Lesson plan

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We are learning about:

• What periods are
• Factors that affect menstrual product choices

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We will be able to:

• Explain what a period is
• Evaluate a range of factors that affect choices about which menstrual products to use

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• Ask students to draw a line with “agree” on the left and “disagree” on the right for each of the below statements.
• Ask them to mark on the line how strongly they agree or disagree with the following statements:
  1. Menstrual blood is dirty.
  2. A person can still get pregnant on their period.
  3. All menstrual products are equally harmful to the environment.

• No feedback is necessary here – the students will be able to reflect on the statements at the end of the lesson.

• Explain to the class that you are about to play a 5 minute video with 2 doctors
• After the video, they’ll be asked to complete a quiz
• If students have any questions they should write them down and put them in the anonymous questions box

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• Play the ‘Period dramas’ video

• Be sure to watch the video prior to the lesson.
• You should assess the video for suitability and appropriateness to your specific class and that the content aligns with all school policies.

Statistics discussed in the video:

• For most adult women their period happens around every 28 days but it’s common for periods to range from “every 21 days to every 35 days”.
• The video mentions a range of “every 21 days to every 40 days”. This is because the video is aimed at younger people – i.e. people with more irregular periods and a broader cycle range.

• Go through the 8 question quiz
• Ask the question on the slide and give students a chance to write down their answer
• The next slide will show the correct answer
• You should read through the answers and any additional information as a class
• Students should make any corrections or additions in a different coloured pen

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• Ask students to draw a diamond nine – image shown on slide 26
• Students should then rank the below factors to show how important they think each factor is.
• 1 is the most important and 5 is the least.
  1. Initial cost – this is the amount of money needed to buy an item i.e. the cost of a pair of period pants vs the cost of a pack of period pads
  2. Total cost over two years
  3. Comfort
  4. Reliability
  5. Sustainability
  6. Charitable – do sales drive donations e.g. “buy one give one” campaigns
  7. Design – how the packaging, product or container looks
  8. How long it can be used – whether a product has to be purchased each time it’s needed or if it’s “on hand” whenever it’s needed without having to go to the shop
  9. Feeling safe – is the product used externally or internally used, does this influence how safe a person feels while using it

• If students require further support, consider removing the structure of the ‘Diamond Nine’ and asking students to simply sort factors from most to least important.
• This can be a good time to discuss the rare but real dangers of toxic shock syndrome: More info here: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/toxic-shock-syndrome/

• Ask students to imagine another student about their age who’s struggling to access menstrual products. They should think about who could help them and how.
• Ask them to draw three concentric circles on a sheet and suggest what could be done at each level to help the student.

From innermost circle to outermost:

• The student and their friends and family
• The school
• Local/National government, charities or communities

• For students who require further support, give them ideas as to what support is available and ask them to identify which circle would be best placed to take each action.
• These could include:

• • Letting the student know where to find period products in the home
  • Ask a friend in an emergency if they have any period products
  • Ask at school reception or the school nurse
  • Understand there is a range of period products so the student can find the best product for them
  • Know that there are nationwide schemes that give free period products to schools
  • Know that some companies make period products accessible in public spaces i.e. many train operators in the UK have made period products available for free through members of staff

• Ask students to revisit their baseline assessment ‘Agree’ or ‘Disagree’ statements. Do they still feel the same about these statements?
• They should make any changes or add any new learning in a different colour pen.

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• The students will now need their final assessment sheet from last lesson
• Ask students to complete the statements on their final assessment worksheet in the ‘Before the lesson’ column. i.e. for:
  • Before the lesson, I thought…
  • Before the lesson, I knew…
  • Before the lesson, I believed…

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• Answer the questions collected during the lesson from the anonymous question box

• You may wish to answer the questions in the question box at the start of the next lesson once you’ve had a chance to review them.
• If there are no questions then you could give a couple of common questions e.g.

Q) Does the school provide menstrual products?

Q) How often should you change your period product during the day?
A) Depends which product you are using and how heavy your flow is. Check packaging carefully.

Q) Can you exercise on your period?
A) Some professionals say exercise can help with period pain but you should be led by how you feel

• Ask students to return to their ‘Final assessment’ sheet
• Ask students to complete the statements in the ‘After the lesson’ column beginning:
  • After the lesson, I think…
  • After the lesson, I know…
  • After the lesson, I believe…

• You’ll need to collect the ‘Final assessment’ sheets or students will need to keep them safe. The sheets will be needed at the end of each of the 5 ‘Core Sexual Health Facts’ lessons.

• Ask students to imagine that younger students joining the school have been confused about periods and some of them have said periods are “gross”.
• Your students job is to educate the younger students on periods and menstrual products by either:
  • making an informative poster for the school notice board at school, or
  • developing a talk for an assembly

• This activity is optional. You may wish to skip this slide or set the task for home learning.

• Give each student a copy of the Period dramas fact sheet
• Ask students to read through the fact sheet at home – it can help clarify any questions from the lesson
• Tell students they can read more about the topics discussed today. A useful link is also listed on the fact sheet.

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