Grade Level Specifics
All of the activities in the Learning about L.I.F.E. program are conducted in an atmosphere of respect, joy, seriousness, and family involvement. All include scriptural readings, prayer, and blessings of the children by their parents.
Kindergarten and Primary Grades
In both of the sessions for very young children (PreK-K and grades 1-2), all presentation of sensitive sexual content is done by the individual parents to their own children, following a process and handouts explained by the facilitator. The focus of these sessions is helping the children to realize that their bodies are gifts from God to be loved and protected, to realize that some parts of their bodies are private and special, and to understand that there are some adults or older youth who might not love and protect them. The children are taught The Big Three rules: 1.Say no; 2.Get away; and 3.Tell someone you trust. The meaning of the L.I.F.E. acronym is presented to the parents, but not discussed with the children.
Grades 3 and 4
In this session the family works together to name what is special about their family and the individual members in it. Under the guidance of the facilitator, the parents then tell their children about various types of abuse -- physical, emotional, and sexual -- and how to protect themselves from abuse. An activity on bullying follows. The families then create a small banner meant to remind them as a family to respect themselves and each other. The children learn The Big Three rules: 1.Say no; 2.Get away; and 3.Tell someone you trust. The meaning of the L.I.F.E. acronym is presented to the parents, but not discussed with the children.
Grades 5 and 6
This session begins with the small family groupings engaged in fun activities that introduce the four kinds of relationships -- Love, Infatuation, Friendship, and Exploitation – in ways that are understandable by middle school children. The children then come to the front of the room for a presentation by the facilitator of the sensitive material concerning sexual abuse. The parents sit behind the children for this presentation and are given a handout containing the key points of the presentation. After the presentation, the children return to their parents who review with them the material just presented by the facilitator. The children then create a poster containing The Big Three rules: 1.Say no; 2.Get away; and 3.Tell someone you trust.
Grades 7 and 8
This session begins with the adolescents and their parents doing some facilitator-led activities that help them to understand the four kinds of relationships at the junior high level. This is followed by a presentation by the facilitator to the young people, with their parents listening in the background, concerning the developing role of sexual relationships in their lives. Besides warning the young people about possible perpetrators of sexual abuse, the presentation shows how young teens themselves can sometimes become involved in sexual activities that are exploitative and abusive. The children then discuss the content of the presentation with their parents.
Grades 9 and 10
This session begins with activities that engage small groups of teens with their parents in discussing the differences between the four kinds of relationships. The facilitator then explains to the young people that a teen romance is a combination of friendship and infatuation and shows how the signs of affection in such a relationship can be a true expression of deepening love or can become exploitative. The presentation emphasizes that all sexual touch and sexual intercourse are to be reserved as the signs of love in a marriage relationship. The teens then discuss with their parents ways that the family and church community can help them to live up to this ideal.
(Additional activities for older adolescents, also based on the L.I.F.E. concepts, can be found in Sister Kieran Sawyer’s program, Sex and the Teenager, Ave Maria Press, 2008. )
Combo Session (Grade 7-8 combined with grade 9-10)
For students in grade 9 and 10 who did not have the grade 7-8 material, we have prepared a session that combines the key elements of these two sessions. To download the lesson plan for the Combo Session click here. (For a PowerPoint presentation of the teaching charts, contact Sister Kieran Sawyer.)
Click here to see which Curriculum Standards for the Milwaukee Archdiocese are fulfilled in this program at each grade level!
