Standards Alignment
- TEKS.115.39.22G primary
assess support from parents and other trusted adults and create strategies, including building peer support, to be abstinent or for return to abstinence if sexually active; - TEKS.115.39.22H primary
investigate and summarize legal aspects of sexual activity with a minor person, including the legal age of consent, statutory rape, aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault, and indecency with a child; and - TEKS.115.39.22I primary
investigate and summarize current laws relating to sexual offenses such as sexual harassment, abuse, and assault. Source: The provisions of this §115.39 adopted to be effective August 1, 2022, 47 TexReg 4516.
Companion Video Lesson
This text lesson has a separate video watch page so search engines and learners can treat the written lesson and the video lesson as distinct resources.
Open the dedicated video lesson page
Lesson Overview
This Grade 10 Health Education lesson focuses on helping students assess the support they have from parents and other trusted adults and develop strategies, including building peer support, to choose abstinence or return to abstinence if they have been sexually active. The lesson also covers legal aspects of sexual activity involving minors and current laws related to sexual offenses, supporting students to make informed, safe, and responsible decisions regarding sexual health.
Learning Objectives
- Identify and assess the types of support available from parents and other trusted adults to help maintain abstinence or return to abstinence if sexually active.
- Develop strategies, including building peer support, to choose abstinence or return to abstinence.
- Investigate and summarize legal aspects related to sexual activity with minors, including legal age of consent and sexual offenses such as statutory rape and sexual assault.
- Summarize current laws related to sexual offenses including sexual harassment, abuse, and assault.
Success Criteria
- Students can list trusted adults and describe how they can provide support for abstinence.
- Students can create a personal strategy that includes peer support to maintain or return to abstinence.
- Students can explain key legal terms related to sexual activity with minors and sexual offenses.
- Students can summarize laws related to sexual offenses and understand their implications.
Prerequisite Knowledge
Students should have a basic understanding of reproductive and sexual health concepts, including what abstinence means and the risks associated with sexual activity.
Key Vocabulary
- Abstinence
- Trusted adults
- Peer support
- Legal age of consent
- Statutory rape
- Aggravated sexual assault
- Sexual assault
- Indecency with a child
- Sexual harassment
- Sexual abuse
- Sexual offenses
Materials and Resources
- Whiteboard or chart paper
- Markers
- Handouts summarizing legal terms and laws
- Scenario cards for role play
- Reflection journals or paper for writing
Teacher Preparation
- Review current laws related to sexual activity with minors and sexual offenses as per TEKS.115.39.22H and TEKS.115.39.22I.
- Prepare handouts summarizing legal definitions and laws in student-friendly language.
- Create scenario cards illustrating situations involving peer pressure and support for abstinence.
- Plan discussion questions and reflection prompts to guide student thinking.
- Arrange classroom seating to facilitate group discussions and role plays.
Detailed Lesson Notes
Understanding Support Systems for Abstinence
Support systems include parents, guardians, other trusted adults, and peers who can provide emotional encouragement, guidance, and accountability. Trusted adults are individuals students feel safe talking to about personal issues. Peer support involves friends who respect and encourage abstinence choices. Assessing support means identifying who in a student's life can help them maintain abstinence or return to abstinence if sexually active. For example, a parent who listens without judgment or a friend group that shares similar values can be strong support.
Creating Strategies to Maintain or Return to Abstinence
Strategies are plans or actions students can take to stay abstinent or return to abstinence. These include communicating boundaries clearly, avoiding situations that increase pressure to be sexually active, seeking support from trusted adults, and building peer groups that respect abstinence. Role-playing scenarios can help students practice saying no and asking for help. Emphasize that returning to abstinence is a positive choice at any time and that support is available.
Legal Aspects of Sexual Activity with Minors
Students need to understand the legal age of consent, which is the age at which a person can legally agree to sexual activity. Sexual activity with someone below this age can be considered statutory rape or aggravated sexual assault depending on circumstances. Other offenses include sexual assault and indecency with a child. These laws protect minors from exploitation and abuse. Understanding these laws helps students recognize the seriousness of sexual activity involving minors and the legal consequences.
Current Laws Related to Sexual Offenses
Sexual offenses include sexual harassment, abuse, and assault. Sexual harassment involves unwanted sexual advances or comments. Sexual abuse is any sexual activity forced upon someone without consent. Sexual assault includes acts of violence or coercion of a sexual nature. Laws are in place to protect individuals and provide consequences for offenders. Students should understand these laws to recognize inappropriate behavior and know how to seek help or report offenses.
Building Peer Support and Healthy Relationships
Peer support is crucial for maintaining abstinence. Students should learn how to identify friends who respect their choices and how to build relationships based on mutual respect. Healthy relationships involve communication, respect for boundaries, and shared values. Discuss how peer pressure can influence decisions and how to resist negative pressure. Encourage students to be supportive peers themselves by respecting others' choices.
Worked Examples
Worked Example 1
Scenario
A student feels pressured by friends to be sexually active but wants to remain abstinent. How can they assess their support system and create a strategy to maintain abstinence?
Explanation
The student should identify trusted adults, such as a parent or school counselor, who they can talk to about their feelings. They can also find peers who respect their choice and avoid situations where pressure is high. The strategy might include practicing saying no, spending time with supportive friends, and seeking advice from trusted adults.
Answer Guide
The student lists trusted adults and supportive peers, plans to communicate their boundaries clearly, avoids risky situations, and seeks help when needed.
Worked Example 2
Scenario
Explain why knowing the legal age of consent is important for teenagers.
Explanation
Knowing the legal age of consent helps teenagers understand when sexual activity is legally allowed and protects them from engaging in illegal activity that could have serious consequences. It also helps them recognize when sexual activity with someone younger is considered statutory rape or assault.
Answer Guide
It helps teenagers avoid illegal sexual activity and understand the laws that protect minors from exploitation.
Engage
Teacher Activity
Begin with a class discussion asking students to think about who they trust in their lives and why. Introduce the concept of support systems and why they matter for making healthy choices about sexual activity.
Student Activity
Students share examples of trusted adults and peers they feel comfortable talking to about personal issues. They discuss why support is important when making decisions about abstinence.
Explanation
Students activate prior knowledge about trusted relationships and understand the importance of support in making healthy choices.
Examples
- Students identify at least one trusted adult and explain their role.
- Students recognize that support helps with maintaining healthy decisions.
Explore
Teacher Activity
Provide scenario cards depicting situations where students face peer pressure or challenges related to sexual activity. Facilitate small group discussions on how to respond and what support they might seek.
Student Activity
In groups, students read scenarios, discuss possible strategies to remain abstinent or return to abstinence, and identify who they could turn to for support.
Explanation
Students practice applying support assessment and strategy creation in realistic contexts, reinforcing their understanding.
Examples
- Students suggest clear strategies such as saying no, seeking adult help, or avoiding risky situations.
- Students identify trusted adults or peers as sources of support.
Explain
Teacher Activity
Present a mini-lecture on legal aspects of sexual activity with minors and current laws on sexual offenses using handouts and clear definitions. Clarify terms like legal age of consent, statutory rape, and sexual harassment.
Student Activity
Students take notes, ask questions for clarification, and summarize key legal points in their own words.
Explanation
Students gain factual knowledge about laws that protect minors and understand the legal consequences of sexual activity involving minors and sexual offenses.
Examples
- Students correctly define legal terms.
- Students explain why these laws exist to protect individuals.
Elaborate
Teacher Activity
Lead a role-play activity where students practice refusing sexual advances and seeking support from trusted adults or peers. Debrief to discuss feelings and effective strategies.
Student Activity
Students role-play scenarios practicing refusal skills and asking for help. They reflect on what strategies worked and how support helped.
Explanation
Role-playing helps students build confidence in applying strategies and using support systems in real life.
Examples
- Students demonstrate clear refusal skills.
- Students identify support sources during role play.
Evaluate
Teacher Activity
Ask students to write a short reflection or complete an exit ticket explaining how they would assess their support system and create a strategy to maintain or return to abstinence. Include a question about legal knowledge.
Student Activity
Students write their reflections or complete exit tickets describing their support assessment, strategy, and understanding of legal aspects.
Explanation
This assessment checks students' ability to apply lesson concepts and their understanding of legal issues related to sexual activity.
Examples
- Students provide thoughtful, personalized strategies.
- Students demonstrate understanding of legal terms and protections.
Classroom Activity
In groups, students read scenarios, discuss possible strategies to remain abstinent or return to abstinence, and identify who they could turn to for support.
Guided Practice
Guided Practice 1
Prompt
Name two types of trusted adults who can support you in making healthy decisions about sexual activity.
Teacher Answer Guide
Parents, guardians, teachers, counselors, or other adults the student trusts.
Guided Practice 2
Prompt
Describe one way peers can support someone who chooses abstinence.
Teacher Answer Guide
Peers can respect their decision, avoid pressuring them, and include them in activities that do not involve sexual activity.
Guided Practice 3
Prompt
Create a simple strategy that includes peer support to help a student return to abstinence after being sexually active.
Teacher Answer Guide
The student could talk to a trusted friend about their decision, avoid situations where they feel pressured, and seek advice from a trusted adult.
Guided Practice 4
Prompt
Explain how understanding laws about sexual offenses can influence a student's decisions about sexual activity.
Teacher Answer Guide
Knowing the laws helps students understand the legal risks and consequences of sexual activity, especially with minors, which can encourage them to make safer choices and avoid illegal behavior.
Guided Practice 5
Prompt
Summarize the differences between statutory rape and sexual assault as legal terms related to sexual activity with minors.
Teacher Answer Guide
Statutory rape involves sexual activity with someone below the legal age of consent regardless of consent, while sexual assault involves sexual acts committed by force or without consent and can include physical violence or coercion.
Independent Practice
- Foundational: Name two types of trusted adults who can support you in making healthy decisions about sexual activity.
- Developing: Describe one way peers can support someone who chooses abstinence.
- Application: Create a simple strategy that includes peer support to help a student return to abstinence after being sexually active.
- Analysis: Explain how understanding laws about sexual offenses can influence a student's decisions about sexual activity.
- Challenge: Summarize the differences between statutory rape and sexual assault as legal terms related to sexual activity with minors.
Independent Practice Teacher Answer Key
- 1. Parents, guardians, teachers, counselors, or other adults the student trusts.
- 2. Peers can respect their decision, avoid pressuring them, and include them in activities that do not involve sexual activity.
- 3. The student could talk to a trusted friend about their decision, avoid situations where they feel pressured, and seek advice from a trusted adult.
- 4. Knowing the laws helps students understand the legal risks and consequences of sexual activity, especially with minors, which can encourage them to make safer choices and avoid illegal behavior.
- 5. Statutory rape involves sexual activity with someone below the legal age of consent regardless of consent, while sexual assault involves sexual acts committed by force or without consent and can include physical violence or coercion.
Guiding Questions
- Who are the trusted adults in your life who can support your decisions?
- How can peers help you maintain abstinence?
- What strategies can you use to return to abstinence if you have been sexually active?
- What is the legal age of consent and why is it important?
- What are some examples of sexual offenses and their consequences?
Common Misconceptions
- Abstinence means never having any romantic or physical affection, which is not true; it specifically refers to refraining from sexual activity.
- Peer pressure always leads to sexual activity; in fact, peers can also provide positive support for abstinence.
- Legal age of consent is the same in all states; it varies by jurisdiction and must be understood locally.
- Sexual offenses only happen to strangers; often, they involve people known to the victim.
Differentiation
Support and Intervention
Provide sentence starters for students to describe their support system. Use visual aids to explain legal terms and laws. Allow students to work in pairs for role-play activities.
English-Language Learner Support
Use simple, clear language and define key vocabulary with visuals. Provide bilingual handouts if possible. Encourage peer discussion in small groups to build confidence.
Advanced and Extension
Research and present on variations in legal age of consent across different states. Analyze case studies involving sexual offenses and discuss legal outcomes. Develop a peer education campaign promoting abstinence and legal awareness.
Assessment
- Observe student participation in discussions and role plays to assess understanding of support systems and strategies.
- Check student summaries of legal terms for accuracy.
- Use questioning during activities to gauge comprehension.
- Write a brief plan describing who you would turn to for support to maintain abstinence and one strategy you would use.
- Explain one legal protection for minors related to sexual activity.
- Create a presentation summarizing support strategies and legal aspects of sexual activity with minors.
- Write an essay on the importance of peer support in maintaining abstinence.
Answer Guide
- Name two types of trusted adults who can support you in making healthy decisions about sexual activity.
Answer: Parents, guardians, teachers, counselors, or other adults the student trusts. - Describe one way peers can support someone who chooses abstinence.
Answer: Peers can respect their decision, avoid pressuring them, and include them in activities that do not involve sexual activity. - Create a simple strategy that includes peer support to help a student return to abstinence after being sexually active.
Answer: The student could talk to a trusted friend about their decision, avoid situations where they feel pressured, and seek advice from a trusted adult. - Explain how understanding laws about sexual offenses can influence a student's decisions about sexual activity.
Answer: Knowing the laws helps students understand the legal risks and consequences of sexual activity, especially with minors, which can encourage them to make safer choices and avoid illegal behavior. - Summarize the differences between statutory rape and sexual assault as legal terms related to sexual activity with minors.
Answer: Statutory rape involves sexual activity with someone below the legal age of consent regardless of consent, while sexual assault involves sexual acts committed by force or without consent and can include physical violence or coercion.
Real-Life Application
Encourage students to talk with a trusted adult at home about the support systems they have and discuss strategies for making healthy choices regarding sexual activity.
Homework or Home Connection
- Encourage students to talk with a trusted adult at home about the support systems they have and discuss strategies for making healthy choices regarding sexual activity.
Lesson Summary
Students learned to identify trusted adults and peers who can support abstinence, create personal strategies to maintain or return to abstinence, and understand important legal aspects related to sexual activity with minors and sexual offenses. They practiced refusal skills and reflected on how support and knowledge of laws help them make safe, healthy decisions.
Teacher Notes
Use the exact standards alignment and retrieved-source provenance stored with this enrichment.