Health

• Tobacco use
• Dietary patterns that contribute to disease
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Sexual behaviors that result in HIV infection, other STDs, and unintended pregnancy
• Alcohol and other drug use
• Behaviors that result in intentional or unintentional injury

The National Health Education Standards are the standards that specify what students should know and be able to do.  There are eight health education standards.

• Students will comprehend concepts related to health promotion and disease prevention to enhance health.
• Students will analyze the influence of family, peers, culture, media, technology, and other factors on health behaviors.
• Students will demonstrate the ability to access valid information and products and services to enhance health.
• Students will demonstrate the ability to use communication skills to enhance health and avoid or reduce health risks.
• Students will demonstrate the ability to use decision-making skills to enhance health.
• Students will demonstrate the ability to use goal-setting skills to enhance health.
• Students will demonstrate the ability to practice health-enhancing behaviors and avoid or reduce health risks.
• Students will demonstrate the ability to advocate for personal, family and community health.

Goals

Mental and Emotional Health – will focus on gaining health knowledge and practicing life skills; making responsible decisions; using resistance skills when appropriate; choosing behaviors to promote a healthy mind; developing positive self-esteem; coping with stress in healthful ways, and developing an understanding of the various mental illnesses and how to get appropriate help when needed.

Family Living/Social Health –  will focus on development of relationship skills; avoiding discrimination; striving for healthful family relationships; making healthful adjustments to family changes; forming healthful and responsible friendships; communicating with others in healthful ways; expressing feelings; practicing conflict resolution skills recognizing harmful relationships; preventing bullying/cyberbullying and harassment;  identifying resources to improve relationships; developing skills to prepare for future family life; understanding how the media impacts how we treat each other, and practicing skills to support abstinence.

Growth and Development – will focus on caring for the body systems; recognizing changes during growth periods; accepting physical appearance; learning about the beginning of a new life and the prevention of birth defects; accepting differences among people; understanding personality development; preparing for aging; and sharing feelings about dying and death.

Nutrition –  will focus on planning a healthful diet and includes choosing foods from the Food Guide Pyramid; adhering to dietary guidelines; reading food labels; making healthful selections when dining out; considering food safety; maintaining desirable weight by living a healthy lifestyle; eating for healthful reasons; understanding the nutritive and caloric values of foods: knowing the difference between organic foods; and recognizing and treating eating disorders.

Personal Health – will focus on making a personal health management plan that includes being well-groomed; caring for the body; having regular checkups; following a dental health plan; obtaining adequate rest and sleep;  and achieving a desirable level of physical fitness in order to keep the body safe and healthy.

Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs –  will focus on kinds of drugs and their safe use; understanding the risk factors and protective factors associated with misuse and abuse; preventing the misuse and/or abuse of alcohol, tobacco, and controlled/uncontrolled substances; recognizing how drug use increases the likelihood of HIV and other infections; seeking help for personal or family drug misuse or abuse; being aware of school and community intervention and treatment resources; choosing to be safe and drug free; and using resistance skills when pressured to use drugs.

Communicable and Chronic Diseases – will focus on recognizing communicable and non communicable diseases; keeping the immune system healthy; preventing the spread of pathogens; reducing the risk of infection with common communicable diseases, STDs and HIVs; obtaining a family history of diseases; reducing the risk for cardiovascular diseases and cancer; and recognizing ways to manage chronic diseases.

Injury and Prevention Safety – will focus on following safety rules in the home, school and community; following safety guidelines for different weather conditions and national disasters; being able to get help for emergency situations; knowing how to keep safe when using technology (internet, texting, phone); reducing the risk of violence; protecting oneself from those who are dangerous; and staying safe while riding in a car and when enjoying exercise.

Structure and Overview
At this time, the Indian Hill Health Curriculum consists of materials taught to students K-10.  In the primary (K-2) classes, curriculum is delivered by the individual classroom teacher, physical education teacher, and counselors.  In the elementary grades (3-5), curriculum is taught by the counselors/health education teachers for approximately two quarters which consists of 17-20 class periods.  Each class period meets for 35 minutes..   The middle school (7-8) students are taught health by the health teacher for a quarter which consists of nine weeks of instruction per grade. The high school program is taught to 10th grade students by the health teacher for a semester. This curriculum is designed to build life skills from the previous year on to the next.

Competencies, Assessments, and Intervention
Student competencies and assessments may be measured by a combination of teacher observation and judgment, paper and pencil test, oral evaluation, role playing, class participation, performance tasks and creation of a product, and portfolio assessments.

Intervention assistance will initially be made by teacher to student and when deemed necessary, parent contracts are made.  Progress reports, guidance counselors, teachers and parents will help students needing further assistance.