j----_. - New York Civil Liberties Union

Mahopac 420
~ PATTERN OF LESSON DEVELOPMENT - GRADES 7-8
Lesson development in grades 7-8 is structured around four objectives:
• There are some diseases that are communicable diseases.·
- AIDS is a communicable disease.
• There are skills to practice that will lead to a healthful lifestyle.
• There are community resources for information, help, and counseling.
• There are methods of prevention for AIDS.
The.pattern of lesson development identifies the learner outcomes as follows: .
Communicable
Disease/AIDS
Healthful Lifestyle Community Resources AIDS Prevention
#19 Know that a person can
transmit the AIDS virus even if
he!she looks healthy
#20 Know the ways the AIDS virus
can and cannot be transmitted
#21 Identify behaviors that do not
.put a person at risk for the
AIDSvirus
#22 Show an appreciation for one's
own uniqueness and the
uniqueness of others
#23 Practice skills in saying no
#24 Understand the impact of AIDS
on the family
#25 Recognize the influences of
media messages
#26 Find and use available AIDS
resources in the community
#27a Understand how abstinence
from illegal intravenous (IV)
drug use can prevent the
transmission of the AIDS virus
#27b Understand how abstinence
from sexual activity can
prevent the transmission of
the AIDS virus
Instruction at this level focuses on practicing those skills and behaviors which promote respect and appreciation for self and others, namely:
acceptance of self, acceptance of others, resisting pressure, saying no, abstaining from illegal drug use, and abstaining from sexual intercourse. Itis at
this level that a more concentrated AIDS instruction focus begins through identification of behaviors associated with AIDS transmission, moves to
knowledge of available AIDS resources within the community and to compassionate sensitivity toward persons with AIDS, and provides special
emphasis on abstinence as the surest way to prevent transmission of the AIDS virus.
Lessons #27a and #27b constitute the prevention component of this cluster. While both stress abstinence, #27a focuses on illegal drug use while
#27b targets abstinence from sexual activity with a discussion in Teacher Notes of prevention strategies needed for those who have concerns related
to sexual activity.
The lessons provide a framework for addressing AIDS instruction at the secondary level according to Commissioner's Regulations. The Regulations
at the secondary level (7-8) require AIDS instruction as part of the required health education course at this level. Instruction needs to provide
accurate information concerning the nature of the disease, methods of transmission, and methods of prevention stressing abstinence as the most
appropriate and effective premarital protection against AIDS. Instruction also needs to be age-appropriate and consistent with community values.
Please note that a student may be excused from the methods of prevention classes upon receipt of a written request to the principal from a parent or
guardian.
Coordination and correlation with the existing 7-8 health education course is essential to determine how the learner outcomes for AIDS instruction
define, duplicate, or enhance the overall health education program at this grade-level cluster.
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