A Lesson Plan from Life Planning Education: A Youth Development Program

Purpose: To introduce the vocabulary of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Materials:  Leader's Resource, "HIV/AIDS Vocabulary Words and Definitions;"(pdf) cards; container; assorted educational materials (books, pamphlets, fact sheets) on HIV/AIDS

Time: 30-45 minutes

Planning Notes:

• Write each of the words from the Leader's Resource on an index card or slip of paper, fold them and place them in a container. Have enough for each member of the group.
• While the basic facts about HIV transmission are unlikely to change, there is continually new information about treatment. Review the Leader's Resource and add any new words or terms not on this list that teens need to know.
• Collect free AIDS educational materials from your local health department, high school, family planning clinic, Red Cross chapter and other community service organizations. Keep low-literacy teens in mind as you select materials and be sure some do not require sophisticated reading skills.
  

Procedure:

1. Tell teens that since AIDS is a big health problem, it is necessary to be able to “speak its language." Without the language, it could be difficult to understand important information that could affect their health.
2. Go over instructions for the activity:
• Half the group will get slips of paper with an HIV/AIDS vocabulary word on them. The other half will get slips with definitions on them.
• Find the person whose word or definition matches yours.
• Once you have found your partner, team up with another pair and exchange words and definitions.. When all four know both of the words and definitions, find another foursome and exchange your two words and definitions with their two. Learn the new set, then exchange with another foursome. Continue until I call “time.”
3. Distribute the slips of paper and have teens circulate to find their partners. Offer clues or tips to anyone who is having trouble.
4. After about 10 minutes, conclude the activity using the Discussion Points.
   

Discussion Points:

1. Why is knowing the language so important? What could happen if you didn't understand some of the words in the HIV/AIDS vocabulary? (Answer: You might get infected, or infect someone else, through a behavior you didn't know was risky.)
2. What happens if someone talks about something using words you do not understand? How could that happen in HIV/AIDS education?
3. Were some words familiar outside the context of HIV/AIDS? Which ones?