This lesson provides a very basic overview of common sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and the best ways to prevent their spread. STIs are extremely common (1 in 2 people will be exposed to one by the time they’re 25), so this lesson reinforces the importance of prevention, testing, and treatment.

This is the second half of a basic introduction to sexually transmitted infections (STIs). This lesson focuses on prevention, the proper way to use condoms and other barrier methods, what to expect when getting tested for STIs, and how to talk to sexual partners about STI prevention.

This lesson introduces the topic of sexuality education, allows students to set ground rules for the upcoming lessons, gives them the opportunity to suggest topics they would like to learn about, introduces an anonymous question box, and explains why sex ed is important even if they aren’t sexually active.

This lesson intends to support learning about family makeup & how it impacts our lives. Relatedness or connection can take many forms when talking about family – it’s not one size fits or makes sense to all.In this lesson, participants will discuss their understanding of their family, identify/curate their family circles of connection, and how these circles impact their lives and decision-making. Understanding relationships, values, and what resonates as important is a part of practicing and engaging critical thinking skills.

 Students will learn about what constitutes various aspects of identity, including gender identity, sexual orientation, and explore how experiences of identity can shift across different cultures. We will discuss why acknowledging gender diversity is important, ways to respect each other, and more. 

 In this lesson, teachers will describe how puberty prepares human bodies for the potential to reproduce as well as the process of human reproduction with the aid of a PowerPoint presentation. Teachers should review information learned last class while going through slides and questioning the students on what they recall. Teachers explain to students that all of the changes they experience during puberty are due to a new surge of hormones that both females and males experience, often differently. Teachers will also discuss the process of human reproduction by describing the steps needed to conceive a baby. The last activity has students create a diagram of the steps of conception in the right order for teachers to assess what they have retained from the lesson. All mistakes should be reviewed and corrected by the teacher, and then end the lesson with an open-discussion for question.

This lesson explains reproduction to students using a PowerPoint presentation and includes a teacher’s resource with sample definitions and language that can be used. Students then receive cards and try to arrange themselves in the correct order of a 28-day menstrual cycle showing where sperm would need to be present in order for a pregnancy to occur as well as how methods of contraception can prevent pregnancy. The homework is watching a short video about pregnancy myths and answering questions on a worksheet.

Students will learn about respecting the gender expressions of themselves and others through short story scenarios. Students will collaborate and design alternate and respectful endings to the scenarios.

The Sex Ed Open Learning Project User Guide provides background information and tips for navigating the collection.

We begin by defining sex, communicating to students that sexual contact can come in diverse forms, all of which require consent. Students learn about sexual reproduction as well as alternative modes of conception/family planning. Students end the lesson learning about contraception methods and the variety of ways they can choose to use to prevent pregnancy.

This lesson defines sexual intercourse and the cells involved with reproduction (sperm and egg) using an AMAZE video. It also includes a discussion of how pregnancy can happen via other methods as well. Using a small group activity, this lesson also examines the economic reality of accessing reproductive health care and how economic disparities impact who can and cannot utilize these methods. This information sets the foundation for understanding a basic physiological process and underpins future lessons about pregnancy prevention.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Surgery may not be the only way to relieve the symptoms of adenomyosis – a condition where endometrial tissue, which normally forms the inner lining of the uterus, instead grows within the uterine muscle wall. Often managed with hysterectomy, the abnormal spread of this tissue can cause heavy menstrual bleeding and severe, debilitating pain. Although conservative treatments like hormone therapy can ease symptoms, many women with adenomyosis must choose between major, life-changing surgery or living with their symptoms. Now, researchers have shown that the minimally invasive procedure known as uterine artery embolization, or UAE, is a promising non-surgical treatment option. During UAE, a catheter is inserted into the groin and then guided to the uterine arteries , which supply blood to the uterus. Tiny plastic particles are then injected to block blood flow. Because healthy uterine tissue can readily recruit new blood vessels, it isn’t harmed by this blockage..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

This lesson seeks to engage in discussions about relationships, emotional, and physical relatedness, and whether biological connections are the only connections that make a family. Understanding how society has traditionally defined family may not be the way we define it – and that’s okay. In this lesson, participants will expand their knowledge of a more involved family tree. When it comes to describing family/kinship, does a biological connection hold more weight, or do emotional connections that develop over time hold equal importance? Understanding relationships, values, and what resonates as important is helpful in practicing and engaging critical thinking skills.