Curriculum

Health Class

Every student in every grade will receive 20 Health lessons per year.

For one term, each student will have 2 consecutive Health days in the 6-day rotation.

Below please find topics for each grade and the major objectives for student knowledge, behavior, and/or skills.

Health Exploratory

In addition to regular Health class, all 5th and 6th graders and all non-Band/non-Chorus 7th and 8th graders may have 10-12 additional Health "Exploratory" classes.

Grade 5:  Health Education focus = Communication Skills and Social Emotional Learning

Grade 6:  Health Education focus = Social Emotional Learning 

Grade 7:  Health Education and Family and Consumer Sciences

Grade 8:  Health Education focus = Communication Skills and Advocacy

Links to HMS Health healthy relationships and sexual health education 2024-25 lesson previews:  link to slides with speaker notes 

Health skills introduced, modeled, and practiced in every grade:

Use functional health information

Analyze influences

Access valid and reliable resources

Use interpersonal communication skills

Use a decision-making process

Use a goal-setting process

Demonstrate practices and behaviors to support health

Advocate to promote health

Grade 5 – Intro to Health Education  

Goal Setting

• Set SMART goals

Decision Making

•  Practice a healthy decision-making process.

Relationships

• Demonstrate qualities that strengthen a healthy friendship or other relationship.

Violence Prevention

• Practice techniques to stop a teasing or bullying incident.

Safety

• Describe the importance of safety rules in a variety of settings.

Disease Prevention

• Demonstrate proper hand washing to reduce the transmission of communicable disease.

Environment

• List ways to conserve energy and reasons why people should.

Nutrition

• Identify food groups and the healthy recommendations for each.

Physical Activity

• Describe the benefits of physical activity.

Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs

• Learn to read over-the-counter and prescription drug labels and directions for safe usage

Community Health

• Name community health organizations and the services they provide.

Consumer Health

• Describe advertising techniques and how advertisers focus on a target audience.

Refusal Skills

• Practice a variety of ways to say no to risky/unhealthy behaviors.

Body Systems

• List body systems and become familiar with their form and function.

Growth and Development*

• Recognize physical and psychological changes of puberty, be assured such changes are normal, and identify trusted adults to go to for help and information.

• One in-class overview of reproductive systems and basic changes of puberty for all

• One additional assembly-style session for all 5th graders on same date (May date TBD),  regardless of which term they have Health.  Students go to either/or:

  • More about changes most boys go through (facilitated by Mr. Arena, HMS PE)

  • More about changes most girls go through (facilitated by Ms. Westerling, HMS Health and Ms. Clasby, HMS PE)

Grade 6 – Healthy Communities

Emergency Care

• Identify ways to be prepared for and help in an emergency.

Sun Safety

• Name ways to reduce risk of sun damage.

Environment

• List and practice ways to improve the health of the environment.

Community Health

• Identify services provided by community health organizations

Tobacco

• List potential outcomes of tobacco use and reasons not to smoke or vape.

Violence Prevention

• Recognize aggression and violence, manage stress/anger/conflict, and tell someone who can help. 

Bullying

• Practice techniques to stop a teasing or bullying incident.

Harassment and Assault (including definitions of sexual harassment and assault)*

• Identify which situations might need refusal skills and which should be reported.  

• Practice refusal skills.  

• Identify trusted adults.

Rules of the Road

• Practice safe walking, biking, and car riding tips.

Public Health

• Describe how local public health departments develop and implement policies to keep communities safe.

Health Promotion

• Promote health within the school and community.

Grade 7 – Healthy Bodies

Body Systems

• List body systems and their form and function.

Puberty*

• Identify physical and psychological changes of puberty and list which changes happen to only to most males, only to most females, and changes that happen to people of all sexes.

Nutrition

• List nutrients and their function in the body.  Decode nutrition labels to recognize the nutritional value of foods.

Physical Activity and Fitness

• Name benefits of regular exercise, including cardio, strength, and flexibility exercises.

Sleep

• Explain how getting adequate sleep can improve one's health and examine personal sleep habits.

Alcohol

• List potential outcomes of alcohol misuse.

Communicable Disease

• List ways to prevent the spread of communicable diseases.

Chronic Disease

• Name habits that reduce risk factors for chronic disease and describe the importance of early detection.

Grade 8 – Healthy Relationships

Analyzing Influences

• Analyze the influence of family, peers, culture, media, technology, and other factors on health behaviors.

Assertive Behavior

• Practice assertive behavior and describe how assertive behavior is different from passive or aggressive and how it helps a relationship to be respectful.  

Mental Health

• Examine factors that increase a person's resilience.

Depression

• Identify causes of depression and ways to seek help.

Reproduction/Sexuality*

• Intro to Sex Ed and Consent - Define consent.

• Healthy Relationships - Recognize signs of healthy and unhealthy relationships.

• Anatomy   -  Name form and function for basic parts of reproductive anatomy.  Define sex and gender.  

• Abstinence   -  Explain benefits of abstinence. 

• Prevention/Consequences - Identify possible consequences of sexual activity, methods of prevention, and abstinence as the most effective prevention.

• Legal and Ethical Considerations - Consider legal, moral, and ethical issues associated with teen sexual activity, harassment, alcohol and other drug use, internet safety, etc.

Drugs

• Describe ways that drug abuse interferes with a healthy lifestyle and the accomplishment of goals.

Officer guest speaker - Co-taught with Hanover Police Officer John Voelkel (HPS School Resource Officer) - Officer provides additional insight on topics covered in previous Health classes (alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs; internet safety; harassment; consent; etc.)  and reinforce the importance of:

• identifying trusted adults and peers

• asking for help

*= Option to opt-out

Parents/guardians have the legal right to opt children out of content primarily involving reproduction/sexuality. Requests should be made by email (preferably at least one week in advance) to Ms. Westerling (mwesterling@hanoverschools.org) and will be shared with Principal Mr. Birolini. A confirmation receipt of any opt-out request will be sent. Alternate assignments and/or location plans will be sent as well on an individual basis as needed.