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Lesson Plan from Guide to Implementing TAP (Teens for AIDS Prevention): A Peer Education Program to Prevent HIV/STD Infection

Reproduction 101

Purpose: To increase knowledge of the male and female genitalia and reproductive systems

Materials: A copy of the Female Genitals, Female Reproductive Organs, and Male Genitals and Reproductive Organs handouts for each TAP member, enlarged illustrations of each handout, a copy of Anatomy and Physiology of Reproduction Leader's Resource, stapler, and pens/pencils

Time: 45 minutes

Planning Notes: Prepare enlarged illustrations of the male and female genitals and reproductive organs for use in Step 4. If you have an overhead projector, you can create transparencies from the handouts.

Review the Anatomy and Physiology of Reproduction Leader's Resource until you feel comfortable with the material. You do not have to be an expert on human reproduction to conduct this activity, but you need to be comfortable with the terminology, such as penis, vagina, anus, and sexual intercourse.

Collate and staple the three handouts to create packets for each participant.

Procedure:

1. Explain to the teens that you are going to give them a quiz to see how much they actually know about the female and male reproductive systems. Explain that no one will be graded on this quiz and that its purpose is to help the participants. Ask the group to work together in pairs. Go over the instructions for the activity:

• Fill in the blanks on all three handouts with the correct name of each body part.
• Do not worry about spelling.
• If you do not know the correct (medical) term for a body part, use the word(s) you know.

2. Give each TAP member a packet of handouts and tell the group to begin working.
3. After most of the teens have finished, display the enlarged illustration of the Female Genitals handout. Add any missing information from the Leader's Resource. Be sure the following points are made:

• Explain that vulva is the correct term for the female external genitals, even though it is not a familiar term to most people, including adults. Point out that some people believe harmful and negative myths about the female vulva—such as that it is dirty or ugly—and emphasize that these myths are not true. The vulva is a normal, healthy part of the female body, just like the penis and scrotum are normal, healthy parts of the male body.
• Go over the individual parts of the vulva, labeling and explaining each. Point out the following:
  • The clitoris is a highly sensitive part of a female's body. Its function is to provide sexual pleasure.
  • The vulva has two openings, each with its own function—the opening to the vagina and the opening to the urethra.
  • The anus is not part of the vulva.
  • A female can see this part of her body by holding a hand mirror between her legs.

4. Display the enlarged illustration of the Female Reproductive Organs handout. Ask for a volunteer to explain the female reproductive process, beginning with ovulation and ending with the menstrual period. Ask the group to assist if the volunteer runs into difficulty. Add any missing information from the Leader's Resource. Be sure to following points are made:

• When she is born, a female has thousands of egg cells in her ovaries. Together, these egg cells are called ova; one egg is called an ovum.
• During the years that females menstruate, they release only a small percentage of their ova.
• During puberty, a female's ovaries begin to release one ovum each month. Once that process has begun, a female is capable of becoming pregnant any time she has vaginal intercourse with a male partner.
• Conception occurs when a sperm cell fertilizes the ovum after it has left the ovary.

5. Display the enlarged illustration of the Male Genitals and Reproductive Organs handout. Ask for a second volunteer to explain the male reproductive process, beginning with sperm production and ending with ejaculation. Add any missing information from the Leader's Resource. Be sure to following points are made:

• A male is born with two round glands, called testicles, located in the lower part of his body, near his penis.
• The penis is a highly sensitive part of a male's body, especially the head of the penis, called the glans.
• The penis has one opening that performs more than one function—release of urine or release of sperm in seminal fluid.
• At maturity a male's testicles begin to produce and store millions of sperm cells.
• Sperm cells can only be produced at 96.6 degrees—two degrees below normal body temperature. The scrotum acts like a temperature gauge and draws the testicles closer to the body when it is cold or drops the testicles further from the body when it is hot to keep them at the right temperature for sperm production and storage.
• When a male ejaculates after his testicles have begun producing sperm, millions of sperm cells are released from his penis, along with other fluids.
• If ejaculation occurs inside a female's vagina or near its opening, sperm can swim up into the female's Fallopian tubes. If there is an ovum in the Fallopian tube, conception occurs when the sperm fertilizes the egg cell.

Discussion Questions:

1. Which parts of the male and female anatomy are the same or similar? (Possible answers: Both have a urethra and an anus; the clitoris and the glans are similar because they contain many nerve endings and are highly sensitive.)
2. Why do males generally feel more comfortable than females about their genitals? (Possible answer: Males can see their genitals and are taught to touch and handle their penis to urinate. Females cannot easily see their genitals and are often discouraged from touching them.)
3. Why is it important to feel comfortable touching your own genitals? (Possible answers: (a) Genitals are sources of erotic pleasure, and masturbation is a risk-free way of expressing and experiencing one's sexuality. (b) Males need to touch their testicles to feel for lumps that might be a sign of testicular cancer. (c) Females use tampons. (d) For both sexes, some methods of contraception require touching the genitals.)
4. Why is it important for teens to understand exactly how and when conception occurs? (Possible answers: (a) It is always important for teens to know how their bodies function, and how they can stay healthy and (b) Knowing exactly how and when conception occurs is necessary so that teens know how to prevent pregnancy, by abstaining from vaginal intercourse or by using effective contraception.)
5. Remembering the Circles of Sexuality exercise, which aspects of sexuality and sexual expression are ignored or excluded if one focuses only on genitalia and reproduction? What implications does this narrowed focus have for HIV prevention education?

Click here for the Leader's Resource & Handouts.

Reprinted from Guide to Implementing TAP (Teens for AIDS Prevention): A Peer Education Program to Prevent HIV/STD Infection. Washington, DC: Advocates for Youth, © 2002.