Sixth Grade Health
Course Description
Health education provides students with the skills and functional knowledge to develop lifelong wellness. Lifelong wellness is the ability to care for oneself within all dimensions of health; physical, mental/emotional, environmental, social, spiritual, intellectual, and occupational-making continuing adjustments throughout our lives. Our goal is to encourage students to recognize that their choices impact lifelong health.
Students will develop high-level comprehension and understanding in the areas of personal wellness, mental and emotional health, drugs, alcohol, and tobacco, body systems and disease, nutrition and fitness, consumer and environmental health, and human sexuality.
Grade Level(s): Sixth Grade
Related Priority Standards (State &/or National):
- K-12 Health Education Missouri Grade Level Expectations
- Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Training for Missouri Students
Essential Questions
- How does one notice different dimensions of wellness working together in their life?
- What lifestyle choices can one make to keep one's body healthy?
- How does one communicate to enhance and advocate for their own personal health and the health of others?
- How can one take care of one's developmental and sexual health in adolescence?
- How can one set boundaries related to one's sexual health and respect the boundaries of others?
- What are stressors, and how does one manage them?
- How do you know when you or a loved one needs help, and where do you go for that help?
- What makes a healthy relationship?
- What does healthy communication look like?
- How is goal setting related to health-enhancing practices?
- Why are empathy and inclusion necessary for developing personal health and a safe and healthy community?
- How do we reduce the stigma around health-related topics to empower students to advocate for themselves and their physical, social, and emotional needs?
- How does one manage peer pressure and use refusal skills?
- How can one make informed health decisions using valid and reliable resources while recognizing their sources of influence?
Enduring Understandings
- Students will evaluate the presence of each dimension of wellness in their lives.
- Students will explain how their lifestyle choices affect their wellness.
- Students will demonstrate how to help themselves or someone else in situations of self-harm, suicide, and mental health disorders.
- Students will formulate a plan to manage stress and identify positive coping skills they can use.
- Students will effectively use verbal and nonverbal communication skills.
- Students will set a personal goal and will monitor their progress toward that goal.
- Students will evaluate the effects of various influences on their health-related decisions.
- Students will apply their knowledge of influences to make healthy decisions.
- Students will evaluate their resources to ensure validity and relevance.
- Students will demonstrate effective refusal skills.
- Students will understand the importance of safely navigating the internet and technology.
Course-Level Scope & Sequence (Units &/or Skills)
- Unit 1: Concepts of Wellness
Students will learn about the different dimensions of wellness and how they interact with each other. They will find evidence of these in their lives and work toward a balance among them in order to thrive. *Components of fitness and the effects of exercise on the muscular, skeletal, cardiovascular, and respiratory systems will be taught in physical education.
- Unit 2: Mental, Emotional, and Social Health & Goal Setting
Students will develop self-awareness around their own mental, emotional, and social health and learn about strategies to manage them. They will learn about various mental health disorders and recognize signs of them in themselves and others. Students will also practice the skill of goal setting to impact their own health positively.
- Unit 3: Analyzing Influences & Decision Making
Students will learn how to recognize health influences and make decisions in the areas of wellness, mental, emotional, and social health, and goal-setting.
- Unit 4: Healthy and Safe Relationships
Students will be provided training that includes:
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- Instruction providing students with the knowledge and tools to recognize sexual abuse
- Instruction providing students with the knowledge and tools to report an incident of sexual abuse
- Actions that a student who is a victim of sexual abuse could take to obtain assistance and intervention
- Available resources for students affected by sexual abuse
Date Last Revised/Approved: 2022