Healthy Relationships: Teen Dating Violence

Summary

As teens develop relationships, it is pertinent that they grow an understanding of healthy and unhealthy relationships. This lesson focuses on the basics of relationships and dating violence.

Materials

Background for Teachers

Intended Learning Outcomes

• Students will be able to identify healthy and unhealthy relationships.
• Students will be able to identify abuse.
• Students will know what to do in cases of abuse.

Instructional Procedures

Introduction to Healthy and Unhealthy Teen Relationships

1. Introduce the unit, disclose that this could be a touchy subject for many and respect is key.
2. Establish the ground rules for this type of unit (you may already have these established in your classroom, but it is a good reinforcement):
   1. Everyone has the right to participate
   2. Respect all opinions.
   3. All questions are welcome.
   4. Do not interrupt each other, only one person should talk at a time.
   5. Listen to each other.
   6. Talk about your own stories and not about others in the group.
   7. Personal stories stay in the room.
   8. Respect each other’s feelings.
   9. No put-downs or insults like making fun or laughing.
3. Divide your class into seven groups, this well designate which presentation they will be working on.
4. Distribute the “Healthy Relationship Presentations” handout, one to each group.
5. Review the guidelines and field any questions regarding the project. This can be a brainstorming or researched if the students have ready internet access.
6. Give each group 15-20 minutes to create a poster.
7. Meet back together and allow each group about 5 minutes to present their question.
8. Welcome feedback and questions from the rest of the class.

Video “Causing Pain: Real Stories of Dating Abuse and Violence”

1. 13-minute video about true stories of youth who have been in or witnessed abusive relationships.
2. Let students know that the characters in the video describe their experiences so you can recognize and prevent dating abuse in your relationships or in the relationships of your friends.
3. Distribute “Relationships and Warning Signs” handout
   1. Review “Healthy vs Unhealthy Relationship”

i.Ask “how does this list compare to the lists we created?”

2. Review “Cycle of Violence”
3. Review “Warning Signs”
4. Review  “What to do if someone you know is being abused”

Personal Assessments:

1. Formative assessments throughout the activities
2. Safety Plan Creation
   1. Distribute Safety Plan Booklet to each student
   2. Review each section with the students
3. Dating Violence Quiz

Wrap-Up:

1. Distribute “Unhealthy Relationships Pamphlet”
   1. Allow students 5 minutes to review
   2. Ask if there are any questions
   3. Review contact information on back of pamphlet

Assessment Plan

Personal Assessments:

1. Formative assessments throughout the activities
2. Safety Plan Creation
   1. Distribute Safety Plan Booklet to each student
   2. Review each section with the students
3. Dating Violence Quiz

Bibliography

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2006). Appendix A. In Choose Respect (pp. 111-125). Atlanta, GA: CDC.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2013, September 6). Dating Matters: Understanding Teen Dating Violence Prevention. Retrieved from CDC: http://vetoviolence.cdc.gov/index.php/dating-matters/

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014, November 26). Teen Dating Violence. Retrieved from CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/intimatepartnerviolence/teen_dating_violence.html

Love is Respect. (2008, May 11). A Teen's Guide to Safety Planning. Retrieved from Love is Respect: http://www.loveisrespect.org/pdf/Teen-Safety-Plan.pdf

Love is Respect. (2011, September 7). Help a Friend. Retrieved from Love is Respect: http://www.loveisrespect.org/get-help/help-others/help-a-friend

Utah Domestic Violence Coalition. (2012, July 9). Teen Dating Violence. Retrieved from UDVC: http://udvc.org/children-teens/teen-dating-violence