Health has always been one of my passions in life. Growing up, with a mom who was a nurse and a dad who was a doctor, medical and health related discussions were a natural occurance at our dinner table. We were open in discussing current and past issues and I loved the human body and mind. I originally thought I would go into the health field, but found teaching to be something that fit a bit better. Little did I know when I went into education that I would get to combine both my passions into one! It has truly been a dream come true.
The health curriculum I have used it derived from the districts short curriculum/lessons they have and I added 30 pages of my own curriculum if you will to what they have. I created lessons based on the state standards and tried to make it well-rounded and engaging. We have lessons on Financial Health, Environmental Health, Mental Health, Dental Health, Consumer Health, Physical Health, Nutrition, Basic Cleanliness and Germ Spreading Prevention, How Our Body Heals, and the list goes on! We start by walking through each body system, excluding the Reproductive System (because they get that the year before and years after), and then we are able to better understand how everything we do is tied; all our systems work together to promote our health. The following examples are just snipits of what our health class looks like. |
Different Systems and How They All Tie TogetherThe first system we look at in October is the Skeletal System (because it is close to Halloween). They make their own skeleton hands and label them with "phalanges," "metacarpals.' and "carpals." They LOVE it and are so impressed with the "big" words they learn.
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Hands On, Student Centered, Community BuildingIf students have a say in what they are learning, why they need to know things, and how they can apply them in their daily lives, they are more engaged. I create a KWL chart that I use with my students throughout the year in health.
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Questions and AnswersI always allow for 10 minutes of questions and answers at the end of every lesson. This is a great time to debrief and to discuss what we've learned. It also allows for us to get through all the material with questions held until the end. Students can jot down questions so they don't forget and it has always lead to great discussions.
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