What If…?

A Lesson Plan from Rights, Respect, Responsibility: A K-12 Curriculum

Fostering responsibility by respecting young people’s rights to honest sexuality education.

NSES ALIGNMENT:
By the end of 12th grade,
students will be able to:
PR.12.CC.4 – Describe the signs
ADVANCE PREPARATION FOR LESSON:
of pregnancy. • Ask the IT person at your school to allow access to the
PR.12.CC.5 – Describe prenatal following videos:
practices that can contribute to or
threaten a healthy pregnancy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUcNmU-ucCY
PR.12.INF.2 – Analyze internal
and external influences on https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=2&v=8gBboJlHuhw
decisions about pregnancy
options.
Or, work with the IT person to download 2conv.com, keepvid.
PR.12.INF.3 – Analyze factors com or another site that enables you to download YouTube
that influence decisions about videos onto the desktop.
whether and when to become a
parent. • Have the videos queued up and ready to go for the start of class.
PR.12.AI.3 – Access medically-
accurate information about LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
pregnancy and pregnancy
options. By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
PR.12.AI.4 – Access medically
accurate information about 1. Name at least two symptoms of pregnancy. [Knowledge]
prenatal care services.
2. Explain the three choices a person has when they learn that
they are pregnant. [Knowledge]
TARGET GRADE: Grade 9 3. Describe at least two reasons why a person might or might not
Lesson 9
choose each of the options. [Knowledge]
4. Define “prenatal care.” [Knowledge]
TIME: 50 Minutes
5. Access medically-accurate information about pregnancy
options, including prenatal care. [Knowledge; Skills]
MATERIALS NEEDED:
• White board and markers A NOTE ABOUT LANGUAGE:
• Desktop or laptop computer Language is really important and we’ve intentionally been very
with internet access (unless
you have downloaded the video careful about our language throughout this curriculum. You may notice
and can play it without internet language throughout the curriculum that seems less familiar - using the
access – see note) pronoun “they” instead of “her” or “him”, using gender neutral names in
• LCD projector and screen scenarios and role-plays and referring to “someone with a vulva” vs. a
• Speakers to project sound girl or woman. This is intended to make the curriculum inclusive of all
during videos genders and gender identities. You will need to determine for yourself
• Equal copies of Worksheets A, how much and how often you can do this in your own school and
B and C so that each trio has classroom, and should make adjustments accordingly.
one of the worksheets. So if you
have 27 students divided into 9 PROCEDURE:
groups you would need 3 copies
of each worksheet. STEP 1: Once students are settled, start the video, https://www.
• Homework: “Pregnancy youtube.com/watch?v=XUcNmU-ucCY . Play the video until 1:30 when
Website Hunt” – one per Emily texts, “I’m seriously stressed.”
student
• Pencils in case students do not
have their own

R E V. DATE 1 2/1 5/2 017

What If...?
A Lesson Plan from Rights, Respect,
Responsibility: A K-12 Curriculum

Turn to the class and say, “Today’s lesson is going to be about pregnancy – how someone
knows whether they’re pregnant or whether their partner is pregnant – and once they do know,
what their choices are.” (4 minutes)
STEP 2: Say, “Let’s start with the thought of getting tested for pregnancy. It was really smart
that Emily did this. Sometimes, people get tested because they realize they didn’t use any
protection when they had vaginal sex, or because the condom slipped off or broke, or because
someone forgot to take a pill, and so on. And sometimes, sadly, people will get tested because
they were raped and need to know whether the rape resulted in a pregnancy.
Other times, people have not done anything that makes them think they might be pregnant
or have gotten someone pregnant – they don’t realize that there’s any risk involved, until a
person starts experiencing some symptoms. What have you heard are some early symptoms
that might tell someone they might be pregnant?”
Record responses on the board, probing for the following:
• Nausea or throwing up for seemingly no reason, especially in the morning
• Peeing more frequently
• Sensitive or painful breasts
• Fatigue
• Dizziness
• Abdominal cramping
• Missed a period or it was super light when that’s not typical for that person
Say, “The problem with these is that they all, except for the last one, can also be signs that a
period is coming. That’s why people too often ignore these symptoms – kind of forgetting that
they had unprotected sex and might need to think about whether a pregnancy was possible.”
Say, “There’s a lot of information about there about pregnancy symptoms and testing. But
there are three main points you need to know: [Write summaries of each on the board]
• First, a pregnancy test is the only way to know for sure if someone is pregnant. It’s
common to miss periods, particularly during the teen years, and it’s possible to be
pregnant and still have some spotting – which can look like a light period. So testing is
important – you just need to know when! Most of the home pregnancy tests say they
are accurate around three to four days before a next period is supposed to happen
(because if someone is pregnant, they won’t get their period).
• Second, there are more options than you think! A home pregnancy test is one – you
can get them at many stores. And you don’t have to be the one who might be pregnant
– if you think your partner, friend or sibling might be pregnant, you can go in and buy
one, too. You can also go to a doctor’s office, a clinic – or the pharmacy chains that
have clinics, such as CVS.
• Third, and most important – there is no minimum age for getting a pregnancy test. As
long as you can pay for it, you have the right to purchase one at a store or get one from
a clinic or doctor’s office. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!” (6 minutes)
What If...?
A Lesson Plan from Rights, Respect,
Responsibility: A K-12 Curriculum

STEP 3: Say, “In the video we just saw, Emily finds out she’s pregnant and they both just
kind of assume she’s going to have the baby and they’re going to become parents.” Write
“Become a parent” on the white board. Say, “Many people do make this choice, regardless
of whether they’re teens or adults. There are also two other choices someone who is
pregnant has the right to consider – what are they?” Probe for and write on the board,
“Place the baby for adoption” and “Have an abortion.”
Break the students into groups of three, and ask each group to take out something to write
with and decide who in the group will be the writer. Go around and randomly assign the
worksheets, “Why Would Someone Choose __________?” making sure there are equal
numbers of each worksheet. Explain that each group will have one of the three options listed
on the board. In their groups they’re going to be asked to complete their worksheets by
listing the reasons why a teenager might choose to do this option, and why they might not.
Tell them they will have about 5 minutes in which to come up with their two lists. (9 minutes)
Note to the Teacher: While the students are working, erase the board and set up three new
columns to record the next set of responses, one for each option.
STEP 4: After about 5 minutes, stop the groups. Ask the writer from one of the “become
a parent” groups, the “place the baby for adoption” groups and the “end the pregnancy”
groups to come to the board and write what they recorded on their sheets. Once they have
finished writing, go through each list and ask the remaining groups what they would add
from their lists that hasn’t already been mentioned.

Say, “Each of these options has reasons why someone would want to do it, and reasons
why someone would not want to do it. In the end, however, it is every pregnant person’s
right to choose what they do about their pregnancy. What each option has in common,
however, is the need to decide as early in the pregnancy as possible. That’s because if a
person chooses to become a parent or place the baby for adoption, they need to start what’s
called prenatal care as soon as possible. ‘Pre’ means before and ‘natal’ means ‘birth’ – so
this is all the stuff the person does to take care of themself and the fetus as it grows inside
the uterus. Does anyone know some of the things they should do?”

Write any ideas on the board, probing for take certain vitamins, go to the doctor/clinician
regularly for checkups, get a lot of sleep, exercise. Then ask, “What are some of the things
a person who is pregnant should NOT do to keep healthy?” Write any ideas on the board,
probing for “smoking, drinking alcohol, eating certain foods, exercising obsessively.”

Say, “The earlier a person starts doing these healthy things and avoiding these unhealthy
things, the healthier they and the fetus should be throughout the pregnancy. Now, if they
choose not to continue the pregnancy and have an abortion, they also need to do that as
early in the pregnancy as possible. Up to 49 days or 7 weeks, they can have an abortion by
taking medication; after 49 days or 7 weeks, they need to go to a doctor or clinician. In some
states, they can only have an abortion up until a certain point in the pregnancy. Each state is
different, so it’s important to know what the law is wherever you’re living.”
(17 minutes)
What If...?
A Lesson Plan from Rights, Respect,
Responsibility: A K-12 Curriculum

STEP 5: Say, “I want to show you another video about a topic we tend to hear less about,
adoption. This is one young person’s experience of placing their baby for adoption and the
couple who adopted the baby.”

Show the video, which should have been queued up to https://www.youtube.com/

watch?t=2&v=8gBboJlHuhw. Process using the following questions:
• What are your reactions to the video?
• What did you think of the relationship between Callie and Kristen and Brian?
• What, if anything, would you change about the relationship between them
and baby Leo?
Say, “They said in the video that this was an example of an ‘open’ adoption. That means
when the birth parent or parents have some kind of contact with the adoptive parent or
parents and baby. What that looks like, however, is different in every case. This was a
particularly open open adoption! One thing to keep in mind, though, has to do with their
discussion near the end about what they’d do if they disagreed on something. Do you
remember what Brian said? [In the end, they’re Leo’s parents and the decision’s up to them].
This is important to keep in mind – because someone who places a baby for adoption may
still be the child’s biological parent – but they’re not their child’s legal parent. That means all
the rights and responsibilities relating to the care and future of the child is up to the adoptive
parents to make – even if they disagree.” (12 minutes)
STEP 6: Introduce the homework assignment, which is a website hunt for them to find
specific pieces of information about pregnancy online. Answer any questions and distribute
the homework. (2 minutes)

RECOMMENDED ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING OBJECTIVES AT CONCLUSION

OF LESSON:
The in-class activities and videos will achieve the first three learning objectives. The
homework assignment will fulfill learning objectives 4 and 5.

HOMEWORK:
Students will be asked to complete a website hunt in which they are assigned several
websites and given questions to which they must find the answers on those sites.
 Worksheet A:
Why Would Someone Choose to Become a Young Parent?

INSTRUCTIONS: In the space below, please list as many reasons why you think a teenager
who discovers they are pregnant might choose to become a young parent, and why they might
choose not to.

Reasons a Teen Might Choose to Reasons a Teen Might Choose

Become a Young Parent NOT to Become a Young Parent
 Worksheet B:
Why Would Someone Choose to Place a Baby for Adoption?

INSTRUCTIONS: In the space below, please list as many reasons why you think a teenager
who discovers they are pregnant might choose to place a baby for adoption, and why they
might choose not to.

Reasons a Teen Might Choose Reasons a Teen Might Choose NOT to

to Place a Baby for Adoption Place a Baby for Adoption
 Worksheet C:
Why Would Someone Choose to End A Pregnancy?

INSTRUCTIONS: In the space below, please list as many reasons why you think a teenager
who discovers they are pregnant might choose to have an abortion, and why they might
choose not to.

Reasons a Teen Might Choose Reasons a Teen Might Choose

to Have an Abortion NOT to Have an Abortion
 Homework:
Website Hunt!

Name: _________________________ Date: _________________________

INSTRUCTIONS: Answer the questions below, using any of the following three websites. Be
sure to include the link to where you found the information!
http://www.plannedparenthood.org/teens/
http://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/pregnancy/prenatal-care
http://sexetc.org/

1. How does a person take a pregnancy test?

_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Link where I found this information:

2. What are some suggestions for how a young person or couple should tell their parent(s)
or caregiver(s) about the pregnancy?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Link where I found this information:

3. What tends to happen during a prenatal care visit?

_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Link where I found this information:

4. One new thing I learned about pregnancy is:

_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

Link where I found this information: