Key Messages

  • Many factors contribute to healthy and happy relationships.
  • It is useful for people to examine what they value in themselves and in others.

Learning Intention

Students will:

  • Compare the importance of physical characteristics vs personality traits when considering a romantic partnership.

Time

20 minutes.

Required Resources

  • Body outline (1 per student)
  • Pens, pencils, textas

    Alternatively: display image and annotate as a class.
Download Required Resources

Teaching Notes

This activity provides opportunities to include discussion about people of diverse sexualities and stereotypical depictions of gender.

Procedure

  1. Provide students with an outline of a body.
  2. Ask students to draw and label the inside and outside of ‘a person’ they might be attracted to, “Crush” on.
    a. Outside – hair, muscles, tattoos, shape, breasts, physique, height, looks, smile, clothes
    b. Inside – kindness, similar values, common backgrounds, good sense of humour, common interests, ‘spark’.
  3. Encourage students to be creative by drawing and including annotations to depict their chosen traits.
  4. Provide an opportunity for students to share their ‘ideal’ romantic partner if they are comfortable doing so.

Questioning

  1. Where do people get their ideas about what are important inside and outside traits romantic partners should have? E.g. family, friends, media
  2. What are some common themes relating to outside traits?
  3. What are some common themes relating to inside traits?
  4. Can stereotypes about the ‘ideal’ romantic partner be identified by these common themes?
  5. Which of these characteristic traits (inside/outside) are more likely to contribute to a healthy relationship?
  6. What behaviour supports the inside traits? eg: how does a person show kindness?

Curriculum Information