Cross curricular links

Key messages

• Relationships and sexuality education (RSE) is a focus topic in the WA Health Curriculum. 
• It also helps to meet general capabilities in the WA Curriculum.
• RSE can also be taught in many other WA Curriculum subject areas.
• A list of ways to incorporate RSE across different subject areas is included.

Literacy

• Persuasive writing/debates
  • e.g. 'Female AFL/football players should be paid as much as male AFL/football players).
  • e.g. Men should get as much parental leave as women.
• Grammar
  • Look at the history of pronouns - how they were used in Shakespearean times and how they have changed over time. e.g. The story of 'you' (external site)
• Viewing
  • Explore the ways that media portray gender stereotypes and how gender is marketed to children. 
    • e.g. Compare the colours, text, images, and practicality of clothing for boys vs girls. Look at length of the shorts, tops, and cost.
    • Why is there a boys/girls section of clothing?verse Selfie: Social Media's Impact on Girls'
    • How do adverts/music/videos/billboards reinforce stereotypes? Why do they do this?
    • Women in sports One Day We Won’t Need This Day - Nike 
    • Body image and beauty standards Reverse Selfie: Social Media's Impact on Girls' Self-Esteem - Dove and the impact of AI Dove vs. AI Beauty Standards: Keeping It Real With The Code
  • Critically question content on social media and online platforms. 

The Arts

Drama

• Use plays that discuss friendships, relationships and intimacy.

Music

• Listen to songs about love, friendship, break ups, respectful relationships, disrespectful relationships, etc. 
• Watch music videos and unpack lyrics that reinforce harmful stereotypes and ones that challenge them.
• Watch music videos from the past 40 years and identify any trends, changes and statements. 
  • Madonna - Like a Virgin (1984) 
  • Beyonce - Run the World (2011) 
  • Taylor Swift - The Man (2020) 
  • Harry Styles - Dance No More (2026) 

Visual arts

• Explore artwork that expresses emotions - abstract, cubism, realism, etc.
• Explore artwork that captures different kinds of relationships.
• Look at different beauty standards in art across history.

Languages

• Explore the words used to express respectful relationship qualities in other languages.
• Explore cultural differences across the world in relation to relationships and affection (e.g. Iran = 3 kisses when you greet people; Italy = 2 kisses; Japan = bows). 

Humanities and Social Sciences

• Explore historical figures who have challenged gender discrimination. 
  • e.g. suffragettes
  • e.g. women who have competed in 'male only' sports
  • e.g. men fighting for rights to use baby rooms for feeding and changing their children.
• Critically analyse health promotion campaigns both current and throughout history.

Maths

• Graph and chart sexually transmissible infection and blood-borne virus data using WA Department of Heatlh epidemiology.
• Interpret data from surveys of young people on relationships and sexual health. 
  • e.g. The National Survey of Secondary Students and Sexual Heatlh 
• Use graphing and modelling to explain how digital platforms track, predict and personalise content centred around topics such as gender, body image, relationships and sexual wellness.

Science

• Examine digital misinformation around health and how it spreads.
• Teach how to evaluate the credibility of scientific information that is shared online. 

Read next

Exploring my values

Diversity and inclusion