Health Connections: AIDS Education Lessons to supplement literature-based instruction.As all of us know, adolescents are at high risk for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), either of two closely related retroviruses that invade T-helper lymphocytes and are responsible for AIDS. There are two types of HIV: HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-1 is responsible for the vast majority of AIDS in the United States. , because of their sexual behaviors. Education is one strategy for helping them reduce such risks. So I was excited when I heard that health, English, and language arts language arts pl.n. The subjects, including reading, spelling, and composition, aimed at developing reading and writing skills, usually taught in elementary and secondary school. teachers had collaborated to write lesson plans that integrate mandated HIV/AIDS HIV/AIDS Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome education with the core literature used in California schools. I was truly amazed when I actually saw the resource binder, developed for the California Department of Education The California Department of Education is a California agency that oversees public education. The Department oversees funding, testing, and holds local educational agencies accountable for student achievement. , which contains all 20 lesson plan booklets. Called Health Connections: AIDS Education Lessons, the resources focus on critical thinking about the health choices of ethnically diverse literary characters. Teachers can quickly integrate the resources into any classroom. The lessons teach AIDS-prevention skills such as problem solving problem solving Process involved in finding a solution to a problem. Many animals routinely solve problems of locomotion, food finding, and shelter through trial and error. , decision making, conflict resolution, dealing with peer pressure, and assertive communication. For example, the suggested lesson plan for high school students reading Brave New World Brave New World Aldous Huxley’s grim picture of the future, where scientific and social developments have turned life into a tragic travesty. [Br. Lit.: Magill I, 79] See : Dystopia Brave New World helps them understand the connection between high-risk behaviors and their consequences by allowing teens to create a game called "Life or Consequences." Students research and debate many of the important issues raised in Brave New World and also look at the effects the media has on their decisions by creating ironic advertisements. Sixth-grade students reading Bridge to Terabithia examine passages from the story that show Jess' lack of self-esteem and discuss the characteristics of people who have low self-esteem and those who have high self-esteem. Students re-write passages to give Jess high self-esteem, and discuss how self-esteem and peer pressure are related to each other. Eighth graders reading Dance Hall of the Dead analyze the relevance of the setting to the mood, tone, and meaning of the text while also learning to recognize and understand how communicable diseases are transmitted. Students will find these lessons engaging as they reach beyond the plot and to reflect on risky behaviors, apply decision-malting skills, practice assertive refusal communication, and recognize the need to show compassion for those infected with HIV. At the same time, the students will learn how STIs are transmitted, how STIs magnify mag·ni·fy v. To increase the apparent size of, especially with a lens. the risk of HIV infection, and how some infections can be passed on through direct skin-to-skin, lesion-to-skin, or lesion-to-mucous membrane contact, with no blood, semen, or vaginal secretions involved. Each lesson plan provides strong teacher support including lesson and literature summaries, sample parent letters, and teacher alerts with concrete suggestions on how to manage a classroom while teaching with clearly stated objectives. Resources include information on using role play, promoting assertive refusal skills, and handling difficult personal questions. There also are connections to Health Challenge and English/Language Arts Standards, a summary of California state laws that govern what public schools are required to teach students; a lesson overview; a teacher- friendly Ready/Set/Go format; blackline masters of student handouts; and additional resources. Health Connections: AIDS Education Lessons is a cuttingedge resource in AIDS education. I believe that even those teachers who question whether they want to teach such a controversial subject will find that these resources will make their classes on HIV/AIDS crucial and rewarding. These are some of the literature selections in Health Connections: AIDS Education Lessons: * Izzy, Willy-Nilly * Bridge to Terabithia * The Canterbury Tales * The House on Mango Street * To Kill a Mockingbird mockingbird: see mimic thrush. mockingbird Any of several New World birds of a family (Mimidae) known for their mimicry of birdsong. The common, or northern, mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) can imitate the songs of 20 or more species within 10 * The Lottery * Of Mice and Men Of Mice and Men story of George Milton and Lennie Small’s futile dream of having their own farm. [Am. Lit.: Of Mice and Men] See : Futility Of Mice and Men * The Outsiders * Brave New World * Diary of Anne Frank * If Beale Street Could Talk If Beale Street Could Talk, James Baldwin's twelfth novel is a love story set in Harlem in the early 70's. Fonny and Tish are in love and their love protects them from their respective dysfunctional families and the outside world until Fonny is falsely accused of rape. * Lord of the Flies Lord of the Flies showing man’s consciousness and fear of dying. [Br. Lit.: Lord of the Flies] See : Death * Love Medicine * Summer of My German Soldier Available for $39.95, plus shipping and handling, from: Healthy Kids Resource Center, 313 West Winton Avenue, Hayward, CA 94544-1198. Phone: 510/670-4581. |
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