Missouri Department of Elementary
Safe and Healthy Life Choices (Part I)
As high schoolers seek to grow more and more independent, they must constantly make choices. Some options are healthy and some not so much. To begin the discussion, class members are asked to identify five safe and healthy (or...
Healthy Native Youth
Chapter 6: Making Choices
A lesson looks closely at risky behavior such as teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Middle schoolers use a question box to ask questions anonymously. They role-play what life would be like if they became pregnant then...
Missouri Department of Elementary
Safe and Healthy Life Choices (Part 2)
Scholars listen to a presentation by a health care professional and then submit three questions they would like the speaker to discuss further.
Healthy Native Youth
Chapter 3: Decision Making
By way of group discussion, reading, and role-play a series of six activities encourage scholars to make responsible decisions. Following an online introduction, pupils review the concept of volition and answer questions. Middle...
Stanford University
A Healthy You
Go beyond counting calories with a healthy eating unit that focuses on reading nutritional labels, making healthy choices, and incorporating fitness into daily life. After four lessons about the different ways kids can improve their...
Delaware Health and Social Services
My Life. My Plan: Women
Nationwide, over 40 percent of pregnancies are unintended. A lesson designed for women of childbearing age asks them to consider their goals and provides information about reproductive health. Learners view a PowerPoint presentation and...
Missouri Department of Elementary
Healthy Touches and Private Touches
Scholars identify the difference between healthy touches and private touches. A discussion leads pupils to recognize several trusting adults. Peers role-play scenarios in which they use three rules to remain safe.
Healthy Native Youth
Chapter 1: Circle of Life
Volition, or will-power, is the focus of a instructional activity that brings forth the Native symbol, the Circle of Life, to instill the importance of responsible decision-making. Scholars take part in six activities that empower them...
Missouri Department of Elementary
What Are Safe and Unsafe Drugs/Medicines/Objects?
Encourage responsible decision-making while boosting sorting skills with a lesson that looks at safe and unsafe situations. Scholars use two bags, one happy the other sad, to sort scenario cards. After a thorough examination,...
Healthy Native Youth
Chapter 4: Learning About Disease
Communicable diseases are the focus of a instructional activity that primarily uses discussion, a hands-on activity, and a worksheet to drive their point home. Lotion and glitter create a strong visual for communicable diseases. A...
Healthy Native Youth
Chapter 2: Learning About Adolescence
The Native American symbol, The Circle of Life, represents life's spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional well being. By way of deep discussion, and two games, the lesson uses the Circle of Life to explore the stages of maturity,...
Missouri Department of Elementary
Sally’s Super Day
After having a bad day, Sally took scholars' suggestions and had a super day. Pupils listen to her newest short story then discuss the events that occurred. They sort each event by what was in her control and what was not. Participants...
Missouri Department of Elementary
Opportunity Knocks, But It Costs, Too!
Sixth graders practice six steps to effective problem solving. Working with the school counselor, class members are presented with a scenario that requires them to make a decision. Individuals then write a reflection in which they...
Missouri Department of Elementary
Stressed Out Sally
Life changes may cause stress. Here, scholars identify stressful situations in a peer's life and offer coping skills to make for a better day. A short story, "Stressed Out Sally," provides pupils with a look inside a bad day. After...
Ohio State University
Where in the World Can I Find a Healthy Diet?
What constitutes a healthy diet? In what way is a healthy diet defined and influenced by culture? Groups investigate the community and national resources available in a country, and then design a healthy diet for its citizens.
Missouri Department of Elementary
Risk Taking Behaviors
Sophomores can be sometimes wise and sometimes foolish. The same can be said for their behaviors. After watching a presentation about risk taking behaviors, class members discuss the presentation in small groups, and then complete a...
Missouri Department of Elementary
Can You Erase the Damage?
A pencil and an eraser bring forth the message that negative comments never truly disappear. On a large piece of paper, scholars list negative comments then attempt to replace them with kind ones. Pupils discuss the impact of negative...
Missouri Department of Elementary
To Give In or Not to Give In—That Is the Question!
No! A very simple word that can be very hard to say. Seventh graders have an opportunity to practice this difficult skill as they engage in a series of role-playing scenarios. As an exit ticket, 7th graders write a reflection on the...
Nemours KidsHealth
Breakfast: Grades K-2
Students investigate nutrition and the role breakfast plays in everyday life. In this healthy eating activity, students discuss their own breakfast habits and the meal they would prefer to have every morning. Students practice...
Missouri Department of Elementary
Are You Balanced?
Balance scales create a strong visual of how an individual prioritizes one's self alongside their commitments to the community, school, and home. Scholars complete a graphic organizer then discuss their findings with their peers. A...
Northern Ireland Curriculum
Self Concept
It may not be possible to have control over all aspects of life, but through the activities and discussions in this lesson class members learn different ways to cope with those areas over which they have little or no control.
Missouri Department of Elementary
Don’t Tease Me!
A whole-class discussion sheds light on school bullying and ways to prevent it. Scholars share a moment when they observed or experienced some sort of teasing. Pupils brainstorm ways such behavior can be stopped or prevented.
Missouri Department of Elementary
I Know What You Did This Summer
Developing and maintaining healthy interpersonal relationships is difficult, especially as middle schoolers begin dating. A short activity permits eighth graders to practice their skills as they consider how they should respond to a...
Missouri Department of Elementary
Juggling New Opportunities
Life is like trying to juggle three tennis balls! That's the big idea in a lesson that asks freshmen to consider that sometimes juggling the areas of their lives (social/emotion, academic, and career) runs smoothly and sometimes not so...