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 4 are listed below.

Great Body Shop Units

Unit 401:
Injury Prevention and Personal Safety

  • Safety hazards

  • Things that hurt your body

  • Common sense

  • Taking responsibility

  • Dangerous vs. harmless

  • Making safe decisions

  • Types of abuse

  • Right to privacy

  • Sharing with a trusted adult

  • Predicting consequences

  • Practicing refusal and communication skills

  • Internet safety

Unit 402:
Nutrition

  • Digestive process

  • Calories

  • Energy and nutrients

  • Responsibility for eating and exercise

  • Meal planning

  • Aesthetic and sensory preferences

  • Refusal skills

  • Eating disorders

  • Food groups

  • Influences on food choices

  • Nutritional goal setting

Unit 403:
Functions of the Body

  • About the heart, lungs, bones, muscles, digestion, endocrine and immune systems

  • Teeth and dental care

  • Oral health

  • Mouth structure

  • Dental products

  • Dental professionals

  • Function and care of the ear

  • Responsible care of the body

  • Hearing problems

  • Disability awareness

  • Different forms of communication

Unit 404:
Growth and Development/
Cycle of Family Life

  • Hormones and body changes

  • Meaning of growing up physically and emotionally

  • Managing strong emotions

  • Practicing good hygiene

  • Setting goals

  • Value of keeping clean

  • Personal strengths and challenges

  • Decision-making

  • Cosmetics and hygiene products

  • Role of Growth and Development/Cycle of Family Life in growth and development

  • Awareness of external support systems

Unit 405:
Disease and
Illness Prevention

  • Brain disorders

  • Hygiene routines for illness prevention

  • Relationship between disease and health choices

  • Diseases associated with blood

  • Immunization

  • Effects of HIV on the immune system

  • Setting goals

  • Refusal skills

  • Care of chronically ill

  • Respiratory disease

  • Empathy

Unit 406:
Substance Abuse Prevention

  • Effects of smoking

  • Difficulty of changing habits

  • Addictions: physical and psychological

  • Advertising and other influences on behavior

  • Second-hand smoke

  • Identify drugs and effects on the body

  • Value of being drug-free

  • Drug/HIV link

  • Refusal skills

  • Finding resources for help

  • Developmental assets

Unit 407:
Community Health
and Safety
(Violence Prevention)

  • Community safety laws and regulations

  • Resolving conflicts peacefully

  • Different forms of violence and triggers

  • Decision-making steps for group tactics to avoid violence

  • Personal goals for community safety

  • Efforts to discourage drugs

  • Harassment and bully prevention

  • Community resources

  • Community influences on health choices

Unit 408:
Self Worth, Mental and Emotional Health

  • Media, peer, and behavioral influences

  • Grief and loss

  • Emotions

  • Body image and health habits

  • Respect for self and others

  • Communication skills

  • Goal setting

  • Social, emotional learning skills

  • Making healthful decisions

  • Developmental assets

  • Understanding points of view

  • Character development (kindness, patience)

Unit 409:
Environmental and Consumer Health

  • Reducing noise

  • pollution

  • Health care professionals and their services

  • Food, hygiene, and cosmetic products

  • Product labels

  • Buying habits

  • Second-hand smoke

  • Advocating for personal, family, and community health

Unit 410:
Physical Fitness

  • Exercise and muscles

  • Defining physical fitness

  • Benefits of exercise

  • Practicing various forms of exercise and Injury Prevention & Personal Safety avoidance routines

  • Setting goals for exercise and fitness

  • Relationship between exercise and physical fitness

  • Self worth and stress reduction

  • Types of physical activities

  • Fitness pyramid

Additional Resources

Where to go for additional information and support