Keep hope alive

Stay Alive I Supplements

Lesson 8: “I Need to Protect Myself and My Future Family by Staying HIV/AIDS Disease-Free"

I. PICTURE

Mind Picture

Teachers: Read the following questions to your students, pausing occasionally to give time to envision details.

“Allow your imagination to take you to the perfect day--your perfect day. What is your perfect day like? Who is with you? What are you doing? How do you feel? Why is that day so perfect? What kinds of decisions and choices have led you to your perfect day? How can you make this perfect day happen? Keep this image in your heart and mind as you open your eyes and we discuss what great things you have to live for.”

Now take some time to have the students write their ideas in their notebook or draw pictures. Some may even want to share their ideas.

II. PRINCIPLE

1) Question Box This is a time for the teacher to answer any questions the have communicated to him or her personally or put anonymously into the Question Box. It is best to review the questions in advance. The questions are drawn out, read, and answered by the teacher. Students can sit in a circle, perhaps outside, if it is felt that this will help communication. This is the best time to make sure the students' knowledge of HIV transmission in based solely on fact. Emphasize the "surest way" each child can stay HIV free which is abstinence before marriage and fidelity after marriage.

2) Have the students write or illustrate their own story, proverb, or poem about a principle in the “Stay Alive” program. For instance, a story about a child that made a healthy decision and how it made the difference in his/her life. Or a child who persevered being kind, loving and strong even though some tragic things had happened to her.

III. PRACTICE

Finger Game

Everyone gets a partner and stands facing their partner. Have the students put their hands behind their backs. When you count to three each person brings their hands to the front holding up some combination of fingers. The object of the game is to add all four hands of fingers and yell out the answer before your partner. The winner of each round pairs up with someone else and the losers sit down until you have a single winner. Then, you have a discussion about the “tricks” of winning. The trick is to know how many fingers are on your hands already so that all you have to do is add the number of your partners' fingers to your own number. Deciding beforehand what number you will have (especially 10, 5, 2 or 0) makes it quite easy to win. The point to stress is that deciding before you are faced with a choice or decision makes making that choice or decision much easier. This can be applied to any choice. We should think about important decisions we will have to make in our future and decide NOW what we will do. Have the students come up with possible decisions that they can make now (stay in school, don't do drugs, don't steal, be honest, don't have sex before you are married and be faithful to your spouse after you are married, etc.)

I Choose To/I Choose Not To

Have the students sit in the center of the classroom. Have one side of the room represent “I Choose To”. Have the other side of the room represent “I Choose Not To”. Read a list of situations and choices and have each student run to the side of the room they feel best fits the situation.

Plays

Create plays or presentations about the Stay Alive principles and perform them before other classes or in the community. Plan a Family Night and share the students' creative work.

IV. PLEDGE

Have the students write a pledge in their Stay Alive Notebook:

I, __________________, see my future family as being ________ ______________________________________________In order to
have that kind of family I pledge that I will ___________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________.

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