Understanding Contraception

Year Level

Year 9

Duration

70 minutes

Class Size

20 students

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Australian Curriculum Alignment

Strand: Health and Physical Education

Substrand: Personal, Social and Community Health

• Content Description:
  "Accessing and assessing health information and services that support young people to effectively manage changes and transitions as they grow older, including sexual health information about sexually transmitted infections, contraception and safe sexual practices"
  AC9HP8P02 (Years 7 and 8, but foundational for Year 9 content)

• Content Description:
  "Critiquing health information, services and media messaging about relationships, lifestyle choices, health decisions and behaviours to evaluate their influence on individual attitudes and actions"
  AC9HP10P09 (Years 9 and 10) - particularly useful to build maturity around contraception discussions and health assessments

• General Capabilities:
  Literacy (critical health literacy), Ethical Understanding, and Personal and Social Capability (safe decisions, self-awareness)

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

1. Explain the purpose of contraception and its role in sexual health and pregnancy prevention.
2. Identify a range of common contraception methods, including barrier, hormonal, and other types.
3. Understand how to access credible contraception and sexual health information and services.
4. Analyse the role of contraception in preventing sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
5. Reflect on the importance of respectful communication about contraception in relationships.
6. Evaluate media and health messages relating to contraception for accuracy and bias.

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Lesson Outline

1. Introduction and Engagement (10 minutes)

• Activity:
  Start with an anonymous question box where students write down what they think contraception means or any questions they have. Collect these to address during the lesson, creating a safe, respectful space.

• Teacher Input:
  Briefly introduce what contraception is and why it matters in the context of health and relationships, including its role in managing transitions from adolescence to adulthood. Outline confidentiality within the classroom.

Curriculum Link: Supports safe, respectful peer communication and accessing health information (AC9HP8P02).

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2. Interactive Mini-Lecture with Visuals (15 minutes)

• Content Covered:

  • Definition of contraception
  • Types of contraception:
    • Barrier methods (e.g., condoms)
    • Hormonal methods (e.g., pill, implant, injections)
    • Long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) like IUDs
    • Emergency contraception
  • Contraception’s role in pregnancy prevention and STI reduction

• Visual Aid:
  Use labelled diagrams/posters or digital slideshow illustrating each method.

• Open Questions:
  Encourage students to ask clarifying questions anonymously or openly.

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3. Group Activity – Evaluating Health Information (15 minutes)

• Task:
  Students work in pairs or small groups to compare sample health messages from various sources about contraception (e.g., pamphlets from clinics, social media posts, advertisements).

• Objective:
  Critique the credibility, bias, and accuracy of these messages.

• Resources:
  Prepared printed excerpts or digital access on tablets.

• Outcome:
  Groups share their findings to build class understanding of reliable health information.

Curriculum Link: Critiquing health information and media messages (AC9HP10P09).

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4. Role-Play Activity – Communication Practice (15 minutes)

• Scenario:
  Students take turns role-playing conversations between partners discussing contraception choices and consent.

• Focus:
  Practicing respectful communication, understanding consent, and discussing contraception openly.

• Teacher Guidance:
  Provide sentence starters and tips for effective, respectful dialogue.

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5. Reflection and Question Time (10 minutes)

• Reflection:
  Individually, students write a brief anonymous note on one thing they learned and any remaining questions.

• Q&A:
  Teacher consolidates, anonymises, and answers questions. Provide information on how to access further reputable sexual health resources and local support services.

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6. Lesson Close and Homework (5 minutes)

• Summary:
  Recap key points on contraception types, health information, and communication.

• Homework Task:
  Research one contraceptive method in more detail and prepare a short summary to share in the next lesson.

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Assessment

• Formative:
  Observation during group critiques and role-plays; responses in reflection to evaluate understanding and communication skills.

• Summative: (Optional extended assessment)
  A quiz or written assignment on contraception types, purposes, and accessing health information, aligned with curriculum standards.

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Resources Needed

• Anonymous question box or note cards
• Visual aids for contraception methods (posters, slides)
• Sample health messages (print or digital)
• Printed role-play scenario cards
• Writing materials

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Teaching Considerations

• Ensure a respectful, inclusive, and safe classroom environment.
• Be mindful of the cultural and personal backgrounds of students.
• Provide information in a non-judgemental and factual manner.
• Offer confidential avenues for students to seek support outside class.
• Consult school policies on teaching sexual health topics.

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This lesson plan integrates essential contraception knowledge within the Australian Curriculum framework, fostering critical thinking, communication, and health literacy relevant to Year 9 students transitioning through significant personal and social changes.