Grade 8 Health Education

    Course Overview

    The grade 8 program is aimed at encouraging students to live a healthy lifestyle through the critical examination of issues and topics that are important to them. 

     

    The curriculum is designed to promote the development of personal well being, interests and aptitudes, and the knowledge, skills and attitudes students need to become active, healthy, and lifelong learners. It is hoped that students will develop respect for themselves and others as they learn and practice the skills of communication, co-operation, and collaboration. The following units will be covered throughout the year.

     

     

    Unit 1: Life Skills

    Outcome:

    Learners will analyse how life skills influence physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual health.

     

    Goals:

    Students will learn the factors that impact healthy decision making.

    Students will learn health coping mechanisms. 

    Students will learn strategies that will influence healthy decision making.

    Unit 2: Healthy Behaviours

    Outcome:

    Learners will analyse the relationship between healthy behaviours and physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual health.

     

    Goal:

    Students will learn how daily actions or inactions can influence our overall health.

    Unit 3: Mental Health

    Outcome:

    Learners will reflect on the importance of mental health literacy.

     

     

    Goals:

    Students will have basic knowledge of how their brain functions.

    Students will understand some of the causes of changes in brain function and how to seek help.

    Students will understand what stigma is, and how to prevent stigma around mental health.


    Unit 4: Sexual Health

    Outcome:

    Learners will evaluate ways to access reliable sexual health information that positively impacts adolescent sexual health and reproduction.

     

    Goals:

    Students will understand adolescent growth and development.

    Students will understand how body image can affect wellbeing.

    Students will understand how to find reliable and accurate information surround sexual health and how to prevent an unwanted pregnancy and/or illnesses and STIs.

    Students will understand sexual violence and how to protect themselves and their partner(s).

    Unit 5: Relationships

    Outcome:

    Learners will reflect on relationships impact physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual health.

      

    Goals:

    Students will understand that relationships can change overtime. 

    Students will understand what constitutes a healthy and unhealthy relationship

    Students will understand how to address challenges, to respect each other's rights, and when and where to seek help if needed.

    Unit 6: Substance Abuse

    Outcome:

    Learners will reflect on the impact of substance abuse on adolescent health.

      

    Goals: 

    Students will understand risks and harms of substance abuse (physically and mentally) for both legal and illegal substances.

    Students will understand social pressures and develop coping strategies to help them adapt to circumstances that may or may not arise.


    Assessment

    Student’s participation is valued and encouraged. Throughout the course students will be given the opportunity to share their knowledge, opinions, feelings, attitudes, beliefs and values in a safe and respectful classroom environment. They will engage in group activities and discussions and they will contribute individually with assignments, projects, journal reflections, quizzes and oral presentations. A grade of 1 to 4 will be assigned to each student to summarize the achievement of the course outcomes covered during each term.  1, 1+, 2, 2+ all indicate that the students are not meeting the expectations of the outcome. 3, 3+ 4 all indicate that the student is meeting or exceeding the expectations of the outcome. PowerSchool, our online system of reporting, will provide a regular update of academic progress.

    Extra Help

    Extra help will always be given upon request at the arranged time when both the teacher and student are available. This may be in the morning before school begins or in the afternoon when classes end.

    Communication

     

    Students and parents should feel free to contact me about progress or concerns. Students always know where to find me but parents and students alike should feel free to contact me by email or by school telephone. Please stay in touch!