ask him what he wants with your friend.

Max—“I’ve cheated on my girlfriend a few times, but they were mistakes.  She kind of knows about them but she never brings it up, so I guess it doesn’t bother her.  Lately I’ve been wondering if I should fess up about what I’ve done.”

           

            Choice 1—Honesty is the best policy.  You should tell her.

            Choice 2—Maybe she doesn’t want to know.  She could be cheating too.

            Choice 3—Don’t tell, as long as you don’t ever do it again.

            Choice 4—You’re obviously not happy in the relationship, break up.

Melissa—“My friend Nicole has been having sex with her boyfriend, and I know they aren’t using birth control.  She told me she’s afraid to get on the pill because she doesn’t want to get fat and he doesn’t like condoms because they don’t feel as good.  They are doing the pull-out method.  I just learned in health class that the pull-out method is not very effective.  Should I tell her she’s playing with fire?”

            Choice 1—Tell her today!  She should also know she can get an STD that way.

            Choice 2—The pull-out method is better than nothing, don’t say anything.

            Choice 3—So what if she gets pregnant, it would be fun to have a baby around.

            Choice 4—Tell her, and tell her you also learned that the pill doesn’t make you fat.  Take her to the nearest clinic.

Monique—“My best friend has been dating this guy Jason and she thinks she is in love with him.  He’s such a player and I saw him kissing another girl at the movies.  I’m not sure if I should tell my friend since she really likes him.”

           

            Choice 1—Don’t tell, it’s not your business

            Choice 2—Definitely tell her, she needs to know he’s playing around.

            Choice 3—Talk to Jason and demand that he confess to your friend.

            Choice 4—Try and hint to your friend with being direct about it.

Robin—“I just started seeing Matt, who is such a sweetie.  Now Lee, this hottie I’ve had a crush on all year, is totally into me.  I wanna hook up with Lee this weekend, but I don’t want to hurt Matt.”

            Choice 1—Hook up with Lee, you’re not that serious with Matt anyway.

            Choice 2—Talk to Matt about ending things.

            Choice 3—Tell Lee you’re interested, but taken.

            Choice 4—Stay true to Matt, don’t hook up with Lee.

Dwight—“Me and my girl have been together for almost a whole year.  I really love her and know she’s the one for me.  Her parents are really strict though, so we don’t get much alone time.  Recently this girl in my class, who is hot for me, started IMing me.  We started emailing all these sexual things to each other, like positions and things that turn us on, but we’ve never kissed or anything.  Now I’m worried that my girl will find out and get really mad.”

            Choice 1—Come clean with your girlfriend, you need to be up front with her.

      Choice 2—Stop emailing this girl but don’t tell your girlfriend.  It will just upset her.

            Choice 3—If your girlfriend won’t find out, what’s the harm of a little email?

Choice 4—Your girlfriend’s not giving you what you need, you should tell her you need more or else you’re going to move on.

Complete this statement on an index card:

            When I am with someone else I need to feel:_________________.

Evaluating a Relationship 10-15 min

The purpose of this activity is to continue to heighten awareness of what constitutes a good relationship and to help students learn to evaluate their own relationships.

·         Give each student a copy of the “Evaluating YourRelationship” worksheet. 

·         Explain that it can be used to evaluate any type of relationship including a romantic relationship, friendship, or family relationship. 

·         Ask them to think of a relationship, past or present, that is important to them and use the worksheet to evaluate that relationship. Give them 10-15 minutes to fill out the sheet.

·         After they have had time to complete the worksheet, ask students to score their answers by giving one point for “yes”response to questions 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 11, 12, 13 and 14.  Also give one point for each “no” response to questions 1, 5, 7, 8 and 10.

·         Tell them what the scores mean:

-        1-3: There are few constructive elements in this relationship.  You may want to think about your reasons for continuing the relationship, or work toward improving it.

-        4-6: This relationship has problems that might be resolved by working on honesty and communication.

-        7-10: There is the basis for a good relationship.  Focus on the positive elements and work on improving the destructive ones.

-        10-14: You're doing well and have what it takes to build a successful and satisfying relationship.

After they have finished scoring their worksheets, have the students fill out the follow-up questions.

 “Is it possible for a bad relationship to improve?”

“What does it take to makea relationship better?”

Adapted from Entering Adulthood: Living in Relationships, Hubbard, Network Publications, 1990.

Evaluating A Relationship

Answer each question by circling yes or no.

1.    Do you feel that the other person in this relationship does not understand you?	YES / NO
2.    Are you able to speak freely to him or her about things that bother you?	YES / NO
3.    Do you take a genuine interest in each other’s lives?	YES / NO
4.    Do both of you pursue individual interests?	YES / NO
5.    Is this relationship the only important relationship in your life?	YES / NO
6.    Do you believe that you are a worthwhile person outside of this relationship?	YES / NO
7.    Do you expect this person to meet all of your emotional or physical needs?	YES / NO
8.    Is your relationship often threatened by others?	YES / NO
9.    Can you be yourself in this relationship?	YES / NO
10. Are you uncomfortable sharing your feelings with this person?	YES / NO
11. Do you both work to improve the relationship?	YES / NO
12. Do you feel good about yourself?	YES / NO
13. Do you feel you have become a better person because of this relationship?	YES / NO
14. Can you both accept changes in roles and feelings within the relationship?	YES / NO

The strengths of this relationship are:

The weaknesses of this relationship are:

I am most proud of the way we have:

We could improve our relationship by:

Break into Smaller Groups – 3 people/group 15 min

Group1: Romantic

Group 2: Parent-Child

Group 3: Teacher/Mentor – Student

Group 4: Friend-Friend

On large paper have participants write the characteristics of what a healthy and unhealthy relationship would look like.

Return to the group and see how different “relationships” vary with what behavior is healthy.

Wrap-Up 5 min

Talk about “relationships” at school – what is it like to be dating someone at this school? Read peer advisor statements from the past – ask for responses.