Teaching Elementary School Health Education/Family and Social Health

Basic National Health Standards

HEALTH EDUCATION STANDARD 1 – Students will comprehend concepts related to health promotion and disease prevention to enhance health.

HEALTH EDUCATION STANDARD 2 – Students will analyze the influence of family, peers, culture, media, technology and other factors on health behaviors.

HEALTH EDUCATION STANDARD 3 – Students will demonstrate the ability to access valid information and products and services to enhance health.

HEALTH EDUCATION STANDARD 4 – Students will demonstrate the ability to use interpersonal communication skills to enhance health and avoid or reduce health risks.

HEALTH EDUCATION STANDARD 5 – Students will demonstrate the ability to use decision-making skills to enhance health.

HEALTH EDUCATION STANDARD 6 – Students will demonstrate the ability to use goal-setting skills to enhance health.

HEALTH EDUCATION STANDARD 7 – Students will demonstrate the ability to practice health-enhancing behaviors and avoid or reduce health risks.

HEALTH EDUCATION STANDARD 8 – Students will demonstrate the ability to advocate for personal, family and community health.

Basic State Health Standards

1: Students will comprehend concepts related to health promotion and disease prevention.

2: Students will demonstrate the ability to access and evaluate health information, products, and services.

3: Students will demonstrate the ability to apply self-management skills to enhance health.

4: Students will demonstrate the ability to analyze the influence of family, culture, peers, community, media, and technology on health and health behaviors.

5: Students will demonstrate the ability to utilize interpersonal communication skills to enhance health.

6: Students will demonstrate the ability to implement decision-making and goal setting skills to enhance health.

7: Students will demonstrate the ability to advocate for personal, family, and community health.

How to Teach

1. Choose specific health content area (family and social health)

2. Choose content area for integration

3. Find national/state standards for specific selected content areas

4. Create health goals for students to be accomplished through completion of lesson

5. Write a procedure with specific detail pertaining to content area(s) and selected standards

6. Create an assessment aligned with standards and procedures

Sample Lesson Plan

Family and Social Health:Language Arts Effective Communicator Grade 1

Fantastic Friends

Health Education Standards

National Health Standards: •NHES 4: Students will be able to demonstrate the ability to use interpersonal communication skills to enhance health and avoid or reduce health risks. (Through the use of I-messages and active listening in a classroom community circle). •NHES 8: Students will demonstrate the ability to advocate for personal, family, and community health. (By identifying characteristics that make a good friend and by developing a list of these characteristics).

State Health Standards: •Describe characteristics needed to be a responsible friend and family member. •Demonstrate ways to communicate care, consideration, and respect of self and others.

Performance Indicators

•Identify characteristics needed to be a responsible friend. •Demonstrate ways to communicate care, consideration, and respect of others.

Health Goals

•I will get along with my friends and classmates. •I will show how to be a good friend and show respect to others.

Materials

Chart paper; Markers; Notebook paper (for students); Pencil (for students); Variety of fresh fruit; 1 very old rotten banana; Cool Whip; Large bowl; Large spoon (for mixing); Small bowls (one for each student); Plastic spoons (one for each student)

Motivation

1.Set up the chart paper and create a community circle. In the community circle, the students will be using I-messages to communicate their feelings clearly. Explain to the class that only the person holding the selected item is aloud to speak. Everyone else must show active listening. 2. Model the prompt “I feel a good friend is someone who is”, have each students take a turn finishing the prompt. As a characteristic is listed, write it on the chart paper for all the students to see. 3. After the community circle is finished, make friendship salad. 4. Directions for Friendship Salad •Take the big mixing bowl and explain to the class that the bowl represents the class as a whole. •As the fruit is added, explain that the fruit represents all of the positive characteristics listed on the chart paper from the community circle. •Add the cool whip explaining that it is the “glue” holding the classroom together. •Talk about how yummy the fruit salad will be. •Take out the very old rotten banana. Ask class if the banana should be added. (Take a class vote to NOT add the banana). •Explain that the rotten banana represents the put downs and the negativity in the classroom, that is why it is not be added into the friendship salad. •Dish out the friendship salad into bowls to pass out to students and enjoy! 5. While students are enjoying friendship salad, have them write a friendly note to a neighbor (in the classroom). Have the students write to the recipient either a compliment or how they have been a good friend. 6. As a wrap-up, call the students back into a community circle. Model, then have each student finish the prompt “I can be a good friend by…” Write this prompt and characteristics on another piece of chart paper for all the students to see.

Evaluation

Have each student write on a piece of notebook paper two sentences. The first sentence explaining what it means to be a good friend. The second sentence should explain how to be a good friend to others. Have the children draw a picture to correspond with the sentences. Have the children hand in the paper for the teacher to review that they understood the health goal and met the performance indicators.

Resources Lesson was adapted from “One Two, a Friend for You” page 497 a Totally Awesome Teaching Strategy Meeks, Linda B. Philip Heit, and Randy Page. Comprehensive School Health Education: Totally Awesone Strategies for Teaching Health, Fifth Edition, New York: McGraw-Hill, 2007.