Guiding Principles

Guiding Principle I

Comprehensive health education teaches students fundamental health concepts and skills that foster healthy habits and behaviors for the individual and others through sequential and coordinated teaching of health education, physical education, and family and consumer sciences education at each grade level, kindergarten through grade 12.

 

Guiding Principle II

Comprehensive health education teaches students to use fundamental health concepts to assess risks, to consider potential consequences and to make health-enhancing decisions.

 

Guiding Principle III

Comprehensive health education teaches skills that assist students to understand and communicate health information clearly for self-management and health promotion.

 

Guiding Principle IV

Comprehensive health education contributes to the capacity of students to work in a positive manner with families, school staff, peers, and community members to enhance personal health and create a safe and supportive environment where individual similarities and differences are acknowledged.

 

Guiding Principle V

Comprehensive health education is strengthened through collaboration and partnerships among all components of the coordinated school health program and other subjects.

Content

Strand 1

Growth And Development (Human Body)

·        Correlate prior knowledge of life cycles to changes that occur in the human body.

·        Assign specific growth characteristics to general age categories.

·        Describe how medical advances/pharmaceuticals have improved quality of life and life expectancy.

Physical Activity And Fitness (Fitness/Wellness)

·        Analyze and compare health and fitness benefits derived from various physical activities.

·        Evaluate risk and safety factors that may affect physical activity preferences.

·        Demonstrate competency in physical activities such as team sports (volleyball, basketball, soccer, field hockey, and lacrosse); individual sports (tennis, badminton, canoeing, self-defense, and archery); life skills (step aerobics, dance, and weight training).

·        Describe ways in which physical activity provides opportunities for enjoyment, challenge, self-expression, social interaction, and management of stress.

·        Develop interest in activities that are healthful, enjoyable, and can be performed beyond high school.

·        Exhibit a physically active lifestyle.

·        Achieve and maintain a health-enhancing level of fitness.

Nutrition

·        Identify the essential nutrients for health and correlate with disease prevention.

·        Correlate essential nutrients with food sources (including fiber, water as well as vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, fats, and proteins).

·        Describe the long-term impact of diet on cardiovascular health.

·        Describe sanitary guidelines for safe food handling and processing.

·        Demonstrate an understanding of food labeling, price/serving, etc.

·        Compare and contrast the effects of various food supplements.

·        Describe the digestive process and how substances affect metabolism.

·        Describe the needs and outcomes associated with life stages-prenatal to geriatric.

·        Identify and analyze dietary plans, costs, and long-term outcomes of weight management programs.

·        Identify common food borne illnesses.

·        Identify and practice resource management and skills needed to improve and maintain nutritional health.

·        Identify how social and cultural messages about food and eating influence nutritional choices.

Reproduction/Sexuality (Sensitive Issues)

·        Identify personal responsibilities for sexually active individuals.

·        Identify sexual orientations and anomalies such as hermaphrodites, XXY chromosomes, etc.

·        Identify STD's, including AIDS, and describe appropriate preventative behaviors.

·        Describe abstinence as an appropriate health choice.

·        Describe the major developmental stages of the human embryo/fetus.

·        Describe the human gestation/birth process.

·        Describe impact of intolerance on individuals of varied sexual orientation.

·        Describe the impact of AIDS and other STD's on public health systems and policy.

·        Identify and explain laws about reproductive services.

·        Describe prenatal care.

·        Describe the function of technology in reproductive development.

Strand 2

Mental Health

·        Use risk/benefit ratios to help make decisions related to health.

·        Describe the benefits of stress management in school and work environments.

·        Demonstrate an understanding of the impact body image has on self-esteem.

·        Demonstrate an understanding of the role self-esteem plays in building healthy relationships.

·        Correlate coping strategies with life events impacting mental and emotional health, i.e., suicide, bereavement, pregnancy and childbirth, abuses, etc.

·        Identify common mental health disorders and available treatments within school and community (depression, anorexia, bulimia, ADD, ADHD).

·        Demonstrate an understanding of the impact that gender and stereotyping have on self-esteem.

·        Describe theories of personality in relation to feelings and emotion.

·        Describe the impact of biochemical factors and genetics on brain function.

·        Analyze research on health behaviors and brain chemistry.

Family Life (Family Relationships & Social Behavior)

·        Identify mutual respect and communication as key elements in successful dating situations.

·        Identify elements of healthy personal relationships (trust, honesty, consistency, etc.).

·        Describe elements needed to create and sustain healthy families.

·        Analyze elements needed to create and sustain healthy families.

·        Identify physical child rearing skills.

·        Describe emotional maturity needed to nurture children and procure financial resources for parenting.

·        Describe parental actions that encourage literacy in young children.

·        Identify the consequences and outcomes of team parenting.

·        Identify ways to get support or help, which includes “resources for families whose members have special health needs.”

·        Describe conditions under which one may become a parent including: foster care, adoption, and step-parenting.

Interpersonal Relationships

·        Describe theories of personality in relation to feelings and emotions.

·        Identify elements of healthy discipline.

·        Identify specific social, cultural, economic, environmental, and genetic factors affecting health.

Strand 3

Disease Prevention And Control (Illness Prevention)

·        Identify specific social, cultural, economic, environmental factors affecting health.

·        Describe how community resources (local, state, federal) respond to health needs.

·        Identify factors that contribute to effective public health policies, initiative, and laws.

·        Describe how the immune system functions to prevent and combat disease.

·        Evaluate environmental factors that effect, or increase stress (noise, lights, etc.).

·        Learn how to perform physical self-screening exams correctly.

·        Demonstrate how to discuss procedures and test results with health care providers.

·        Describe the leading causes of death for different age groups, the importance of early diagnosis, and the need for active involvement in treatment management of diseases.

·        Explain confidentiality laws and an individual’s right to seek medical treatment.

·        Explain how the skin reflects the state of health and list contributing factors (hygiene, exercise, rest, and balanced diet).

·        Discuss the need and importance of proper dental health.

Safety and Injury Prevention (Safety)

·        Plan personal safety strategies that address specific, potentially dangerous situations, such as using telephone and Internet, ATM machines, traveling, vehicle breakdown, etc.

·        Identify guidelines for minimizing risk of accidental death/injury.

·        Communicate accurate information related to health and safety.

·        Demonstrate ability to perform basic first-aid.

·        Describe the importance of CPR as first response.

·        Demonstrate ability to perform CPR on mannequin.

·        Demonstrate the proper use and the automatic electrical defribulator.

·        Describe practices of laws related to safety in the workplace (eye protection, gloves, and hard hats).

Tobacco, Alcohol, and Other Substance Use/Abuse Prevention (Substance Abuse Prevention)

·        Describe long- and short-term effects of substance abuse on an individual.

·        Describe long- and short-term effects of substance abuse on families.

·        Identify and describe function of 12-step programs in addiction treatment.

·        Analyze media influence as a factor contributing to substance abuse.

·        Compare/contrast patterns of drug abuse/addictions (over time, rural/urban/suburban, U.S. v. foreign nations, etc.).

·        Describe the long- and short- term effects of substance abuse on one’s body and family.

·        Identify the dangers of substance use and operating dangerous machinery, especially driving.

·        Describe the psychological cost of addiction.

Violence Prevention

·        Describe safe and supportive health environments.

·        Identify the short- and long-term consequences of child abuse, domestic violence, harassment, rape, etc.

·        Identify strategies to prevent and remediate instances of abuse or violence.

·        Explain how some admire others who gain social status through violence.

Strand 4

Consumer Health and Resource Management

·        Explain when and how to use self care or professional health care services.

·        Identify information needed to select and maintain relationships with health care providers to meet the needs of individuals and family members.

·        Describe the various methods of gaining access to health care and health insurance.

·        Apply planning and management skills to organize tasks and responsibilities for health care.

·        Explain criteria for making consumer decisions for various health care products.

·        Review both positive and negative influences of the media and their impact on health.

·        Describe the individual’s responsibility to be a wise and informed consumer, including how to plan a budget that includes a spending and savings plan.

·        Analyze decisions about making specific purchases and maintaining those products or services.

·        Identify procedures for making consumer complaints, such as determining if or when a complaint is warranted, and how to gather relevant information, and identify the appropriate agency to contact.

·        Explain the contribution of business, industry, and technology to the improvement of consumer products and choices.

Ecological Health

·        Identify the reciprocal relationships between  social/economic factors and practices, and ecological health.

·        Research strategies for improving global ecological health and evaluate them for their sensitivity to social background issues.

·        Analyze the influence and contribution of government legislation and individuals’ actions on environmental health, particularly as related to disease and food production.

Community And Public Health

·        Analyze the effects of disease on the community and society.

·        Evaluate the availability and quality of community health services.

·        Explain how service in community health can improve the physical health of community members.

·        Identify prevalent health concerns and health promotion initiatives in the United States as compared with other parts of the world.

Strands & Standards

Health Literacy

Students will:

1. Understand current concepts of health promotion, disease prevention, and risk assessment.

2. Develop individual competence and versatility in movement skills, understand movement concepts, and relate physical activity to lifelong health.

3. Analyze the impact of social, cultural, economic, and environmental factors on health.

4. Identify, use, and evaluate health information and resources.

Healthy Self-Management

Students will:

5. Assess health beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors in order to set achievable goals, monitor progress, and evaluate outcomes.

6. Demonstrate the ability to assess risk, consider potential consequences, and make health-enhancing decisions.

7. Manage resources and practice behaviors that protect and enhance their physical, intellectual, emotional, and social health.

8. Exhibit a physically health lifestyle to achieve and maintain a health-enhancing level of personal fitness.

Health Promotion

Students will:

9. Communicate health information clearly and accurately.