Dating Matters (6th Grade): Curriculum Scpe and Sequence SESSION 1: Healthy Relatinships Prvide students with an understanding f the purpse and gals f the Dating Matters fr Students 6 th grade prgram. Establish a cmfrtable, nn-threatening learning and sharing envirnment that will encurage cntinued participatin. Prvide students with schl and cmmunity resurces (trusted adults) that students can access if they have questins r cncerns abut any type f relatinship. Explre qualities f a healthy friendship. Cnnect qualities f a healthy friendship t that f a healthy dating relatinship. SESSION 2: Understanding Feelings Prmte students emtinal literacy, including the ability t identify, understand, and respnd t emtins/feelings in a healthy and safe way. Build students feelings vcabulary. The develpment f a large feelings vcabulary makes it pssible fr students t better understand and cmmunicate their emtinal experiences. Explain and reinfrce the cncept that there are n bad feelings it is nrmal and expected t experience a wide range f feelings Discuss the physical (physilgical and bdy language) clues assciated with angry and calm feelings. Practice using bdy language clues t identify thers feelings. Discuss situatins that lead t feeling multiple ways at nce. SESSION 3: Staying in Cntrl f Feelings Cntinue t prmte students emtinal literacy, including the ability t identify, understand, and respnd t emtins/feelings in a healthy and safe way. Establish the link between physical clues, strng feelings, and unclear thinking. Discuss ptential cnsequences f letting feelings take cntrl. Emphasize that it is never kay t use vilence, regardless f hw strng feelings may be. Discuss and practice the fur steps t staying in cntrl f feelings. Discuss and practice fur ways t calm dwn.
Dating Matters (6th Grade): Curriculum Scpe and Sequence SESSION 4: Healthy Cmmunicatin Increase awareness abut nnverbal and verbal cmmunicatin and teach basic skills fr imprving cnversatin. Allw students time t practice the use f healthy nnverbal and verbal cmmunicatin skills. SESSION 5: Unhealthy and Unsafe Relatinships Increase students awareness f unhealthy relatinship behavirs. Educate students abut teen dating vilence, including prviding definitins and facts abut physical, sexual, and emtinal vilence, as well as stalking. Discuss when unhealthy behavirs ( yellw light behavirs ) crss the line and becme unsafe ( red light behavirs ). Emphasize that unsafe ( red light ) behavirs include behavirs that fall within the categry f teen dating vilence and require seeking help frm a trusted adult. SESSION 6: Staying Safe in Relatinships Discuss RESPECT ME Rights, which highlight majr prgram themes and messages as they pertain t dating relatinships. Prvide students with schl, cmmunity and natinal resurces (trusted adults) that students can access if they have questins r cncerns abut any type f relatinship. Discuss why it can be hard fr teenagers t get help if they are in an unhealthy r unsafe relatinship, and prvide students with tips n hw t help a friend in need and hw t leave an unsafe relatinship. Allw students t interpret RESPECT ME Rights via presentatin r perfrmance.
Dating Matters (7th Grade): Curriculum Scpe and Sequence SESSION 1: Healthy Relatinships Prvide students with an understanding f the purpse and gals f the Dating Matters fr Students 7 th grade prgram. Establish a cmfrtable, nn-threatening learning and sharing envirnment that will encurage cntinued participatin. Prvide students with schl and cmmunity resurces (trusted adults) that they can access if they have questins r cncerns abut any type f relatinship. Explre qualities f a healthy friendship. Cnnect qualities f a healthy friendship t that f a healthy dating relatinship. SESSION 2: Understanding Feelings Build students emtinal literacy, r the ability t identify, understand, and respnd t emtins/feelings in a healthy and safe way. Build students feelings vcabulary. The develpment f a large feelings vcabulary makes it pssible fr students t better understand and cmmunicate their emtinal experiences. Explain and reinfrce the cncept that there are n bad feelings it is nrmal and expected t experience a wide range f feelings. Discuss situatins that lead t feeling multiple ways at nce. Discuss the physical (physilgical and bdy language) clues assciated with angry and calm feelings. Discuss ptential cnsequences f letting feelings taking cntrl. Discuss the fur steps t staying in cntrl f feelings. SESSION 3: Staying in Cntrl f Feelings & Making Healthy Decisins Cntinue t build students emtinal literacy, r the ability t identify, understand, and respnd t emtins in neself and thers in a healthy and safe way. Discuss and practice 4 ways t calm dwn. Discuss hw drinking alchl during the teen years can lead t learning prblems r alchl dependence. Demnstrate that the nrm fr student behavir is ften far different frm student perceptin. Prvide students with the fact that mst middle schl students are nt drinking alchl, using ther drugs, r having sex.
Dating Matters (7th Grade): Curriculum Scpe and Sequence SESSION 4: Healthy Cmmunicatin Increase awareness abut nnverbal and verbal cmmunicatin and teach basic skills fr imprving cnversatin. Allw students time t practice the use f healthy nnverbal and verbal cmmunicatin skills. SESSION 5: Unhealthy and Unsafe Relatinships Increase students awareness f unhealthy relatinship behavirs. Educate students abut teen dating vilence, including prviding definitins and facts abut physical, sexual, and emtinal vilence, as well as stalking. Discuss when unhealthy behavirs ( yellw light behavirs ) crss the line and becme unsafe ( red light behavirs ). Emphasize that unsafe ( red light ) behavirs include behavirs that fall within the categry f teen dating vilence and require seeking help frm a trusted adult. SESSION 6: Sexual Vilence & Dating Safety Prvide a definitin fr and discuss sexual cercin, r the use f pressure r alchl/drugs t get smene t d smething sexual that he r she des nt want t d. Reinfrce the fact that sexual cercin is a frm f sexual vilence. Emphasize that sexual cnsent must be clear, cntinuus, free frm cercin, and all peple must be cnscius. Discuss dating safety, r things that students can d t help keep them safer when dating. Prmpt students t identify ptentially unsafe dating situatins and apply dating safety tips. SESSION 7: Relatinship Rights & Getting Help Discuss RESPECT ME Rights, which highlight majr prgram themes and messages as they pertain t dating relatinships. Prvide students with schl, cmmunity and natinal resurces (trusted adults) that students can access if they have questins r cncerns abut any type f relatinship. Discuss why it can be hard fr teenagers t get help if they are in an unhealthy r unsafe relatinship, and prvide students with tips n hw t help a friend in need and hw t leave an unsafe relatinship. Allw students t interpret RESPECT ME Rights via presentatin r perfrmance.
Safe Dates (8th Grade): Curriculum Scpe and Sequence SESSION 1: Defining Caring Relatinships Identify the qualities that are mst imprtant t them in a dating relatinship. Identify actins that are caring and supprtive. Describe hw they want t be treated by a dating partner. Describe hw they want t treat a dating partner. Understand that they can and shuld chse hw they ll be treated in a dating relatinship. Understand that they can an shuld chse hw they ll treat a dating partner. SESSION 2: Defining Dating Abuse Identify harmful dating behavirs. Define physically and emtinally abusive behavirs. Identify physical and emtinal abuse in dating relatinships. Be mre likely t identify abusive behavirs as abusive. Be mre aware f their susceptibility t dating abuse Be mre likely t reject abuse as nrmal in dating relatinships. SESSION 3: Why D Peple Abuse? Describe the cntrlling and manipulative functins f dating abuse. Identify abusive behavirs as abusive. Chse nt t believe cmmn misperceptins f why dating abuse happens. Understand that dating abuse is a serius matter. Understand that abuse is nt the victim's fault. Describe the serius shrt- and lng-term cnsequences f abusive relatinships. Identify the warning signs that a persn is a victim f abuse r is an abusive partner. SESSION 4: Hw T Help Friends Recgnize the cmplexity f the decisin t leave an abusive relatinship and the many different pinins abut when ne shuld leave. Recgnize the difficulty and fear that a friend in an abusive relatinship may have in reaching ut fr help. Describe a variety f ways t supprt a friend wh is a victim f dating abuse. Describe the cmmunity resurces available fr teens in abusive dating relatinships. Seek help if they're victims f abuse r are abusive partners in a dating relatinship. SESSION 5: Helping Friends
Safe Dates (8th Grade): Curriculum Scpe and Sequence Identify red flags that indicate their friend might be an abusive partner r a victim f dating abuse. Feel mre cmfrtable cnfrnting a friend wh is abusive in a dating relatinship. Understand hw t supprt a friend in an abusive relatinship. SESSION 6: Overcming Gender Steretypes Understand that they and ther peple hld specific images f dating relatinships. Describe hw the images peple hld influence their interactins in a dating relatinship. Identify the harmful cnsequences f gender steretyping. Explain the rle that gender steretyping plays in dating relatinships. SESSION 7: Hw D We Feel, Hw D We Deal Express their feelings r emtins in varius ways. Understand the imprtance f acknwledging and cmmunicating their feelings. Identify situatins that trigger their anger. Identify physilgical and psychlgical cues that they're angry. Identify a variety f nnvilent ways t respnd t anger. Understand that they have a chice in hw t respnd t anger. Increasingly use nnvilent respnses t anger. SESSION 8: Equal Pwer Thrugh Cmmunicatin Describe the fur SAFE cmmunicatin skills fr reslving cnflict Demnstrate the use f the fur SAFE cmmunicatin skills Describe sme nnvilent respnses when a dating partner desn't cmmunicate in a way that is fair and equal SESSION 9: Preventing Dating Abuse Understand that victims f dating sexual abuse are never t blame. Understand that rape is always unacceptable. Understand and interpret "n" cues crrectly. Knw hw t prtect themselves in a ptential rape situatin. State their sexual bundaries clearly t their dating partner. Describe dating tips t decrease their chances f being a victim f sexual assault r an abusive partner. Identify date rape drugs. SESSION 10: Reviewing the Safe Dates Prgram Retain what they learned while participating in Safe Dates.