Health Education

Health Education


David Sytulek

K-12 Health/PE Curriculum Specialist

The elementary health curriculum is designed to provide a safe, healthy and caring environment that maximizes the social, emotional, physical and intellectual growth of young adolescents. The curriculum is designed to motivate children and youth to maintain and improve their health, prevent disease, reduce health-related risk behaviors and develop and demonstrate health-related knowledge, attitudes, skills and practices. The curriculum meets national and state health education standards addressing the following:

  • Standard 1: Core Concepts

  • Standard 2: Accessing Health Information

  • Standard 3: Self-Management of Healthy Behaviors

  • Standard 4: Analyzing Internal and External Influences

  • Standard 5: Communication Skills

  • Standard 5: Communication Skills

  • Standard 7: Goal-Setting Skills

  • Standard 8: Advocacy

In order to promote social, emotional and physical wellness, South Windsor Public Schools uses “The Great Body Shop,” a comprehensive curriculum that covers all aspects of physical, mental, social emotional health and safety. This K-5 program promotes wellness through the integration of ten health content strands, with social and emotional learning, as well as substance abuse and violence prevention skills and messages integrated into every unit. The mission statement of The Great Body Shop is, “to equip children and their families with the knowledge and skills needed to make healthy choices throughout their lives.”

Each of the units/topics covered in Grade 3 are listed below.

Great Body Shop Units

Unit 301:
Injury Prevention and Personal Safety

  • Safe at home and away

  • Responsible safety strategies

  • Safe environments

  • Turning unsafe into safe

  • Identifying emergencies

  • Understanding the concept of risk

  • Setting safety personal goals

  • Safe, unsafe, and confusing touches

  • Practicing personal safety

  • Using refusal skills

  • Communication skills for emergencies

  • How to get help

Unit 302:
Nutrition

  • Nutrition and digestion

  • Reading food labels

  • Responsible food choices

  • Nutritional guidelines

  • Food handling and labeling laws

  • Influences on eating habits

  • Ranking foods for energy and nutrients

  • Testing recipes

  • Food groups

  • Setting nutritional goals

Unit 303:
Functions of the Body

  • Parts and functions of the eye

  • Practicing seeing new things

  • Eye problems & protection

  • Eye care standards

  • Digestive and immune systems

  • Cells

  • Physical impairments

  • Responsible self care

  • Genes and heredity

  • Skeletal system

Unit 304:
Growth and Development/
Cycle of Family Life

  • Defining the word ‘family’

  • Different types of families

  • Respecting the importance of the family

  • Different family responsibilities and traditions

  • Understanding the role of genes

  • Pride in culture

  • Preventing discrimination

  • Appreciating uniqueness in one’s self and others

  • Developing self worth

Unit 305:
Disease and
Illness Prevention

  • Identifying a virus

  • Bacteria

  • Fungi

  • Hygiene routines

  • Illness prevention

  • Immune system and HIV

  • Decision-making for healthy behavior

  • Unhealthy risks

  • Transmission of germs

  • Disease and the community

  • Hepatitis, HIV, and other illnesses

Unit 306:
Substance Abuse Prevention

  • Defining a drug-free and safe community

  • Rules and laws for medicines and drugs

  • Personal strategies for drug safety

  • Drug addiction (nicotine, alcohol, street drugs, medicines)

  • How values help prevent drug abuse

  • Predicting the consequences of becoming addicted to drugs

  • Practicing refusal skills

  • Set goals for drug-free living

Unit 307:
Community Health
and Safety
(Violence Prevention)

  • Naming local community helpers

  • Studying community health

  • Rules and laws for community health

  • Predicting the effect of no laws

  • Drugs, violence, and gangs in the community

  • Effects of positive and negative group attitudes

  • Communication skills

  • Negotiation and conflict resolution

  • Harassment and bully prevention

  • Community service

Unit 308:
Self Worth, Mental and Emotional Health

  • Uniqueness of self and others

  • Positive character traits

  • Values and goals

  • Respecting self and having pride in heritage

  • Grief and loss

  • Respecting different points of view

  • Communication and refusal skills

  • Setting goals for healthy friendships

  • Personal responsibility for health and safety

  • Discrimination and prejudice

  • Self awareness and self management

Unit 309:
Environmental and Consumer Health

  • Pollution problems

  • Clean environments

  • Environmental protection rules

  • Food labels

  • Food handling

  • Second-hand smoke

  • Advocating for healthy communities

  • Accessing health services and products

Unit 310:
Physical Fitness

  • Bones, joints, and exercise

  • Benefits and enjoyment of exercise

  • Safety rules and Injury Prevention & Personal Safety prevention in organized sports

  • Exercise and play

  • Making goals for fitness

  • Practicing various types of exercises

  • Types of physical activities

  • Fitness pyramid

Additional Resources

Where to go for additional information and support