HEALTH
Health and Wellness
The students study the four components of health (physical, social, emotional, and mental) and understand how these components affect their overall wellness. The relationship between their health and lifestyle and its impact on making positive and negative decisions is examined.
Additionally, the nine life skills for improving one’s wellness are identified and explored. Scenarios that pertain directly to these nine life skills are presented and then students cooperatively devise strategies and solutions that address issues discussed in the scenarios. Throughout the curriculum, the students often refer back to the nine life skills for further comprehension and practice.
The Nine Life Skills investigated are:
1. Assessing your health 2. Making good decisions 3. Being a wise consumer
4. Communicating effectively 5. Practicing wellness 6. Setting goals
7. Using refusal skills 8. Coping 9. Evaluating media messages.
Making Healthy Decisions and Consequences
The importance of personal responsibility in making healthy decisions and how personal values, peers, and the media can influence these decisions are studied.
Students learn the six steps of making good decisions by analyzing the lifestyles of well-known individuals. We illustrate direct relationships between decisions and consequences through role-play and oral discussions. Subsequently, the students develop action plans to achieve goals and overcome setbacks.
The Six Steps of Decision Making explored are:
1. Identify the problem 2. Consider your values 3. List the options
4. Weigh the consequences 5. Decide and act 6. Evaluate your decision
Tobacco, Alcohol, and Drugs
Students learn about the reasons, causes, and negative effects of tobacco, alcohol, and drugs and are presented with strategies to resist. The health risks associated with tobacco products and their addictive nature are described and students explore why people choose to use tobacco, despite its harmful effects.
Students examine the harmful effects of alcohol on the body, mind, and relationships with family and friends. Students are engaged in discussions regarding preventative strategies to resist pressures to drinking.
Furthermore, students learn bout the long-term effects of drinking alcohol and learn about how drugs are used, misused, and abused within our society, especially among teenagers and adolescents.
Healthy Body Images
Students’ emotional and mental wellnesses are explored in our study of body images and its affects on personal health. Class discussions focus on building positive self-esteem, self-concept, and acceptance of oneself and others. Media messages and its major influence on body images and self-esteem are analyzed. Students differentiate between healthy and unhealthy body images and design awareness projects about eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating). We will also cover effective weight management methods and other techniques for building healthy body images.
Conflict Management
We examine the nature of conflict and violence that exists within family, friendships, and the world. Second Step principals such as conflict resolution, empathy, and anger management are presented. Students examine the relationship between conflicts and violence, and explain how violence can be avoided and prevented. Students role-play age-appropriate conflicts and demonstrate effective communication skills to resolve the conflicts.
Adolescent Growth and Development
This unit helps students understand the changes that occur during puberty. We emphasize physical and emotional changes that occur, rather than the specific biological details of the male and female reproductive systems.
Methods of Assessment
Throughout the course of the year, the students receive a variety of formal and informal assessments. Projects are thoroughly explained and assigned at least two weeks before the due date. Students will keep a personal health journal to reflect on weekly topics discussed during class.