Teaching Tool - Self-Concept and Sexual Orientation (Grade 5)
These resources teach students the importance of developing a positive self-concept and recognizing factors that might affect it, such as sexual orientation.
Learning goals
- I will understand the factors that affect the development of my self-concept
- I will understand how self-concept can support my personal health and well-being
- I will identify what shapes my self-esteem and self-concept to help build my self-confidence
- I will assess the effects of stereotypes on self-concept, social inclusion and relationships with others
Core knowledge content
Core knowledge content provides the teacher with the background information needed to prepare and teach this health class.
Ontario curriculum expectations
Grades 1-8: Health and Physical Education (2019)
- D2.4 identify intersecting factors that affect the development of a person's self-concept, including their sexual orientation, and how these factors can support their personal health and well-being. This specific expectation is also connected to the social-emotional learning expectations A1.1 Emotions, 1.2 Coping and 1.5 Self.
Learning activities
Self-concept and sexual orientation presentation
This presentation teaches students the different qualities that play a role in a person's self-concept development, including their sexual orientation.
Media and me
This activity helps to discuss where we get messages on how people should look and act. Using images shown in media and on social media, students will talk about how these can influence a person's self-concept.
What makes me, "me"
In this activity, students will draw or write a representation of themselves to show what features and qualities they think are part of their self-concept.
Exploring self-concept
For this activity, students will draw the outline of a body and use what they've learned about self-concept and sexual orientation. They will draw symbols related to sexual identity, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression.
Question box / envelope
This activity gives students the opportunity to ask questions anonymously. The questions might be about things that they feel are awkward, embarrassing or uncomfortable to ask in front of their classmates.
Supplementary resources
- School workshops on body image: Confident me (Dove): This resource helps empower students to feel confident and reach their full potential by educating the next generation of self-esteem and body confidence.
- Gender unicorn characters (Ontario Physical and Health Education Association): This lesson is a creative way for students to express how they view gender, sexuality, attraction and the expression of these ideas. Students will make connections to a known media or literary character that doesn't conform to gender stereotypes.
- My identity and relationships (Ontario Physical and Health Education Association): This lesson teaches students about the factors that affect a person's self-concept and support their health and well-being. Students will practice developing healthy relationships by accepting and celebrating diversity and reducing stigma to support their own and others mental health.
- Sexual orientation (Teaching Sexual Health): This resource gives an explanation about sexual orientation, along with information about human rights, lived experiences of sexual minority youth, what teachers can do, words that someone may hear and terms to avoid. Refer to the 'Every Body' tool to learn about the differences between biological sex, gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation.
- The sexuality wheel (Teaching Sexual Health): This resource shows how broad the idea of sexuality is. Each part of the wheel represents one part of who we are and how these parts are all connected and influenced by each other.
- Who are you? The kid's guide to gender identity (WordPress): This resource has a simple lesson plan about gender identity. It has a list of recommendations for other books and activities that can lay the foundation or be used alongside the book 'Who Are You?'.
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