5th Grade Health

• Introduction to Health
  Students remember that health and wellness are the totality of our mental, physical, intellectual, social/relational, and environmental health and are introduced to the 6th bubble on the wellness wheel; consumer health. Students reflect on their personal experiences around each category of health. 

• Influences
  When we notice the influences in our life we are better able to identify how they impact our behavior. Students craft a list of the things in their life that are both positive and negative influences and connect them to different areas of their health. 

• Accessing Reliable Information | Click Bait Articles
  This lesson helps students build the capacity to be critical consumers of health information. Students work with partners to review two articles on the same health related topic and identify which one is click bait and which one is reliable. 

• Accessing Reliable Information | Videos
  Having previously learned about inaccurate health information found in written articles, students apply the same strategies for discerning health content in videos and online marketing. 

• Media Balance
  As a class we brainstorm what a healthy relationship with media and devices looks like including time, content, and interactions with others. We consider how different scenarios related to devices might make us feel, and each student writes a personal mission statement for healthy technology use.  See the tab below to learn more about supporting young people as they navigate the world of technology. 

• The Heart
  We discover the function of the heart with a focus on heart rate. They learn how to take their pulse and notice the difference at rest, after activity, and after a relaxation activity. Students brainstorm situations when knowing how to slow their heart rate can be beneficial. We watch, Science for Kids. 

• Movement
  After learning about the critical role of the heart, students learn that movement is one of the best ways to keep their hearts healthy. The lesson focuses on finding movements that student's enjoy doing, as those are the activities that we’re most likely to continue doing. We finish with a mindfulness activity where students reflect on how they feel before and after brief physical activity. 

• Food Groups
  Students reflect on the messages they’ve received about food and diet from the media and how that has influenced what they think and know about food. We learn that a healthy eater is willing to try new foods and listens to their body. Students use MyPlate.gov as a reliable source to discover foods from food groups that they like and haven’t tried before. 

• Menu Planning
  Our body loves when we eat a variety of foods, and when all food groups are represented. Student’s learn the components of a complete meal (protein, grain, and produce) and create a personalized two-day menu including; breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, and a fun food. 

• SMART Goals
  Students learn the health skill of goal setting. We brainstorm what makes it difficult to try new things and learn that the SMART goal framework can offset many of those difficulties. Students learn how to set a SMART goal, with practical strategies for achieving goals that are challenging. 

• Goal Tracking
  Students learn the value of checking in with previously set goals, and assessing their progress. They interview a peer about their goal progress and brainstorm potential adjustments to make their goals more attainable. 

• Vaping
  While cigarette use is down significantly amongst young people, e-cigarette use is on the rise. Students learn about the realities of e-cigarettes and bust common myths about vapes, juuls, and electronic cigarettes. 

• Vaping - Refusal Strategies
  As a class we brainstorm refusal and exit strategies for various situations where we might be asked to try vaping. Students finish by articulating their personal “whys” for choosing not to smoke electronic cigarettes. 

• Puberty: See tabs below for detailed information on this unit. 

• Assessment: Middle School Prep
  
  
  
  

*Lessons may not be taught in the order shown, and some lessons are missed due to snow days, field trips, and other events. 

5th grade students learn about healthy media and technology use through their health and guidance lessons. The topics include how to access accurate information online, creating a healthy relationship with devices, and how to be a good friend online. Below is a list of suggestions and resources to consider at home as we work together to help prepare young people for a world of social media and devices. 

• Stop use of devices or screens 1 hour before bedtime. Screens are activating for the brain which disrupts restful sleep, affecting their concentration, mood, and overall health.

• Consider removing devices from the bedroom at bedtime (have a device curfew or charging stations outside of bedrooms). This can be a time when harmful behaviors ramp up, and it’s difficult for young people to navigate on their own.

• Consider keeping doors open when on devices to assure content and conversations are safe. 

• Help find YouTube channels, influencers, and social media pages that promote positive messages. The internet is rife with harmful messages about appearance, violence, and other risky behaviors. Watching the content that your child is watching helps you to have conversations about what they are seeing and gives you insight into their world. 

• Check in often. Ask what kind of messages they are seeing, sending, and getting and how they feel about them. 

• Have conversations about privacy and respectful online communication.

• Plan media and device free times together and model a healthy and balanced relationship with devices. 

• Create a family technology plan that outlines your expectations for media and devices. 

Resources:

• Talk To Your Kids

• Effects of Excessive Screen Time on Child Development: An Updated Review and Strategies for Management 

• Common Sense Media: www.commonsensemedia.org/articles 

• The Anxious Generation

  1. Resources

• Stand Up to Sexting: an open conversation for parents and kids

• The American Academy of Pediatrics

  1. Beyond Screen Time: Help Your Kids Build Healthy Media Use Habits

  2. How To Connect With Your Teen About Smart & Safe Media Use

  3. Cyberbullying: How To Prevent It

  4. Family Media Plan

  5. Social Media & Your Child's Mental Health: What The Research Says

Lesson Plans - please see the recording below to listen to an overview of the puberty unit

• Lesson 1, Introduction to Puberty: Inspired by a Nature-Based PE, Health, and Wellness framework this lesson uses the mindfulness practice of a sit spot to introduce the conversation around puberty. Students will use their senses to notice differences in nature and explore the on-going changes around us. The American Academy of Pediatrics defines puberty as “the time of life when a child’s body begins to develop into its adult form. This process looks different for everyone. Many kids will notice changes in their bodies around 9 or 10 years old, some will change earlier and some will change much later.”  Students will reflect on what it feels like to experience change in life and the people and strategies they can rely on to support them through life transitions. An overview of upcoming health lessons will be provided to ease discomfort or nervousness around the subject. 

  • Lesson Plan

  • Sit Spot Worksheet

  • Support Worksheet

• Lesson 2, Always Changing: This lesson covers the physical changes of puberty. Students view the video,  Always Changing and Growing Up - Co Ed Puberty Education, in separate spaces (all boys, all girls, or mixed gender). Students will choose to watch the video in whichever space they feel most comfortable. All students will learn about the changes that occur to male and female bodies. All students learn about all bodies to minimize shame and stigma, demystify the human body, and honor that while puberty is a universal experience, we all experience it differently. 

  • Lesson Plan

  • Puberty Venn Diagram Worksheet

  • View the video shown to students here: Always Changing and Growing Up - Co Ed Puberty Education 

  • Diagram - sent home with students

• Lesson 3, Puberty Resources: Students learn the skills of caring for their changing bodies. Students read scenarios and go “shopping” around the classroom for various products and resources that might be needed while going through puberty. Products are available for them to see in person. Students are sent home with supplemental information about caring for their changing bodies. 

  • Lesson Plan

  • Scenarios

Parent Resources

• American Academy of Pediatrics - Explore their website for articles on puberty and information to specific groups of kids or unique experiences. 

  • Talking To Your Child About Sex

• You-ology: A Puberty Guide for Every Body | AAP Books | American Academy of Pediatrics 

• Taking Care of Myself: A Hygiene, Puberty and Personal Curriculum for Young People with Autism

• American Autism Association: The Official Puberty Guide

• Autism Speaks: Helping your child with autism go through puberty

  • Autism Speaks Puberty Guide

  • The Autism Friendly Guide to Periods

• The Boys Guide to Growing Up

• The Girls Guide to Growing Up

• A Kid's Book About Body Hair

• A Kid's Book About Periods

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