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Lesson Plan – Managing Peer Pressure
SESSION EIGHT: APPLICATION, PRACTICE, AND RESOURCES
This lesson is enhanced when learners have the following background knowledge: Content from the
International Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education—Key Concept 2 – Values, Attitudes, and Skills,
Learning Objective 2.2 – Norms and Peer Infl uence on Sexual Behavior
PROCEDURE :
Step 1) 5 minutes
Ask learners to talk about what makes friends/friendships important. Encourage learners to share how
they feel about having friends and different kinds of friendships.
Step 2) 5 minutes
Use the following notes to explain the importance of friends and to defi ne peer pressure.
Friends and Peer Pressure
• The peer group is important during adolescence. There is a great need to belong to a group that is a
natural part of adolescent development. Sometimes this can create a need to act like others in the
group, which may lead to your own individuality being ‘swallowed’ up by the group. The group’s
behavior may not be good for your own health and well being such as use of alcohol or drugs, and
you may fi nd yourself under pressure to take part in activities that you do not or would not normally
do. This is called peer pressure and often results in young people joining in on group behavior rather
than risk being made fun of or rejected by the group.
Step 3) 10 minutes
Refer to the two prepared sheets of fl ip chart paper on the wall or write it on a chalkboard. Lead a
brainstorm asking learners to list some advantages of belonging to a group and some disadvantages
of belonging to a group. Write down their responses on the fl ip chart papers.
Once learners have shared a number of advantages and disadvantages, guide a discussion using the following
questions:
• What do you notice about the items written on the Advantages list?
• What do you notice about the items written on the Disadvantages list?
•
Are there any important items that are missing from either list? (If so, feel free to add others that
learners may come up with to each list.)
• Looking now at both lists, what did you learn about belonging to groups?
Step 4) 20 minutes
Next, divide learners into groups of fi ve and ask them to come up with a list of ways young people could cope
with peer pressure. Have learners write their list on a piece of paper along with the names of each person in
the group. Give learners fi ve minutes to complete this task. When time has passed, ask each group to look
at the list they created and take a couple of minutes to rank the top three coping strategies on their list in
order of which would be most effective for young people to use. Then, have groups share their one of their
top three ideas with the whole class as you write them on a piece of fl ip chart paper. Continue hearing one
from each group as time permits. Ask groups to turn in their lists.