Elementary Health Curriculum

This week's blog has updates for elementary teachers related to our health curriculum.


Health Curriculum Update

The health curriculum team has updated some resources for the 4th and 5th grade November health lessons - Your Body/Growth and Development/Human Sexuality. These may be found on the Teaching and Learning page. 

A revised and updated parent letter will be created and shared with you soon. There are also plans to provide future health curriculum professional development opportunities for teachers. Below is a summary of the scope and sequence of the health curriculum for K-5 teachers.

Southeast Polk K-5 Health Curriculum Scope and Sequence

Elementary grades will spend a minimum of 60 minutes per month teaching health topics from our curriculum. These curriculum areas include emotional health/feelings, relationships with family/friends, your body/growth and development/human sexuality, nutrition, personal health/physical activity/hygiene/healthy goals, safety, substance use/misuse, communicable diseases/non-communicable diseases, and environmental/consumer/community health.

Learning Goals

Students will:

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

Topics of Study:

• By the end of September - Relationships with Family/Friends
• By the end of October - Personal Health/Physical Activity/Hygiene/Healthy Goals
• By the end of November - Your Body/Growth and Development/Human Sexuality
• By the end of December - Emotional Health/Feelings
• By the end of January - Nutrition
• By the end of February - Safety
• By the end of March - Substance Use/Misuse
• By the end of April - Communicable Diseases/Non-communicable Diseases
• By the end of May - Environmental/Consumer/Community Health

Trimester Pacing:

• First Trimester: September and October Lessons/Assessments
• Second Trimester: November, December, January, and February Lessons/Assessments

• Third Trimester: March, April, and May Lessons/Assessments