Keep hope alive

Stay Alive I Supplements

Lesson 6: “I Need to Protect My Happiness”

 I. PICTURE 

Mind Picture

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

“Envision yourself all grown-up married to a wonderful spouse. What kind of person is your husband or wife? How did you meet? What qualities do you admire in him/her? What do you think he or she appreciates about you? What do you hope for in your marriage? What kinds of goals or dreams do you have for each other? Keep this picture in your mind as you open your eyes.”

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) Make two columns and label the columns “Happy Marriage” and “Unhappy Marriage.” In these columns write the appropriate behavior or description. For instance under “Happy” the words can include: monogamous, honest, dependable, forgiving, non-violent, patient, respectful, hard-working, kind, fair-minded, cheerful, loving, helpful, etc. Under the “Unhappy” column, words will include: being unfaithful, dishonest, hurtful, selfish, violent, moody, lazy, ungrateful, disloyal, mean, insulting, etc.

2) Have the student draw a picture of him/her self when they are of marriageable age in their notebooks. Under the picture write the things they will give to their future spouse. These things can include monogamy, honesty, future talents, humor, love, care, etc.

III. PRACTICE

Happiness Tree

Pass out large leaves or pieces of paper cut to the shape of a leaf. Draw a picture of a big tree; be sure to draw the roots. Have the students write on their leaf something that makes them happy. Have them attach the leaves to the tree. Then talk about how HIV/AIDS and bad decisions like having sex before marriage or being unfaithful after marriage, anger and violence, unhealthy habits, stealing, dishonesty, or forcing others can attack the tree at the roots. Eventually the leaves die and fall off. Making choices to protect happiness will ensure that their tree and all their happiness' remain whole and healthy.

Growth and Responsibility

Show the students some baby clothes. Talk about what it was like when they were a baby–how someone did everything for them. Is a baby happy if someone doesn't do these things for them? No. Then talk about how as they grew they had more responsibilities (i.e. feeding themselves, dressing themselves, chores, etc.). If you want to be happy you have to make choices that have happy consequences. This is being responsible. You are responsible for your own happiness now and the choices you make as you grow will have consequences for your happiness in the future.

Telephone

Have the students sit in a circle. Have one student start by whispering in the ear of the student next to him/her some statement like, “Rabbits hop quickly and quietly to safety.” The statement can be anything you like. Then, the second student whispers the same thing in the ear of the next student and so on until the message gets all the way around the circle back to the first student. Usually, that student will laugh because the message has changed so much from the original. The student who started the message then says out loud what the original message was. You can repeat this as many times as you wish. Then talk about how information changes as people talk about it with others. Myths and misinformation can easily occur. This is true with HIV/AIDS. Talk about some of the myths your culture holds concerning HIV/AIDS

Transmission

Obtain two clear containers of water and cover them with a leaf or some kind of thin membrane over the top. Make a slit in the covering of one container. Put dirt on the top of each container. The container with the slit will allow the dirt to fall into the container of water and make it cloudy. The water in the other container will remain clear. Talk about the ways HIV enters our body. (Needle sharing, blood transfusion, sex, etc.)

HIV Relay

Divide the class into two or more teams. Prepare slips of paper listing ways HIV is or is not spread. Present the ways in question form from the following list. For example, “Can you get HIV by holding hands?” Or “Can you get HIV by having sex with someone infected with the HIV virus?” (or spitting, kissing, biting, being born with it, swimming, sharing cups, sweating, mixing blood, touching, sitting on a toilet seat, sharing a needle with someone else, being near someone with HIV, abstaining from sex, eating at the same table as someone with HIV, etc.). Have the first person from each team run (or hop, or skip, or twirl, etc.) to the other side of the room and take the top card. Have them return to their team, confer with their teammates concerning the correct answer, and raise their hand when they know the answer. The teacher then calls on them to give their answer. If they get the answer right, their team gets a point and the next person runs to the other side of the room to get a card. If they get the answer wrong, their team does not get a point, and a person from the next team runs to get a card. After the game is over, be sure to review all the answers so everyone understands how you can and cannot get HIV.

Danger, Caution, Go Ahead

Read out a list of specific behaviors such as holding hands, kissing, sharing needles, giving a hug, talking, having unprotected sex, having sex with a condom, playing together, etc. Your list will include other behaviors that are culturally appropriate or about which your students have a question (possibly from the question box.) The students respond to the reading of each behavior by putting their thumbs down to indicate it is a Dangerous behavior, thumbs sideways to indicate that one should exercise Caution in this behavior, or thumbs up to indicate that it is a Go Ahead behavior. Correct any misconceptions that may occur. Point out that there are many more behaviors which are “safe” compared to the behaviors that increase the risk for HIV transmission.

IV. PLEDGE

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

I, __________________________, pledge that in order to protect
my happiness and the happiness of my future family I will ______
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________.

V. PARENT/GUARDIAN PARTICIPATION
 

Lesson 7: “I Can Help My Family Be a Happy Family”

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