Body Safety and Speaking Up¶
Summary¶
This short, focused chapter addresses recognizing unwanted or inappropriate touch and practicing how to say no or exit the situation. It is intentionally kept separate from other topics so it can be taught, and revisited, as a standalone lesson on personal body safety. After completing this chapter, students will be able to identify an unwanted touch and demonstrate saying no or leaving an unsafe situation.
Concepts Covered¶
This chapter covers the following 2 concepts from the learning graph:
- Unwanted Touch
- Saying No Or Exiting
Prerequisites¶
This chapter builds on concepts from:
Teacher Notes: How to Use This Chapter¶
This chapter is written for you, the teacher, to read aloud, narrate, and guide from. It is one of the most important chapters in the Grade 2 book, and it is kept deliberately short so it can be taught — and retaught — as its own standalone lesson, separate from any other topic. Please read the whole chapter before teaching it, and plan to revisit it more than once during the year.
Keep your tone plainly sincere for this entire chapter. There is no humor, no wordplay, and no catchphrase here — every word should feel calm, clear, and serious in the best sense of that word. The central message students must walk away with is simple and non-negotiable: a child's body belongs to them, they always have the right to say no or leave an uncomfortable situation, and they should always tell a trusted adult about an unwanted touch — even if someone told them to keep it secret, and even if they feel embarrassed, confused, or worried they will get in trouble. They will not get in trouble for telling.
This chapter does not include graphic descriptions of harm. It is designed to introduce and reinforce the concept in an age-appropriate way, building on body-safety ideas partly covered in earlier grades, with a deeper focus this year on the "speaking up" half of the skill.
A Chapter About Your Body and Your Voice
Hello, friend. Today's lesson is about two important ideas: knowing what an unwanted touch feels like, and knowing that you always have the right to say no or walk away. Your body belongs to you, and your voice matters.
What Is Unwanted Touch?¶
Unwanted touch is any touch that a person does not want, that makes a person feel uncomfortable, confused, or unsafe, or that involves a private part of the body in a way that is not okay. A touch does not have to hurt to be unwanted — it can feel unwanted even if it is gentle, even if it comes from someone the child knows and likes, and even if the other person says it is a game or a secret.
It helps students to know that touches generally fall into different categories, and that the same touch can be welcome from one situation and unwanted in another:
- A safe, wanted touch feels good and the person giving it is someone the child trusts and wants to be touched by, like a hug from a parent or a high-five from a friend.
- An unwanted touch is any touch a person does not want — no matter who gives it, no matter how it is described, and no matter whether it hurts or not.
- A confusing touch might not feel painful or even feel "bad" in the moment, but it still counts as unwanted if it involves private body parts, feels secretive, or makes a stomach feel funny.
The most important idea in this section is this: the child's own feeling is what matters. A student does not need to prove that a touch was wrong, explain exactly why it felt bad, or wait until they are certain. If a touch feels unwanted, it is okay — and important — to say so.
Diagram: Safe Touch or Unwanted Touch?¶
Safe Touch or Unwanted Touch? MicroSim
Type: microsim
sim-id: safe-or-unwanted-touch-sorter
Library: p5.js
Status: Specified
Bloom Taxonomy: Remember (L1) Bloom Taxonomy Verb: identify, recognize, recall
Learning objective: Students identify everyday touch scenarios as a safe, wanted touch or an unwanted touch, using their own feelings as the guide.
Canvas layout: - Top area (100px): A scenario banner with a short, calm, non-graphic caption describing a touch scenario (no images of people in vulnerable positions; use simple, abstract, non-identifying icons such as a handshake, a hug outline, or a caution symbol) - Middle area (250px): Two large buttons: a green heart ("Safe and Wanted") and an orange stop-hand ("Unwanted -- Tell a Trusted Adult") - Bottom area (150px): Infobox showing calm feedback text after each answer
Visual elements: - Six preset, entirely non-graphic scenario captions, for example: "A high-five from a friend after a game," "A hug from a parent at bedtime that feels good," "Someone touches you in a way that feels confusing and asks you to keep it secret," "A pat on the back from a coach during practice that feels fine," "Someone touches a private part of your body and it feels wrong," "A relative tickles you even after you said stop" - Simple flat-style icons matching the mascot's visual style; no depictions of the touch itself, only calm caption text and neutral icons
Interactive controls: - Click "Safe and Wanted" or "Unwanted -- Tell a Trusted Adult" for the current scenario - Button: "Next Scenario" advances through all six cards - Button: "Reset" restarts from scenario one
Default parameters: - Scenario 1: "A high-five from a friend after a game" (correct answer: Safe and Wanted) - No answer selected yet
Data Visibility Requirements: Stage 1: Show scenario 1 caption only, no answer selected Stage 2: Student clicks "Safe and Wanted" -- infobox shows "That's right. A high-five you enjoy is a safe, wanted touch." Stage 3: Student advances to the "someone touches you in a confusing way and asks you to keep it secret" scenario and clicks "Unwanted" -- infobox shows "That's right. Any touch that feels confusing, or that comes with a request to keep a secret, is a sign to tell a trusted adult right away." Stage 4: If a student clicks the other button, infobox gently and calmly explains the correct answer, always reinforcing "your own feeling matters, and telling a trusted adult is always the right choice."
Behavior: - Each scenario has exactly one correct answer; a correct click highlights the button and shows a calm explanation - An incorrect click shows a gentle correction, never a harsh sound or graphic, and always ends by reminding the student that telling a trusted adult is always okay
Instructional Rationale: This is a Remember-level objective, so the design uses simple recognition (safe/wanted vs. unwanted) with immediate, calm feedback rather than a multi-step simulation. Keeping all imagery abstract and non-graphic protects student comfort while the caption text carries the teaching content.
Implementation notes: Use p5.js. No depictions of people in unsafe situations -- use neutral icons (hearts, hands, caution symbols) only. Every piece of feedback text stays plainly sincere, calm, and reassuring, since this MicroSim addresses core personal-safety content.
Your Body Belongs to You
Here is the most important idea in this whole chapter: your body belongs to you. You get to decide who touches you and how. If a touch ever feels wrong, confusing, or unwanted — even a little — you are allowed to say so.
Unwanted touch can come from someone a child does not know well, but it can also come from someone familiar — a relative, a family friend, an older student, or another trusted person. This is an uncomfortable truth, but it is an important one: familiarity does not make a touch safe. The deciding factor is never who the person is — it is always whether the touch is wanted.
One more idea deserves special attention, because it is one of the most common tactics used to keep a child silent: being asked to keep a touch a secret from a trusted adult.
Secrets About Touch Are Different
If anyone ever tells you to keep a touch secret, that itself is a warning sign. Good surprises — like a birthday gift — are shared soon and make people happy. A touch that someone insists must stay hidden is different, and it should always be told to a trusted adult, no matter who asked for the secret.
Here is a simple way to compare the two ideas students need to hold onto together.
| Idea | What It Means | What To Do |
|---|---|---|
| Unwanted Touch | Any touch that feels wrong, confusing, or unsafe to the person receiving it | Notice the feeling — it is a signal worth listening to |
| Secret-Keeping Request | Being told to hide a touch from a trusted adult | Tell a trusted adult anyway, right away |
Saying No Or Exiting¶
Saying no or exiting means using words, a firm voice, or simply walking away to stop an unwanted touch or leave a situation that feels unsafe. A student does not need permission to do either of these things — they can say no, they can leave, and they can do both at the same time, even without explaining why in the moment.
There are a few simple, practiced ways to say no or exit that work in almost any situation:
- Use a strong, clear voice: "No," "Stop," or "I don't like that."
- Step or move away from the person and the situation right away.
- Go find a trusted adult as quickly as possible.
- Keep telling adults until one listens and helps — the first adult told does not always have to be the last.
That fourth step matters just as much as the first three. Occasionally a child's first attempt to tell may not be fully understood right away — perhaps the adult is busy, or does not immediately grasp what is being described. The lesson for a Grade 2 student is not to give up, but to keep telling a trusted adult, or a different trusted adult, until someone listens and helps.
Diagram: Steps for Saying No and Getting Help¶
Steps for Saying No and Getting Help MicroSim
Type: workflow
sim-id: saying-no-getting-help-workflow
Library: Mermaid
Status: Specified
Bloom Taxonomy: Understand (L2) Bloom Taxonomy Verb: explain, describe, summarize
Learning objective: Students explain the sequence of actions to take when facing an unwanted touch, from saying no through telling a trusted adult.
Purpose: Show the four-step process for saying no or exiting an unwanted-touch situation and getting help, as a simple, linear flowchart
Visual style: Mermaid flowchart (graph TD), four boxes connected top to bottom, plain and calm in tone -- no urgent or alarming imagery, calm color palette
Nodes (each must have a click handler opening an infobox with plain, sincere definition text): 1. "This Touch Feels Wrong" (start node) -- click shows "This is the moment you notice a touch that feels unwanted, confusing, or unsafe. Trust that feeling." 2. "Say No or Move Away" -- click shows "Use a strong voice to say no, or simply step away. You do not need permission to do either." 3. "Go Find a Trusted Adult" -- click shows "Walk to a parent, guardian, teacher, or school counselor as soon as you can." 4. "Keep Telling Until Someone Helps" -- click shows "Tell exactly what happened. If the first adult does not understand or help, tell another trusted adult. You will never be in trouble for telling."
Connections: Straight top-to-bottom arrows connecting node 1 to node 2, node 2 to node 3, and node 3 to node 4 -- no branches, since the same steps apply every time
Color coding: Calm blue-gray tones throughout; no red or alarming colors, matching the plainly sincere tone required for this content
Interactive features: click directive on every node in the Mermaid syntax, mapped to a JavaScript function that opens an infobox with the definition text above
Implementation: Mermaid flowchart with click bindings; render inside a small wrapper page that displays the infobox below the diagram. Keep the visual plain, calm, and reassuring throughout.
A student practicing "saying no or exiting" should know that it can look different depending on the moment — sometimes it is a loud, firm "No!," sometimes it is quietly getting up and leaving the room, and sometimes it is both at once. There is no single "right" way to do it, as long as it gets the child away from the unwanted touch and toward a trusted adult.
It Is Okay If It Feels Hard
Saying no to someone you know, or walking away from a grown-up, can feel hard — even scary. That's okay. It is still the right thing to do, and telling afterward is just as important as saying no in the moment.
The single most important message of this entire chapter is what happens after saying no or exiting: telling a trusted adult. A student should never be made to feel that they have failed if they were not able to say no in the moment, or if the touch already happened before they could get away. Telling a trusted adult afterward is just as important, and always available, no matter how much time has passed.
You Will Never Be in Trouble for Telling
No matter what happened, no matter what anyone told you to say or not say, and no matter how much time has passed — telling a trusted adult about an unwanted touch is always the right choice, and you will never be in trouble for doing it.
Here is a quick summary connecting both concepts in this chapter to the skill each one builds.
| Concept | What It Means | Skill It Builds |
|---|---|---|
| Unwanted Touch | Any touch that feels wrong, confusing, or unsafe to the person receiving it | Recognizing and trusting one's own feelings about touch |
| Saying No Or Exiting | Using words or movement to stop or leave an unwanted-touch situation, then telling a trusted adult | Acting on that feeling and getting help right away |
You Know What To Do
You did important learning today, friend. You know that your body belongs to you, that you can say no or walk away from an unwanted touch, and that telling a trusted adult is always the right choice — every single time.
Wrap-Up for Teachers¶
By the end of this chapter, most Grade 2 students should be able to describe what makes a touch feel unwanted and demonstrate at least one way to say no or exit such a situation, followed by telling a trusted adult. Because this is core child-abuse-prevention content, plan to revisit this lesson more than once during the year rather than teaching it only a single time. Reinforce the three anchor messages in every retelling: a child's body belongs to them, they always have the right to say no or leave, and they should always tell a trusted adult — even if told to keep a secret, and even if they worry about getting in trouble. Consider pairing this chapter with your school counselor or school-based prevention curriculum, and make sure students know, by name, at least one trusted adult at school they can go to if a parent or guardian is not available.