Curated OER
Safer Sex - Lesson 1
High schoolers investigate the practices related to safer sex and define what it means in our society today. Guiding questions are used to facilitate classroom discussion. The goal is for high schoolers to define and identify the...
Curated OER
Gender Roles: Exposing Stereotypes
A series of activities help middle- and high-schoolers identify and explore gender stereotypes and how they can lead to violence and abuse. Use think-pair-share to activate whole class brainstorming about what it means to "be a man" and...
Media Smarts
Hoax? Scholarly Research? Personal Opinion?
Divide your class into groups to study the validity of online sources. One group looks at the authority and accuracy of four listed websites, another group looks at advocacy and objectivity, and the third group looks at currency and...
Media Smarts
Selling Tobacco
Take a look at tobacco advertising techniques through the decades. Students analyze the differences in strategies, and write an essay on the advertising history of one brand of tobacco, how tobacco advertising has changed over time, or...
Therapist Aid
Anger Diary
This worksheet provides a log for users to record incidents of anger. Meant to be used as an ongoing diary, the users log times they were angry, their feelings and behaviors surrounding the incident, as well as the results of their...
Media Smarts
Violence on Television
Focus on a specific incident of violence on television in the case of the Canadian Broadcast System showing Silence of the Lambs on public television. Look at the broadcasting codes and a complaint that was filed against the Association....
Media Smarts
The Citizen Reporter
Ripped from the headlines! Discuss topical social issues like racism, discrimination, and diversity while exploring the concept of citizen journalism. Begin with a professional-looking presentation on the history of citizen journalism....
Media Smarts
Television Broadcast Ratings
Explore the relationships between programming, advertising, and the ensuing rating wars. Help develop the media smarts of your pupils through this examination of advertisers for popular shows. Although the included Sweep Chart features...
Media Smarts
Learning Gender Stereotypes
How do media representations influence our attitudes? Examining advertisements through the filter of gender representation forms the basis of this, the second of three lessons that address gender stereotypes. Resources include links,...
Media Smarts
Marketing to Teens: Talking Back
Teach your class to talk back in a constructive and respectful way. This focuses in particular on talking back to the media and to advertisers when they have concerns. Learners participate in a brainstorm and then compose letters or...
Curated OER
Studying Contraception
Abstinence, different contraceptives, decision-making about sexual activity, and peer pressure are a few of the topics in this lesson. Did you know the majority of youth are not sexually active? This would be a great jumping off point...
Media Smarts
Fact versus Opinion
Part of a series aimed at breaking down cultural bias from the Canadian Media Awareness Network, this activity identifies where opinions do and don't belong in a newspaper. Pupils review handouts about the purpose of editorial comments...
Curated OER
Examining Abstinence
Highschoolers investigate the concept of abstinence and how it is considered the safest expression of teen sexuality. Guiding questions are used to help students through the lesson. There are many components to this lesson which take a...
Curated OER
Student Opinion: How Impulsive Are You?
Sure to spark lively discussion in any Language Arts classroom, this article from The York Times asks the question, 'How much self-control do you have?'. Pupils begin by reading a short passage about a study on delayed gratification and...
Curated OER
Decision Making
"What pressures are there for teens to become sexually active?" The class writes anonymous responses on paper. The teacher then reads them aloud and the response is discussed by the group. They then examine their personal life goals and...
Curated OER
Conceptual Analysis in Economics
Help develop assertive, critical-thinking skills that enhance growth and change while teaching economics. In groups, select a topic from a list and then discuss the pros and cons of each topic. Debate why advertising is necessary to our...
Learning for Justice
Beauty is Skin Deep
If you are in need of a lesson on tolerance or the impact of media, this plan could be useful. The class begins with a brainstorming session in which they reflect on their own experiences with bias based on appearance. Next, they...
Curated OER
Relationship Role Plays from A Midsummer Night's Dream
Connect a scene from a class play to events in your middle and high schoolers' own lives. First, they act out a scene from A Midsummer Night's Dream in pairs. They work to role play a scene as an extension of the one they have read,...
Curated OER
The Texas Social Studies Controversy
Examine the Texas social studies curriculum controversy with your class. Using a current events lesson, learners read the article "A Christian Land Governed by Christian Principles," respond to the discussion questions, and participate...
Curated OER
Private & Public
Some disabled young scholars have a difficulty understanding what is and what is not publicly appropriate behavior. Help them build healthy social skills by defining public and private behaviors, labeling public and private places, and...
Curated OER
Exploitation, Day 2: Exploitation and Getting Help
Exploitation is a real issue for the disabled community. Secondary Special Education students learn what exploitation is, their personal rights, and how to say no. They focus on finding a trusted adult to get help if they have been taken...
Curated OER
Exploitation, Day 1: Touching
Developmentally Disabled students need to know they types of touch, appropriate touching, and their personal rights. They brainstorm types of touch, go over their personal rights, and discuss social skills. Very appropriate activity for...
Curated OER
Communication, Day 5: Saying "No"
There are many ways to say, no. Secondary special needs students need to know when and how to say no when they feel they are in an uncomfortable situation. They sign, say, and role-play how to say no. Worksheets and role-playing cards...
Curated OER
Relationships, Day 5: Acquaintances & Strangers
It is important for special needs students to know the differences between acquaintances and strangers. They define the world helper, acquaintance, and stranger then discuss a scenario based case study.They talk about touch and no touch,...