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Learning objective
Students identify the correct names and location of their body parts (which may include genitalia).
Take home messages
Curriculum links
WA HPE Curriculum
Sub-strand: Personal identity and change
- Body parts, visible and private, and where they are located.
International technical guidance on sexuality education
Key concept 6.1 (5-8 years)
- It is important to know the names and functions of one's body and it is natural to be curious about them, including the sexual and reproductive organs.
- Everyone has a unique body that deserves respect, including people with disabilities.
Materials
- Teaching resource: Child body outline - A3 hardcopy or electronic.
- Body jigsaw - enlarge the Body outline on to A3 (minimum) colour card and cut into 6 jigsaw sections. Enough for each student to have 1 body section each.
- Body outline with labels - can be used for reference or to show class if desired.
- Alternatively - draw large body outlines onto butchers' paper in different coloured marker and cut into 6 sections to create the jigsaw.
Before you get started
- This learning activity preludes Learning activity: Public and private body parts. Private body parts may naturally come up in discussion in this lesson.
- Children need to know the correct names for the parts of their body. Using the correct terminology helps them to speak without embarrassment so that they have the language to ask questions, seek help and explain any changes of concern accurately. This is particularly important for protecting children against sexual abuse. The correct names of the private parts are vulva, vagina, breasts, penis, testicles, anus and buttocks (or bottom).
- People often use the word 'vagina' when they mean 'vulva'. The vagina is the inside tube leading up to the uterus (womb). The vulva is the outside part made up of the clitoris and the labia (inner and outer lips).
- For more information see the FAQ: How early should you introduce the names of body parts?
- 'Public' body parts depend on cultural contexts. Some cultures consider hair, face, arms, stomach, etc 'private' body parts in the sense that they are covered up in public. However, for the purpose of protective behaviours, 'private' body parts refers to the sexual body parts.
Learning activities
Group agreement
5 mins
Teaching tip: A group agreement must be established before any Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) program begins to ensure a safe learning environment. Read Essential Tool: Establishing a group agreement for tips on how to create one and what to include.
- Revise or create the class group agreement.
Body jigsaw
10 min
- Display a copy of Teaching resource: Child body outline.
- Give each student a Body Outline - jigsaw piece (some children may need to be given more than one to cater to different group sizes).
Ask:
Raise your hand if you are holding a body part that is a head.
Raise your hand if you are holding a /head/tummy/elbow/etc.
- Grouping strategy: Jigsaw. Have students join the jigsaw pieces by colour to form a full human body and groups to work in for the next activity.
Teaching tip: Ensuring they find students with the same colour avoids any confusion with body parts that are both on the left and right (eg legs, arms).
Hokey pokey
15 min
- Sing Hokey Pokey (or any other song that features lots of different body parts) as a class using traditional lyrics to begin with.
Ask:
What other body parts can you see that can be included in this song?
(elbow, shoulder, hip, knee, ankle, etc)
- Sing Hokey Pokey using some of the other external body parts the students listed.
Say:
"These are all body parts that we can see. The body parts on the 'outside' are called 'external' body parts."
Ask:
What body parts do we have that you cannot see (the parts that are on the inside)? These are called 'internal' body parts. You might like to remember this by the word 'in'.
(brain, heart, stomach, lungs, etc)
How might these body parts be added to the Hokey Pokey song?
(Point to the external part closest to that part e.g. head for brain)
Teaching tip: Private body parts may come up naturally in these conversations. That is OK. Help students to refer to the body parts using the correct terminology and address them in the same way that you do any other body part. Private body parts are covered specifically in the Learning Activity: Public vs private body parts.
Draw and label
20 min
- Allow students time to draw or use craft materials (e.g. squiggle of wool for hair, pop sticks for bones) for all of the internal and external body parts on the combined jigsaw pieces.
- Ask students to hang up their bodies and go around the classroom and look at others groups bodies.
Teaching tip: Keep these bodies up around the room for the next activity in the series.
3-2-1 Reflection
Checking what we learnt & different bodies
5 min
Ask:
What is an external body part? (Remember 'ex' means out)
(a body part we can see, body parts on the outside, legs, eyes, nose, elbow, knee, ankle, etc)
What is an internal body part? ('in' for 'inside' and 'internal')
(a body part we can't see, body parts on the inside, stomach, lungs, heart, brain, etc)
Say:
"Did you know that not everyone's body is the same? We went through all the common parts that make up bodies. But not everyone has all those bits, or maybe some people have more! Sometimes people are born without some body parts, or maybe they are born with them and they don't work like others do. Some people can wriggle their ears or curl their tongue, other's can't. For some people their brain works differently than others.
This is all okay! And part of what makes people special!"
Ask:
Do you think people with different bodies than yours should be left out or excluded?
(No - never. Everyone should be included).
Health promoting schools
Background teacher note: Health promoting schools framework.
Environment
Policy
- Anti-bullying policies specifically name bullying against people with disabilities/different abilities.
Culture
- School staff celebrate the diversity and differences in students
Education
Teaching
- Teachers use the anatomical correct terms when talking about all body parts.
Partnerships
Family
- Talk Soon. Talk Often: a guide for parents talking to their kids about sex is a free hardcopy resource that can be bulk ordered by schools and website. Send a copy home to parents prior to starting your RSE program. The booklet offers ages and stage related information on puberty (and other topics) so that parents can reinforce the topics covered in class. (How to order hard copies.) Provide the link to parents on school websites and social media.
- Run a parent workshop and run this activity with parents to model the content that will be covered in your RSE program.
- Run a parent and child evening session, where the children can teach the parents what they have been learning about.
